Chapter 10 Baoyun (1821~1899)

Baoyun (1821~1899), also translated as Baowen and Baowen.Irishman.Graduated from Oxford University, England, studying law.He first worked in education and served as the president of a university.Later, he worked in the British Colonial Department and served as the governor of Australia, New Zealand, Mauritius and other places.He was 61 years old when he became the Governor of Hong Kong.Was knighted. Died in 1899.His works include "Thirty Years of Colonial Rule".Later Bowen Road and Bowen Path were named after Sir Bowen. Baoyun attaches great importance to the status of Hong Kong, and the title of "Oriental Gibraltar" was given to him when he was in office.He believed that Hong Kong was an important commercial port, second only to London in the British Empire, just as important as Gibraltar in Spain at that time, and should be well managed.Therefore, although his term of office is short, he has made great achievements in Hong Kong.He was committed to improving the public health environment, enthusiastically developed education, and opened the Queen's Academy and the Government Academy.Successful implementation of the Tai Tam Water Supply Project.New hospitals, new typhoon shelters, observatories, and telephone companies were all developed under the advocacy of Baoyun.

Ninth Baowen Under the active promotion of Baowen, the construction of the second artificial pond in Hong Kong history began.This is a famous water conservancy project.It is located north of Tai Tam Bay in the southeast of Hong Kong Island.It consists of four ponds: Tai Tam, Tai Tam Xiaotang, Tai Tam Zhongtang and Tai Tam Tuk, with a total capacity of 9.167 million cubic meters.Among them, the first phase of Tai Tam Reservoir was completed in 1877, with an initial water storage capacity of 1.41 million cubic meters.The second phase of the project was completed in 1889 with the efforts of the Hong Kong government, and the water storage capacity increased to 1.72 million cubic meters.The Datan Xiaotang, Zhongtang and Datan Tuk Reservoirs were built in 1904, 1907 and 1918 respectively, with water storage capacities of 102,000, 890,000 and 6.455 million cubic meters respectively.The completion of this pond has played a certain role in alleviating Hong Kong's water supply difficulties.

Hong Kong is an area with frequent natural disasters, and hurricanes often hit Hong Kong.Every time a typhoon passed by, heavy rain poured down, landslides dumped, boats sank, houses collapsed, and people and property suffered heavy losses.Whenever there is a severe drought and there is no rain for several months, the residents provide drinking water for several days.The construction of meteorological and astronomical facilities is extremely important to Hong Kong.During Baowen's tenure, in 1883, Hong Kong's first observatory was built, standing on the small hill of Erzun in Tsim Sha Tsui.It covers an area of ​​276 square meters and has a long corridor with arched windows, which has a strong colonial color.This ancient building has lived for more than 100 years. It is condescending, and you can see the changes of the wind and clouds from above, and the vicissitudes of Victoria Harbor from below. You can have a panoramic view of Hong Kong's century-old history.It not only provides Hong Kong with heavenly information, but also is a witness of history. In 1983, on the occasion of its 100th birthday, it was listed as a statutory monument by the Hong Kong government.

During Baowen's tenure, on April 4, 1883, he proposed to the British Colonial Department to expand the Legislative Council and increase the number of members.He proposed that the number of official members be increased from 5 to 7, and that of non-official members be increased from 4 to 5, and that non-official members have the right to debate bills proposed by the government. The five non-official councilors are elected by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and the Justice of the Peace, and the Chinese community must retain one seat for a term of six years.The British Colonial Office basically approved Bowen's proposal. On February 28, 1884, the newly constituted Legislative Council held its first session.

Among the five non-official members, the general manager of Tuanna Matheson Co., Ltd., Ferris Dunley, and the general manager of Jardine Matheson Co., Ltd. Francis Johnson are the original non-official members; the rest are the general manager of HSBC Bank, the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce Representative Thomas Jackson; General Manager of Sassoon Co., Ltd., Justice of the Peace representative Freddie Sassoon; Huang Sheng, appointed by Hong Kong Governor Baowen to replace Wu Tingfang, is a Chinese representative. In April 1884, the Legislative Council added two committees, the Law Committee and the Public Works Committee. Together with the original Finance Committee, the Legislative Council had a total of 3 committees.Chinese representative Huang Sheng served as a member of the Legal Committee and was one of the five members.

Baoyun's tenure coincided with the Sino-French War from 1883 to 1885.Baoyun played a disgraceful role. In the early 1870s, France discovered that the upper reaches of the Red River might be navigable to the territory of Yunnan, China, and stepped up its invasion of northern Vietnam. In the spring of 1882, the French army captured Hanoi. In July 1883, he attacked Hue, forced Vietnam to sign the "Treaty of Hue", and seized the "right to protect" Vietnam. In November, the French army launched an attack on the Chinese army, provoking a Sino-French war.The Qing army lost one after another. In February 1884, the French army completely controlled the Red River Delta.Li Hongzhang advocated a compromise, recognized France's "protection rights" to Vietnam, and agreed to open trade ports on the Sino-Vietnamese border, which fueled France's ambitions for aggression. In May, the French army attacked the Chinese army stationed in Lang Son, and mobilized troops to the Chinese sea to expand the war. In June, the French fleet attacked Keelung, Taiwan and was repelled.In the same month, the French fleet that sailed into Fuzhou Mawei Port suddenly attacked Chinese warships and sank many ships. The Qing government was forced to declare war on France. In August, the French army attacked Taiwan again, but was severely beaten by the Qing army and the local people, and was defeated in Tamsui. At the beginning of 1885, the French army invaded the border of Guangxi, the Qing army defeated the French army at Zhennan Pass, and the French commander Nigri was seriously injured.Liu Yongfu's Black Banner Army also defeated the French army in Lintao.

