Hong Kong Community College Notes

Course Introduction

  • Course focus:
    • History
    • Culture
    • Historical Perspectives

Historical Perspectives

  • Contextualized: Understand why and how an event happened.
  • Environment: Consider the political system, economy, and cultural values.
  • Continuity and Changes: Examine temporal and spatial aspects.
  • Interaction: Consider interactions with China and the world.
  • Facts + Significance: Ensure information is supported by evidence.

Tentative Schedule

  • Refer to the Teaching Plan; lecturers may adjust the sequence and teaching pace as needed.
  • Tutorial schedule is available on Moodle.

Geographical Condition

  • Location: South-eastern tip of China.
  • Components: Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon Peninsula, New Territories, and 262 outlying islands.
  • Victoria Harbour: A renowned deep-water harbor.
  • Total area: 1104 \text{ square kilometers}.
  • Land developed: Less than 25\%.
  • Country parks and nature reserves: 40\%.
  • Dry and infertile mountainous terrain is not ideal for agricultural settlement.
  • Victoria Harbour is strategically located on Far East trade routes and became a hub for trade with China.

Climate

  • Sub-tropical climate.
  • Temperatures: below 10 degrees Celsius in winter, exceeding 31 degrees Celsius in summer.
  • Autumn: Warm, sunny, and dry.
  • Winter: Cool and dry.
  • Spring to Summer: Hot, humid, and rainy.
  • Average annual rainfall: 2398.5 \text{mm}.
  • Wettest months: June and August.
  • Driest months: January and December.

Population

  • Approximately 7.52 \text{ million} in 2019.
  • Chinese descent: The vast majority (92%).
  • Foreign nationals: 8\%.
  • Population density: 6,880 \text{ people per square kilometer}.
  • Crude birth rate: 7.2 \text{ per } 1000.
  • Other significant national groups:
    • Philippines: 19,6546 \text{ total}
    • Indonesia: 174,105 \text{ total}
    • India: 34,217 \text{ total}

Language

  • Official languages: Chinese and English.
  • English: Widely used in government, legal, professional, and business sectors.
  • Trilingual professionals (English, Cantonese, Putonghua) are vital for enterprises trading in Hong Kong and doing business with mainland China and Taiwan.
  • Cantonese speakers: 88.9\%.
  • Putonghua speakers: 1.9\%.
  • Other Chinese dialect speakers: 3.1\%.
  • English speakers: 4.3\%.
  • Other language speakers: 1.9\%.

Archeological Background

  • Studies began in the 1920s.
  • Findings: Ancient human activities existed more than 6000 \text{ years ago}.
  • Hong Kong is:
    • A tiny part of the greater cultural sphere of South China.
    • Imperfectly known with room for research.

Early Peoples in Hong Kong

  • Yao people (傜民): Originated from Hunan.
  • Che people (輋民): A branch of the Yao, found in Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces.
    • Examples: 沙田上下和輋、大輋；西貢北港輋經篤 etc.
  • Yue people (越民): Peoples of southern China, originally along the coastline of Guangdong province.
    • Examples: 上水古洞、船灣畔沙螺洞 etc.

Hong Kong in the Qin and Han Dynasties

  • Qin Dynasty:
    • Emperor Qinshihuang conquered the South.
    • Hong Kong: Under the jurisdiction of Panyu county (番禺縣) in Nanhai.
  • After the fall of the Qin Empire:
    • Zhao Tuo (Commandant of Nanhai) founded the Nanyue Kingdom (南越國).
    • Panyu (present-day Guangzhou) became his capital.
  • Remains of Nanyue Kingdom discovered at Pak Mong on Lantau Island (大嶼山白芒).
  • Han Relics:
    • Tung Wan Tsai (馬灣東灣仔), Penny’s Bay (大嶼山竹篙灣), Lung Kwu Sheung Tan (屯門龍鼓上灘), Kau Sai Chau (西貢滘西洲) and in the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb (李鄭屋漢墓).
  • Bricks in Han tomb bear inscription Daji Panyu (大吉番禺) - Great fortune to Panyu county.
  • Hong Kong was under the jurisdiction of Panyu during the Han Dynasty.

Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb (李鄭屋漢墓)

  • Discovered in 1955.
  • Found when workmen were leveling a hill slope for the Lei Cheng Uk Estate.
  • 58 pottery and bronze objects were found inside the tomb.
  • Built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D. 25-220).
  • The site is now the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb Museum.

Hong Kong in the Wei, Jin and the Southern and Northern Dynasties

  • 222-330: Under Panyu County in Nanhai prefecture.
  • 331: Under Bao’an County in Dongguan Prefecture (東莞郡寶安縣).
  • North China: Warfare caused large-scale migration to the south.
  • Migration brought early knowledge of crafts and mechanics.
  • Relics from the Jin period (265-420) at Pak Mong on Lantau Island (大嶼山的白芒) are the only site in Hong Kong.
  • Jin tombs are widespread in Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Monk Beidu (杯渡禪師) (青山禪院)

  • Legend: Monk Beidu (杯渡禪師) sojourned in Tuen Mun (屯門) during Liu Song Emperor Wendi’s reign (424-453) (劉宋文帝).

