ENG-1959 — Page 47

POPULATION

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distinguishable by the use of thatch and mud bricks, instead of tiles and stone.

The Tanka (egg families) are boat dwellers who very seldom settle ashore. They themselves do not much use this name, which they consider derogatory, but usually call themselves 'Shui sheung yan' (water-borne people). They are the principal seafaring people of South China, owning large sea-going junks and engaging in deep-sea fishing, Their entire families live afloat. These people were subject to discrimination in Imperial China, for they were forbidden to live ashore or to engage in trade, and they were not allowed to enter for the Imperial examinations. Like the Hoklo, whom they resemble in many respects, they have been in the area since time unknown. Chinese records suggest that they originally spoke a non-Chinese language. At present they speak their own distinctive dialect of Cantonese, which they appear to have adopted early in the fourteenth century, during the Yuan dynasty. At Tai O, on Lantau Island, there is the rare instance of a fairly large group of Tanka living ashore, or rather half- ashore, in huts built on stakes over a muddy inlet.

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Certain parts of the New Territories mainland have been affected by the great numbers of refugees who, since 1937, have come to the Colony from all parts of China. In the rural areas these refugees have largely been assimilated although small groups of Tungkwun and Chiuchow cultivators and the miners from North China have resisted assimilation and continue to live as groups apart. In the rapidly expanding industrial area of Tsuen Wan the majority of the population is composed of immigrant workers. Most of these came from Shanghai in the mass exodus of 1949 and have in turn been followed by merchants and small businessmen from the same district.

In addition, an increasing number of properties have been developed in recent years for occupation by families of all nationalities from the urban areas. These residences, most of which lie along the main roads of the New Territories, are generally used for week-ends or holidays.