ENG-1957 — Page 25

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

The human tide flowing into the Colony from China grew stronger as the Communist armies advanced southwards. When Canton fell, people fled in their tens of thousands to Hong Kong. Of the many immigrant incursions which Hong Kong had experienced, this was the greatest. It was also different in one vital respect. After former commotions and civil wars in China, it had always been possible for Hong Kong's temporary population to flow back to the mainland; this reverse flow was now all but stopped. Former immi- grant waves had receded, leaving only part of the burden on the shores of Hong Kong. This latest and biggest wave remained within the Colony, making it a human reservoir.

Every aspect of life was affected. The very face of Hong Kong underwent a rapid and ugly change. Squatter town- ships spread in an unsightly rash round the permanent buildings of Victoria and Kowloon, filling the valley floors and mounting the steep hillsides. By 1951 large areas on the Island and the mainland were covered by shanty towns. The most extensive of these flimsy settlements were on the north-west outskirts of Kowloon; large communities,-how- ever, disfigured almost every hillside and vacant lot on both sides of the harbour.

This again was a time for taking stock, and those charged with the task found the situation both confused and con- fusing, so rapid had been the march of events during the preceding five years. In the first half of this period, as the population was returning from the mainland, the accent had largely been on reconstruction. Housing was refurbished in the best way possible, existing industries rehabilitated and trade connexions re-established. In 1947 Hong Kong was in process of reverting rapidly to its pre-war role of a great entrepôt centre. Then, just as it seemed that conditions were returning to normal, political upheaval in China brought into the Colony not only tens of thousands more people but also fresh capital, fresh labour forces and fresh skills. For not by any means all the refugees conformed to