1970s in Hong Kong

1970s in Hong Kong underwent many changes that shaped its future. Economically, it reinvented itself from a manufacturing base into a financial centre. The market also began leaning toward corporations and franchises.

Background

Political talks about the Second Convention of Peking resurfaced in the early 70s. The New Territories land lease agreement would end within 27 years in 1997 . Then-Governor of Hong Kong Murray MacLehose began visiting Beijing to talk about the future of Hong Kong with PRC leaders.

The British government envisioned the possibility of extending the land lease agreement for many more years, thus shelving the problem for a long time. The fact was far from the vision, as the British and the PRC were engaged in a long and uncompromising negotiation eventually involving Margaret Thatcher. What was supposed to be a negotiation on extending the lease deal became a post-colonial framework timeline.

Demographics

Population

Hong Kong's population was estimated to be 4 million in 1971 [Manion, Melanie. [2004] (2004). Corruption by Design: Building Clean Government in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Harvard University press. ISBN 0674014863] . The period marks the begin of a fertility and birth rate decline. However this was not alarming at the time as population growth was not expected to be sustained at the 50s and 60s level.

Culture

Metrication

The Metric System was adopted under the 1976 Metrication Ordinance. Subsequently many of the wet markets and traditional Chinese medicine shops used the old Chinese system for at least another decade.

Education

The Hong Kong government introduced the 6-year free compulsory education in 1971 , and expanded it to 9-year in 1978 [Eh Net. " [http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/schenk.HongKong Eh Net] ." "Hong Kong History." Retrieved on 2007-02-21.] . Companies were also seeking highly educated employees for complex projects. 72% of overseas graduates between 1962 and 1976 would come back to Hong Kong to take on highly skilled domestic positions [Koo, Ramsey. Bray Mark. [2005] (2005) Education And Society in Hong Kong And Macao: Comparative Perspectives on Continuity and Change. Springer Publishing. ISBN 1402034059] .

Domestic Entertainment

In 7 September 1975, Commercial Television was established. It provided competition for the other two other companies Rediffusion Limited and Television Broadcasts Limited. Failing to compete against the others, Commercial TV closed down in 22 August 1978 after only three years.

The 1970s was the first decade in Hong Kong with daily news broadcasts. The news programs ranked top 10 continuously for a decade. Other segment of the ratings included TV dramas, which averaged 80 to 120 episodes, usually broadcasting at 7:00 PM. 66% of the population tuned in regularly covering 2 to 3 million viewers nightly. Popular final episodes would empty out streets and restaurants. Most series did not contain much if any Chinese traditionalism [Ma, Eric Kit-wai. Ma, Chieh-Wei. [1999] (1999). Culture, Politics, and Television in Hong Kong. United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 041517998X] . The theme songs of these dramas also helped revived Cantonese music - the term Cantopop was indeed coined during this period of time.

Foreign Entertainment

Hong Kong also found itself at a unique geographical and cultural crossroads. Many of the western artists like Elvis and Beatles were getting exposure in the music industry. Toys from Japan have arrived in Hong Kong via random and inconsistent shipments in the past. But the first big waves of Japanese products with staying power in the market place were mainly super robot toys. Gordian Warrior and Baxinger were some that were commonly available.

The 1975 Japanese series Ultraman (Chinese: 咸蛋超人) was aired, and was named as such since the protagonist had eyes resembling eggs. The children were fascinated. Kids tried to "fly" in the air, imitating their heroes. Two kids (aged 3½ and 4½) attempted a flight jumping off a 7 story building in Kowloon City on July 26, 1975. The younger brother was killed on the spot, while the elder was miraculously saved. The broadcast of the series was suspended for some time after the accident.

Cinema

The martial arts films starred by Bruce Lee, including the 1971 "The Big Boss" (唐山大兄) and "Fist of Fury" (精武門) the following year, were sensational. Cornered for some times by Western and Mandarin films, Cantonese films were much revived in the 1970s, with the great success of 1976 "The Private Eyes" (半斤八兩), directed by Michael Hui, which is said to remain the all-time box-office king of Hong Kong cinema when inflation is taken into account.

Natural Disasters

In August 1971, Typhoon Rose passed over Hong Kong causing extensive damage, forcing the hoisting of Hurricane Signal No. 10 on 16 August. A total of 5,664 people from 1,032 families became homeless. The typhoon also destroyed 653 wooden huts and damaged 24 buildings, six beyond repair [HK gov. " [http://www.hko.gov.hk/informtc/no10/rose/rose.htm HK gov] ." "HK Observatory report." Retrieved on 2007-02-21.] .

In August 1979 Typhoon Hope reached Hong Kong but has weakened considerably from the 150mph wind earlier.

In June 1972 , torrential rains caused two serious landslides in Sau Mau Ping and the Mid-levels respectively. The Mid-levels case happened at Kotewall Road. A large area of a slope collapsed, demolishing a 12-story apartment block and taking the top floors off a block next to it. In the Sau Mau Ping case, shanty town dwellers refused to evacuate despite warning; a road embankment partially collapsed and the debris buried those in their dwelling. Together there were over 150 deaths, 110 injured and more than 5000 people were left homeless.

Law and Order

Anti-Corruption campaigns

In the 1970s, corruption was a way of life in Hong Kong, being the norm in all government departments. Policemen would often extract bribes (popularly called "tea fee") before they investigated a crime, as did firemen before they rescued people and put out fires. Many Chinese detective superintendents amassed incredible wealth from their corrupt dealings with triads and corporations. Their names have been seared into the memories of the older generations, their stories adapted into several popular movies such as "To be Number One" (跛豪) in 1991. That is not to say British officers were entirely clean in their dealings.