The Importance of Tuen Mun

  • Tuen Mun was the passage to Guangzhou: A garrison of 2,000 was set up there.
  • The earliest name of Hong Kong in Chinese historical records: Tuen Mun (屯門).
    • 「屯門」=「屯兵之門」
  • Tuen Mun in Tang records: 《新唐書》說： 「廣州東南海行，二百里至屯門山。」

Hong Kong in the Song and Yuan Dynasties

  • Song dynasty: Large scale of migration to the south.
  • The Tang (鄧), Pang (彭), Lam (林), To (陶), Hou (侯), Ng (吳) and Man (文) clans arrived in Hong Kong:
    • Settled down at Kam Tin (錦田), Tuen Mun (屯門), Tai Po (大埔), Lung Yeuk Tau (龍躍頭), Fanling (粉嶺), Ping Shan (屏山), Sheung Shui (上水), Nga Tsin Wai (衙前圍).
  • The production and trading of sea salt was monopolized by the government.
    • Troops guarded against private trading of salt.
  • The Mongolian invasion:
    • Two boy Song emperors (帝昰及帝昺) fled to Hong Kong.
    • Some dependants of the Song troops settled in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong in the Ming Dynasty

  • Significant growth: Old settlers and newcomers.
    • 74 villages were recorded in 1573 (明萬曆元年): Xin’an County (newly created) (新安縣).
  • Economic activities:
    • Farming
    • Salt-making
    • Fishing
    • Pearl-diving
    • Planting of incense trees (香樹).

Hong Kong in the Qing Dynasty

  • 1656-1684: Coastal evacuation order (遷界) - all coastal inhabitants were ordered to move inland.
    • Hong Kong became largely wasteland.周子峰： 《周子峰： 《圖解香港史 （遠古至一九四九年）》 （香港：中華書局 2010 ） ，頁7。
  • 1684: the coastal evacuation order was uplifted
    • Many Hakkas (客家) moved to Hong Kong, settling in relatively remote areas
    • The formerly established Punti (本地) clans also came back
      • Expanded their ancestral halls (祠堂)
      • Built study halls (書室)
      • Set up market towns (墟市) in Yuen Long (元朗舊墟), Tai Po (大埔太和市) and Sheung Shui (上水石湖墟).
  • Alliances were formed by other clans and villages to contend with the powerful clans
    • Kau Yeuk (Alliance of Nine) in Shatin (沙田九約)
    • the Shap Pat Heung (18 villages) in Yuen Long (元朗十八鄉)
  • Garrisons were established to resist pirate attacks
  • Forts (炮臺) were built at Tung Chung and Kowloon Walled City (九龍寨城) to guard against Western incursions

Origin of the Name “Hong Kong”

  • According to Xiao Guojian’s research: “Hong Kong” was originally the name of a small village in the Ming Dynasty.
  • During the Qianlong period (1736–1795) of the Qing Dynasty, the village was renamed “Hong Kong Wai” (香港圍) (now northern part of Mount Nicholson on Hong Kong Island).
    • Named because of the export of incense wood.
  • When British troops first landed on Hong Kong Island, they landed at Stanley.
    • A local Boat Dweller (疍民) named Chen Qun guided them, passing through Hong Kong Village, Pok Fu Lam.
  • When the British troops arrived at Hong Kong Village, they asked Chen Qun for the place name, and Chen Qun answered “Hong Kong” in the Boat Dweller dialect (疍語).

Ethnic Groups of Hong Kong

  • Before Hong Kong became a British colony in the mid-19th century, there were four main Chinese ethnic groups:
    • Punti (本地)
    • Hakka (客家)
    • Boat Dwellers (水上人, formerly known as the Tanka 蜑家)
    • Hoklo (福佬).

The Boat Dwellers (水上人) (Tanka 蜑家)

  • Spoke a peculiarly accented version of Cantonese.
  • Traditionally spent their entire lives on boats, engaging in marine-related trades:
    • Fishing
    • Oyster-farming
    • Pearl-diving
    • Preparing salted fish
    • Ferrying goods and passengers.
  • Covered the coastal waters of Guangdong and Guangxi.
  • Origins:
    • Legend: Ancestors were prominent clan members from Central China who took to the sea to escape war and persecution.
    • May be descendants of the ancient Yue people (越) (Guangdong and Guangxi).
  • In the past, Boat Dwellers segregated themselves from land-based people:
    • To avoid conflicts with the land inhabitants.

The Hoklo (福佬人) (鹤佬)

  • The Hoklo (a name derived from their native Hokkien language) (閩南語系的“福佬話”).
  • Originally came from coastal places such as Huizhou (惠州), Haifeng (海豐) and Lufeng (陸豐) in Guangdong province.
  • Mostly settled in Hong Kong as fishermen.

The Hakka (客家)

  • Meaning “guest people”.
  • Originally came from north of the Yellow River.
  • A series of migrations: southern Chinese provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong.
  • Began to settle in Hong Kong from 1684 onwards.
  • The fertile plains had already been occupied by the Punti, so they had to settle on poorer land in hilly areas.
  • Traditionally, Hakka women took care of daily household chores and worked in the field.

The Punti (本地人)

  • When the Mongols invaded Central China at the end of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), many prominent clans escaped with the Song court to southern China.
  • Some of these clans settled in Hong Kong.
  • Their descendants became the Punti or “local” people.
  • Speak a dialect of the Cantonese language called “圍頭話”.
  • Farmers, landlords, and shop owners.
  • Today, many clan-based Punti communities still live in walled villages (圍村).
  • Stresses ancestor worship and common clan interests:
    • Ancestral hall (祠堂): for ancestral worship and celebrating major festivals (Cantonese opera performances and banquets).