As I mentioned in my last post I was heading back to Hong Kong and, while I was there, I was going to take a look around and see what I could find of the colonial past.
I’m a bit surprised that there’s not more on display or made of the past in Hong Kong; in fact, a lot of what is there isn’t really all that old in the grand scheme of things.
“Ding Ding”
Yes, that’s how they refer to the trams that run the length of the Island. I’ve been to Hong Kong many times in the past 12 years but I had never taken the tram until this recent trip. I noticed they had a tour on the tram. So, nice and early on a hot Hong Kong Saturday morning, I took the one hour tour.
Starting at the Western Market Terminus the 1920s tram heads East across the Island until it finishes at Causeway Bay completing a loop of Happy Valley along the way. The tour is guided via a recorded sound track that is available in many languages. Along its journey, there’s a bit to see and learn about the history of the trams, which date back to 1904. It was a great insight into a part of Hong Kong that until now had escaped me.
Possession Point
Before Hong Kong grew into the massive city that it is today, the site on Hollywood Road was located on a shorefront lane and was originally named Tai Hang Hau (‘Big Puddle’) after the water that collected here from a stream that flowed down from the Peak into Victoria Harbour. This is where British soldiers landed in 1841 to claim Hong Kong, and it was therefore named Possession Point. The ‘big puddle’ was filled in and Possession Street was built over it. The name of the street in Chinese is 'Shui Hang Hau Street', a reference to the mouth of the stream that once discharged its waters there.
Mercer Street
This has a special significance to me as it’s named for William Thomas Mercer, the cousin and brother-in-law of William Drummond Mercer, the subject of my second book. William Thomas was born in 1821 at Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1859 to 1868 and, in the absence of Hong Kong's Governors, he was intermittently Adminstrator of Hong Kong (Acting Governor) during the period between 1861 and 1866.
Happy Valley
I mentioned that I rounded this on the tram ride but to be completely honest it’s not the first time that I have been here. You see, this is the real home of horse racing in Hong Kong. The area in general is an upper-income residential area but to me it’s where you find a spectacular racecourse. Think Moonee Valley but with much larger grandstands and a bit tighter course.
In early 1840, the British Army set up a military camp in the area. However, the camp was later closed due to the increasing number of soldiers succumbing to malaria. The cause of malaria was unknown at the time and the soldiers apparently suffered a then-unknown fever. Early settlers had suggested the area to be used as a business centre, but the idea was shelved due to the valley's marshy environment, which was causing fatal diseases. The death rate in the area was high in the early colonial days, and the valley became a burial ground for the dead. As a result, the valley was renamed as Happy Valley, a common euphemism for cemeteries.
In 1846, the British felt that the valley terrain was ideal for horse-racing, and thus cleared the paddy fields and developed the Happy Valley Racecourse. You can still find a number of cemeteries on the north boundary of the course.
Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC)
I’d heard a lot about the FCC in my times in Hong Kong but I had never been lucky enough to be invited there. Strictly a members and guests only institution I had occasion to go there for dinner and drinks on two occasions this time.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club was founded in 1943 in Japanese-occupied China during World War II. Its first base was in Chongqing, a city controlled by nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek. As the struggle between the Nationalists and Mao Zedong’s Communists intensified after the invaders were repelled, the Club moved with the action, first to Nanjing, then to Broadway Mansions in Shanghai.
It finally relocated to Hong Kong in 1949 after the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan and Mao’s Communists created the PRC.
The FCC had several homes before the then Hong Kong Governor Sir Murray Maclehose finally granted it the use of its present premises in 1982. The first was a two-storey house in Kotewall Road, followed in 1951 by a mansion at 41a Conduit Road, which was frequented by many of the correspondents covering the Korean War.
When war broke out in Vietnam in 1963, Hong Kong became an important base for media covering the conflict, and the growing Club moved again, first into rooms at the Hilton and then, in 1969, into the famous waterfront tower block, Sutherland House. Both buildings have since been demolished.
Located on Lower Albert Road in Central, parts of the club are what you would expect of a formal Western club with the décor and the feel of the main bar area certainly that way. The upstairs dining area is a little different and not quite what you’d expect – more of a Polynesian feel. But all in all worth a visit if you can arrange it with a member.
Manson’s Lot
This one is a little left field and I have my friend and colleague, Barry, to thank for this one. Located in Swatow Street, Wan Chai this is now a pretty nice coffee shop for those in the know.
Originally known as Marine Lot 40 and waterfront property (see later discussion on the coast line) in 1841, it was one of the first plots of land to be auctioned by the Colonial Government. Subsequently extended in size eventually Swatow and Amoy Streets were carved out. (Note: this area, including Ship Street, is a MUST for all you “foodies” out there.)
In 1883 ownership of Marine Lot 40 passed to a young Scottish surgeon – Patrick Mason. He had just arrived in Hong Kong from Amoy and he built his home and surgery on the site. Apart from being knighted for his contributions to tropical medicine, Mason loved fresh milk and felt that coffee did not taste as good without it. In 1885, he was the first to import live cattle into Hong Kong and set up a small dairy farm.
That’s why it’s called Manson’s Lot and it serves damn good coffee!
The moving coastline
It’s a fascinating thing to watch, and I know I’ve written on this before, but I am convinced that Victoria Harbour will disappear. All those tunnels will be no longer necessary as they meticulously and continually fill it in.
Anyway, despite this rant, it’s interesting to note that the original coastline has now moved kilometres from where it one was. I was working on Gloucester Road, Wan Chai and out the front of the building there was a sign explaining that in the late 1960’s this road was the shoreline. And that was after they had moved it already from Hennessy, Lockhart and Jaffe roads all to the South.
Mark my words, the Harbour will be reclaimed too.
Victoria Prison / Gaol
I was in Central one very rainy Saturday afternoon and I was hunting down old and rare books and maps. Right next to one of the shops that I went to was the old Victoria Prison.
Completed in August 1841, Victoria Prison or Victoria Gaol was the first and longest-running prison to date in HK. It is located on Old Bailey Street and forms part of the Central Police Station Compound, which also includes Central Police Station. Decommissioned in 2006, it’s a declared monument in Hong Kong and apparently, with significant renovations shortly underway, some of it’s being returned to its former glory. Said to be with barbed wire and all!
Police Museum and Pagoda
As it’s so hot in Hong Kong in summer, I find the best time to do anything outdoors is early in the morning. My favourite is to head up the Wan Chai Gap road and the Wan Chai green trail. Now this isn’t for the faint-hearted or the unfit as it’s up the side of a mountain the whole way. But the view from the top and out over Hong Kong to the New Territories is superb when you get there.
Having made the trip up one day I decided to go a little further and check out where the Police Museum was. Now bear in mind that it was 7.00 am on a weekday so I didn’t expect it to be open but I discovered two things. The first is that wild boars are alive and well in HK and they are nasty looking things. You see I encountered one on the way to the museum, on a small track and was forced to go cross-country to get away! If it had just settled down, my heart rate returned to the red numbers.
The other discovery was the 1960s traffic pagoda used in downtown Hong Kong to control traffic. I’ve never seen one of these before. And no, the museum wasn’t open at that time. A big locked gate.
There’s a link here to a HK site where they’ve collected a number of photos of these.
I hope you enjoy a little of what I found there from the past. It’s a truly fascinating place for a whole range of reasons and I hope to be back there soon.
Make sure that you look around and have fun out there!
Chris