the right direction. At that time the Shek O men worked as seamen and their farm land was idle. The newcomers did vegetable gar- dening and fishing, renting farm land from Shek ✪ people. To explain why the locals accepted the newcomers, Mr. Lau said that the local population was only some 300 at that time. The newcom- ers had built their houses on Crown land, which Mr. Lau said was ba-wong-dei, i.e. land which was claimed by the exertion of physi- cal presence in force.
Besides the predominately Western residents of the “villas”, there were newcomers from the cities too. One woman who start- ed a brief conversation with me when preparing among others the final offerings to the ghosts told me that her husband who worked in an accounting firm moved to Shek O some 20 years ago in his forties because he liked the place. Among the newcomers was also a Tanka family.
Shek O has a temple for Tin Hau, who was the main god of the jiu celebration. According to Professor Tanaka Issei, the oldest dated object found in the temple was a bin-ngaak inscription dat- ed the eighteenth year of Gwong-seui (1893).* Immediately to the left of the Tin Hau temple is a Residents' Association which orga- nized an annual celebration in honour of Tin Hau. Third in the row of houses is the Man San Sports Association. I remember that the primary school is also named Man San, and at one of the shops or tea-houses near the bus stop, there was a poster announcing the results of football matches organized by the Man San Sports Asso- ciation.
According to Mr. Wong, the Shek O Residents Association takes care of local public affairs, relaying messages from the Hong Kong Government. It liaises with the South District Office and the Chai Wan district police headquarters. I saw a poster inviting entries for a South District Festival competition, with "forms available from the Shek O Association” added in hand writing. The officers of the association also organize the annual opera per- formances in honour of Tin Hau. Mr. Lau saw the association as essentially a development of the village office (heung-gung-so) of pre-War times. The association has almost 2,000 members, al- though some of the Shek O residents do not join. Mr. Lau could
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the right direction. At that time the Shek O men worked as seamen and their farm land was idle. The newcomers did vegetable gar- dening and fishing, renting farm land from Shek ✪ people. To explain why the locals accepted the newcomers, Mr. Lau said that the local population was only some 300 at that time. The newcom- ers had built their houses on Crown land, which Mr. Lau said was ba-wong-dei, i.e. land which was claimed by the exertion of physi- cal presence in force.
Besides the predominately Western residents of the “villas”, there were newcomers from the cities too. One woman who start- ed a brief conversation with me when preparing among others the final offerings to the ghosts told me that her husband who worked in an accounting firm moved to Shek O some 20 years ago in his forties because he liked the place. Among the newcomers was also a Tanka family.
Shek O has a temple for Tin Hau, who was the main god of the jiu celebration. According to Professor Tanaka Issei, the oldest dated object found in the temple was a bin-ngaak inscription dat- ed the eighteenth year of Gwong-seui (1893).* Immediately to the left of the Tin Hau temple is a Residents' Association which orga- nized an annual celebration in honour of Tin Hau. Third in the row of houses is the Man San Sports Association. I remember that the primary school is also named Man San, and at one of the shops or tea-houses near the bus stop, there was a poster announcing the results of football matches organized by the Man San Sports Asso- ciation.
According to Mr. Wong, the Shek O Residents Association takes care of local public affairs, relaying messages from the Hong Kong Government. It liaises with the South District Office and the Chai Wan district police headquarters. I saw a poster inviting entries for a South District Festival competition, with "forms available from the Shek O Association” added in hand writing. The officers of the association also organize the annual opera per- formances in honour of Tin Hau. Mr. Lau saw the association as essentially a development of the village office (heung-gung-so) of pre-War times. The association has almost 2,000 members, al- though some of the Shek O residents do not join. Mr. Lau could
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