H
ong Kong's New Territories, though growing richer by the year, cling strongly to the ancient traditions of rural China. Fortunately, this has been less and less true in the field of agricultural practice-as illustrated by a growth rate in agricultural production last financial year of 22 per cent. The persistence of old ways of life, combined with increasing modernization and the impact of active government administration has resulted in a unique society where the new and the old interact smoothly and with apparent success. Much, of course, remains to be done in rationalizing old forms of tenure and in modernizing. None the less, Hong Kong's experience already compares favourably with that of other countries in the region. Farming takes up about 12 per cent of Hong Kong's land area, virtually all of it in the New Territories. Production in 1968-9 was valued at nearly $300-million and productivity levels are improving.
The title page picture (previous page) shows a traditional scene in the rice fields of Hong Kong. The following pages show something of the successful transition to more modern methods which is now taking place.
This striking panorama (facing page) provides a classical example of the placid beauty that abounds in rural Hong Kong.
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