A History of Hong Kong [Revised Edition] 9780006388715

Table of contents :
A HISTORY OF HONG KONG......Page 3
THE COLONY OF HONG KONG, 1993......Page 10
By the same author......Page 4
Copyright......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 7
FOREWORD......Page 13
FOREWORD TO THE REVISED EDITION......Page 17
Unwilling parents......Page 19
The last dynasty......Page 29
Scholars and gentlemen......Page 34
An empire acquired in a fit of absent-mindedness......Page 36
A cross and costly voyage......Page 43
The plant of joy......Page 50
Insolent, capricious, and vexatious procedures......Page 56
I never saw a chest of opium in my life......Page 59
A set of popinjays......Page 65
ANCHORAGES IN THE CANTON DELTA 1840......Page 67
A snug business......Page 68
Who can desire a war with China?......Page 75
The epitaph drear: 'A fool lies here / Who tried to hustle the East. ' Rudyard Kipling, 'Naulahka'......Page 80
A matter of national prestige......Page 86
Not to lose the enjoyment of what we have got......Page 89
Your most humble and obedient servant......Page 94
The War of Lancelot Dent 's Collar......Page 97
A Truly and Willing Bond......Page 109
Opium and whisky......Page 115
A proteaing joss......Page 119
Guns at the Porcelain Tower......Page 132
The Poppy War is ended......Page 138
An umpire between the empires......Page 143
A free and inexpensive asylum......Page 150
Methods of proceeding unknown in other British colonies......Page 161
Respectable and opulent Chinese......Page 170
A negro streaked with leprosy......Page 173
The dreadful sight of an Englishman being hanged......Page 179
Sulphur, pitch; beer or porter - and opium......Page 185
If they attack our people, they will be shot......Page 193
Houses of bad fame, billiard rooms and boats......Page 206
Quack Doctor Bowring......Page 214
Chinese 2: Plenipotentiary 1......Page 221
A reckless spirit of hostility......Page 233
Kowloon......Page 245
Not too Scotch......Page 255
Unlawful games......Page 258
A royal visit......Page 264
The evils of sewage flushing......Page 274
The Commissioners do not appear to appreciate that syphilis is only communicable by contact......Page 283
I have had my eyes on those junks for a quarter of a century......Page 288
Travellers ' tales......Page 302
The defence of greater Britain......Page 306
In search of la gloire......Page 311
General Sargent 's guns......Page 318
The politics of plague......Page 323
A suitable occasion for action......Page 339
The lease hath all too short a date......Page 347
Scoundrelly leaders of secret societies......Page 360
Sir Matthew s railway......Page 368
Pernicious parliamentarians......Page 373
An act of high patriotism to fornicate......Page 378
Faces shut like doors......Page 404
A war with Japan! But why should there be a war with Japan?......Page 416
Little sisters......Page 423
Stumbling towards the twentieth century......Page 429
A passive and shameful acquiescence......Page 435
Essentially a blockade......Page 440
Thanks to Japan, we are now a free people......Page 447
The British Empire has been entirely written off......Page 453
The electorate of Britain didn't care a brass farthing about Hong Kong......Page 464
Anglo-Saxon attitudes......Page 472
Autodecolonization......Page 490
Stiff upper lips......Page 500
The judicious application of cash......Page 509
HONG KONG HARBOUR RECLAMATION......Page 518
'Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty' Edward Gibbon......Page 523
Losing nerve......Page 528
'Now, when you say that, you don 't have to go into, tos ay, well now, precisely what is the nature of this link and the nature of the law and so on. ' Margaret Thatcher, BBC World Service interview, 1 November 1983......Page 537
Further Proceedings Stood Postponed......Page 552
Tanks in Tiananmen Square......Page 557
Voluntas Populi Suprema Lex?......Page 569
EPILOGUE......Page 578
Picking up the pieces......Page 587
Upstanding, flourishing and trading......Page 593
APPENDICES......Page 601
APPENDIX A British Governments and Prominent Chinese......Page 602
APPENDIX B Governors of the Colony of Hong Kong......Page 608
CHAPTER 1......Page 609
CHAPTER 2......Page 611
CHAPTER 3......Page 613
CHAPTER 4......Page 615
CHAPTER 6......Page 618
CHAPTER 7......Page 620
CHAPTER 8......Page 621
CHAPTER 9......Page 623
CHAPTER 10......Page 624
CHAPTER 11......Page 625
CHAPTER 12......Page 627
CHAPTER 13......Page 628
CHAPTER 14......Page 629
CHAPTER 15......Page 631
CHAPTER 17......Page 633
EPILOGUE......Page 634
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 636
ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 653
INDEX......Page 655