In 1974, Hong Kong Governor Lord MacLehose of Beoch, realizing the seriousness of the problem, founded the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The investigations and arrests of many police officers created a furor among the police, who protested against the ICAC and even tried to overrun the headquarters in one protest.

The governor, who was afraid of a police strike or even a rebellion, at last issued a pardon, preventing arrests in cases committed before a certain date. However, the pardon was not extended to higher-level detective superintendents. Those high-level Chinese officers, famous for their riches, left for exile to Taiwan with no extradition treaties with Hong Kong. The efforts of the ICAC in time changed the habits of an entire population and turned Hong Kong into one of the least corrupt cities in the world.

Politics

Defend Diaoyutai Islands campaigns

In 1970 , the American government returned the sovereignty of Ryukyu Islands and Diaoyutai Islands to Japan. The act stirred up campaigns for defending the Diaoyutai Islands among Chinese societies all around the world. The "Hong Kong Federation of Students" (香港專上學生聯會) requested a protest at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on 7 July 1971. Having been frightened by the 1967 riots, the police tried to prevent the protest. Unnecessary violence erupted, leading to the arrests of students. The media criticized the violation of democracy. The British police officers involved were sent back to the UK and went unpunished. Protests concerning the defence of Diaoyutai Islands continued to be held the following months.

Economy

Manufacture

Many factors contribute to the decline of manufacturing. The late 1970s saw an increase in land prices. Real estate became the new business. Land originally reserved for factories were now converted to houses or shopping malls. Along with the opening up of global trade in China via the 1978 economic reform, factories were gradually re-located to the mainland for even cheaper labor.

At the same time Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan underwent similar developments to those of Hong Kong. The competitiveness of manufacturing similar products led to protectionism to shelter local companies. As a result there were less demands for Hong Kong goods.

Real Estate

To improve the quality of public housing and relieve overcrowded conditions, the government announced the Ten-year Housing Program (十年建屋計劃) in 1972 , with the goal of providing quality housing for 1.8 millions people in 10 years. The Hong Kong Housing Authority was thus formed to spearhead the program. The government also introduced the Home Ownership Scheme (居者有其屋計劃) in 1976 , building houses and selling them at below-market prices to help people own property.

Emerging businesses

Wellcome, the first supermarket in Hong Kong, was opened in Central in 1970 . It was called "Gweilo market" by some locals, as most customers were westerners during the initial period of its operation. Though Chinese citizens would soon embrace this new kind of store. By 1975 , more than 200 big- and small-scaled supermarkets could be found in the city. These new stores eliminated most traditional rice dealers (米舖), wine shops (辦館) and convenient stores (See Dor) (士多). Wellcome and PARKnSHOP didn't take long to capture the market. The front and fullpage ads of these two mega franchises aided in their increase in popularity where smaller traditional stores couldn't. The first McDonald's restaurant opened on Paterson Street, Causeway Bay in 1975 [Macdonalds official site. " [http://www.mcdonalds.com.hk/english/about/index.htm Macdonalds] ." "History." Retrieved on 2007-02-21.] .

Infrastructure

Hong Kong's first underground railroad, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) was opened in October 1979 . The first line served eastern Kowloon from Shek Kip Mei to Kwun Tong. In December services were extended to Tsim Sha Tsui and by 1980 it was possible to ride from Kwun Tong to the central business district in Central on the other side of the harbour on Hong Kong Island.

The Cross-Harbour Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel in Hong Kong, opened in 1972 . For the first time in the region's history, people could travel between Hong Kong and Kowloon without taking ferries. As a result, small electrical boats like sampans (小電船) were gradually eliminated.

Finance

People grew richer entering the 1970s. Not surprisingly, people started to look for some means of investment. The passing of Banking Ordinance of 1964 would begin the tightening up of banks. A minimum capital of HKD $5 million and liquidity ratio of 25% and limitation on loans and investments became the new requirements to open a legit institution [Jao YC. [2001] (2001). The Asian Financial Crisis and the Ordeal of Hong Kong. Quorum, Greenwood. ISBN 1567204473] . People began to have more trust in their banks, and the accumulation of savings led to people's willingness to invest.

Soon the stock rush began. New stocks were on sale every day; brokerage houses mushroomed; some people quit their own jobs to become full-time investors, suffering a kind of urban disease which the doctors simply named "stock illness". It is said that the investors during this period numbered to 500,000. The Hang Seng Index kept soaring, but not for long. Partly thanks to the foreign manipulators, the Stock market crashed, in March 1973 . Many people were left bankrupted. Urban legend had it that the Castle Peak psychiatric hospitals became full-house once the market crashed. The Hong Kong economy recovered only slowly over the next few years.

In 1976 a "Deposit-taking Companies Ordinance" was also passed to enforce non-licensed bank institutions to register with the government. A minimum paid up capital requirement of HKD $2.5 million was also required [Jao YC. [2001] (2001). The Asian Financial Crisis and the Ordeal of Hong Kong. Quorum, Greenwood. ISBN 1567204473] . The strategy was to mirror the Deposit Trust concept in the U.S.

Resource

As a result of the water shutdown by mainland China during the Cultural Revolution riots in Hong Kong, the government responded with a desalination plant at Lok On Pai, Castle Peak in 1975 . The High Island Reservoir construction went from 1969 to 1979 , and was expected to be the same size as Plover Cove. The construction, contracted by a Japanese company cost more than HKD $400 million [Mody, Ashoka. [1997] (1997). Infrastructure Strategies in East Asia: “The ”Untold Story". World Bank Publications. ISBN 0821340271] .

Trivia

Tsang Tsou Choi, or the "Kowloon Emperor", began his career of calligraphy graffiti in 1970.

References