ENG-1999 — Page 500

HISTORY

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Hong Kong as a market place open to all and where the government held the scales impartially.

Public and utility services developed the Hong Kong and China Gas Company in 1861, the Peak Tram in 1885, the Hongkong Electric Company in 1889, China Light and Power in 1903, the electric tramways in 1904 and the then government-owned Kowloon-Canton Railway, completed in 1910. Successive reclamations began in 1851-notably one completed in 1904 in Central District, which produced Chater Road, Connaught Road and Des Voeux Road; and another in Wan Chai between 1921 and 1929.

Public education began in 1847 with grants to the Chinese vernacular schools. In 1873, the voluntary schools—mainly run by missionaries—were included in a grant scheme. The College of Medicine for the Chinese, founded in 1887 with Sun Yat Sen as one of its first two students, developed into the University of Hong Kong in 1911 and offered arts, engineering and medical faculties.

After the Chinese revolution of 1911, which overthrew the Manchu Dynasty, there was a long period of unrest in China and many people found shelter in Hong Kong. Agitation continued after Chinese participation in World War I brought in its wake strong nationalist and anti-foreign sentiment-inspired both by disappointment over failure at the Versailles peace conference to regain the German concessions in Shantung (Shandong), and by the post-war radicalism of the Kuomintang.

The Chinese sought to abolish all foreign treaty privileges in China. Foreign goods were boycotted and the unrest spread to Hong Kong, where a seamen's strike in 1922 was followed by a serious general strike in 1925-26 under pressure from Canton. This petered out, though not before causing considerable disruption in Hong Kong. Britain, with the largest foreign stake in China, was at that time a main target of anti- foreign sentiment, but Japan soon replaced it in this odious role.

The 1930s and World War II

During World War I, Japan presented its '21 demands' to China. In 1931, Japan occupied Manchuria and tried to detach China's northern provinces, leading to open war in 1937. Canton fell to the Japanese in 1938, resulting in a mass flight of refugees. to Hong Kong. It was estimated that some 100 000 refugees entered in 1937, 500 000 in 1938 and 150 000 in 1939-bringing Hong Kong's population at the outbreak of World War II to an estimated 1.6 million. It was thought that at the height of the influx, about 500 000 people were sleeping in the streets.

Japan entered World War II on December 7, 1941, when its aircraft bombed United States warships at Pearl Harbour. At about the same time, Japanese armed forces attacked Hong Kong (December 8, 1941, Hong Kong time). They invaded Hong Kong across the border from China and pushed the British from the New Territories and Kowloon on to Hong Kong Island. After a week of stubborn resistance on the island, the defenders including the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps-were overwhelmed and Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day.

The Japanese occupation lasted for three years and eight months. Trade virtually disappeared, currency lost its value, food supplies were disrupted, and government services and public utilities were seriously impaired. Many residents moved to Macau the neutral Portuguese enclave hospitably opening its doors to them.