Citation preview

A HISTORY of

HONGKONG Fran� Welsh·

'Magnificent, compendious and much-needed' JONATHAN MIRSKY, The Times

A HISTORY OF HONG KONG

By the s11me 11uthor TIIE PROFIT OF TIIE STATE TIIE AFFLICl'ED STATE UNEASY CITY BUILDING THE TRIREME FIRST BLOOD TIIE COMPANION GUIDE TO THE LAKE DISTRICT A HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA DANGEROUS DECEITS

A-HISTORY OF HONG KONG Frank Welsh

-

HarperCollinsPublishers

HarperCollinsPub/ishers 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB First published in paperback by HarperCollinsPub/ishm 1994 This revised edition published by HarperCollinsPub/ishm 1997

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPub/ishm 1993 Copyright© Frank Welsh 1993, 1997 The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work ISBN O 00 638871 X Set in Linotron Ehrhardt Printed and bound in Great Britain by Omnia Books Ltd, Glasgow All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

xi

FOREWORD TO THE REVISED EDITION

xv

INTRODUCTION Unwilling parents 1

I

I

THE TWO EMPIRES The last dynasty 11; An empire acquired in a fit of absent-mindedness 18; A cross and costly voyage 25

II

2

A STREAM OF SILVER The plant of joy 32; Insolent, capricious, and vexatious procedures 38; I never saw a chest of opium in my life 41; A set of popinjays 47; A snug business 50; Who can desire a war with China? 57

32

3

THE HUMILIATION OF LORD NAPIER The epitaph drear: 'A fool lies here/Who tri-:d to hustle the East' 62; A matter of national prestige 68; Not to lose the enjoyment of what we have got 71; Your most humble and obedient servant 76; The War of Lancelot Dent's Collar 79; Opium and whisky 97

62

4

UNJUST TREATIES? A protecting joss 101; Guns at the Porcelain Tower 114; The Poppy War is ended 120; An umpire between the empires 125

IOI

5

A BARREN ISLAND A free and inexpensive asylum 132; Methods of proceeding unknown in other British colonies 143; Respectable and opulent Chinese 152

132

6

THE DAVIS RAID

7

RETRENCHMENT

8

THE TUMULT AND THE SHOUTING DIES

211

9

SOME DISTASTEFUL TOPICS

252

10

FORTRESS HONG KONG

280

II

A SLIGHT EXTENSION TO THE COLONY OF HONG KONG

A negro streaked with leprosy 155; The dreadful sight of an Engli,hman being hanged 161; Sulphur, pitch, b.:er or porter - and opium 167; If they .mack our p�ople, they will be shot 175 Houses of bad fame, billiard rooms anJ boats 184; Chinese 2: Plenipotentiary 1 199 A reckless spirit of hostility 211; Kowloon 223; What a land is this ... 228; Not too Scotch 233; Unlawful games 236; A royal visit 242

The evils of sewage flushing 252; ... syphilis is only communicable by contact 261; I have had my eyes on those junks for a quarter of a century 266; Travellers' tales 276

The defence of greater Britain 280; In search of la gloire 285; General Sargent's guns 292; The politics of plague 297

A suitable occasion for action 313; The lease hath all too short a date 321; Scoundrelly leaders of secret societies 334; Sir Marthew's railway 342

1 55

184

313

12

HONG KONG AND THE CHINESE REVOLUTION

13

A COLONIAL BACKWATER

14

THE GREATER EAST ASIA CO-PROSPERITY SPHERE

4o5

15

BETWEEN FOUR STOOLS

442

Pernicious parliamentarians 347; An act of high patriotism to fornicate 352 Faces shut like doors 374; A war with Japan! But why should there be a war with Japan? 386; Little sisters 393; Stumbling towards the twentieth century 399 A passive and shameful acquiescence 405; Essentially a blockade 410; Thanks to Japan, we are now a free people 417; The British Empire has been entirely written off 423; The electorate of Britain didn't care a brass farthing about Hong Kong 434 Anglo-Saxon attitudes 442; Autodecolonization 460; Stiff upper lips 466

347 374

16

THE GOLDEN YEARS The judicious application of cash 475; Cori:uption, the most infallible

475

symptom of constitutional liberty 489; Losing nerve 494

17

RECESSIONAL Now, when you say that ... 503; Further proceedings stood postponed

503

518; Tanks in Tiananmen Square 523; Voluntas Populi Suprema Lex? 535

EPILOGUE Picking up the pieces 55�; Upstanding, flourishing and trading 559

APPENDIX A: BRITISH GOVERNMENTS AND PROMINENT CHINESE APPENDIX B: GOVERNORS OF HONG KONG NOTES AND SOURCES BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS INDEX

MAPS THE COLONY OF HONG KONG, I 993

ANCHORAGES IN THE CANTON DELTA, I 84 0 HONG KONG HARBOUR RECLAMATION

544 568 574 575 602 619 621

CHINA

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