Regarding this war, the British government took a middle position, but the Bowen government threatened to conclude an alliance between Britain and France, allowing the French fleet to supply all wartime supplies in Hong Kong.The British businessmen in Hong Kong blatantly traded with the French fleet to supply coal and food for the French army and profit from it. The patriotic compatriots in Hong Kong were extremely dissatisfied with the French aggression and the Hong Kong government's support for the French army. In September, Hong Kong dock workers, barge workers, and transport workers took collective action and refused to work for the French ship.The French businessman sued the Hong Kong court, and as a result, 14 unloading workers were fined by the court, which aroused public outrage among the Chinese. In October, workers went on strike, and the British Hong Kong government dispatched troops and police to suppress it. Some Chinese who participated in anti-British and French activities were arrested and imprisoned.At the same time, Baowen presided over the meeting of the Legislative Council to pass the "Maintenance of Law and Order", which stipulated that those suspected of "endangering the order and order of the colony" could be detained and deported without conviction.It also stipulates that the Chinese are not allowed to publish proclamations without the approval of the General Registrar, and the Chinese are strictly prohibited from hiding or carrying arms.

The book "Old Events and Experiences in Hong Kong" written by Chen Qian once recorded the struggle of Hong Kong workers against the support of the British Hong Kong authorities for the French army.British merchants made war fortunes, and foreign firms held celebration banquets.The coal transport workers were furious.They believed that the Chinese army was fighting against the French invaders in Vietnam, and the French army was defeated, while the British merchants helped the French army with coal supplies, which disrupted Liu Yongfu's battle plan and frustrated the Chinese army.British businessmen also hold a celebration party, how can we tolerate it.As a result, coal loading workers rushed into the banquet restaurant in groups, disrupting the celebration banquet of the British businessmen.The police department immediately dispatched a large number of policemen, brandishing batons and armed with guns, to suppress the workers.The workers did not show any weakness, and fought hard with reason, which made the police and foreign firms helpless.Afterwards, the workers returned to Guangzhou by night boat, which brought the foreign company to a standstill in the transportation of coal to supply the French army.

On the pretext that the Sino-French war would affect the defense of Hong Kong, the British government demanded that the British Hong Kong authorities pay an additional £56,000 per year to strengthen the defense force on top of the £20,000 spent on the British troops stationed in Hong Kong.Baowen presided over the meeting of the Legislative Council, which was passed in December 1884.The following year, the British government asked for an additional 54,000 pounds, but Baowen obeyed and paid the same amount.As a result, Hong Kong bears a huge annual cost of 130,000 pounds for the British troops stationed in Hong Kong.

Building materials from the Works Bureau come to the UK Baoyun's newly established Public Works Committee, also known as the Public Works Bureau, is composed of experts graduated from the British University of Engineering as the Public Works Secretary.The venue is located on Garden Road.Under the Public Works Division, there are construction engineers, senior clerks, office clerks and workers.In Hong Kong, all municipal construction projects, such as building roads, building embankments, building government offices, building barracks, building forts, building schools, building bridges, repairing canals, building markets, etc., are all under the planning of the Secretary for Public Works. As for private houses , Commercial firms, theaters, etc., must first submit the drawings to the Bureau of Works and obtain approval before they can be built.The Public Works Bureau has warehouses for the storage of construction materials and tools needed for government projects, and special personnel are responsible for keeping them.

The Hong Kong government has always drawn up drawings, specified materials, estimated construction dates, set project prices, and compiled lists for every construction project, no matter how big or small.But for the sake of prudence, when voting, businessmen must first pay a certain amount of deposit silver and deposit it in the treasury, and then the winners will be valid.The votes that lose the election will be returned to the original deposit.After the businessman bids for the project, he signs the contract and abides by the plan. Cutting corners, delaying the construction period, and changing the drawings are not allowed. If there is any discrepancy, they must be dismantled and rebuilt.Therefore, builders who bid for government projects, unless they have strong capital, high credit and familiarity with the business, dare not easily bid for the Works Bureau. The style of buildings in Hong Kong is not consistent.Regal residences are mostly built on the mid-levels and on the top of Victoria Peak, some in the form of British architecture, some in Italian style, or in the style of other countries.As for civilian houses, most of them are old-fashioned two or three-story buildings with narrow spaces, expensive rents, and no bathrooms, toilets and other facilities. After the British Industrial Revolution, the industry developed rapidly, and there was an urgent need for overseas markets to sell products and plunder raw materials. This was an important reason why Britain launched the war against China.Therefore, after occupying Hong Kong, of course we must control the Hong Kong market.In terms of building materials, in order to protect the interests of British businessmen, the British government stipulated that all the equipment used in the buildings of the Hong Kong government, such as iron nails, iron wires, iron doors, iron plates, etc., must be produced by British factories; It must be imported from British merchants in Myanmar or India, and the rest, such as sanitary equipment, water pipes, glass, paint, etc., must be imported from the UK.Therefore, the transportation distance is long, the labor and materials are expensive, and procurement is not easy.As for the stone pillars and stone foundations in front of the house, they are made of local materials, mined stone ore, and processed by workers.The remaining bricks, tiles, ash, mud, etc. were purchased from mainland China.By the beginning of the 20th century, new buildings began to use three-component concrete and steel buildings, and the cement used was also stipulated to be British.All materials used in the construction of private houses, unless they are British products, must be appraised by the Public Works Bureau before they can be used. When the construction project is completed, it must be reviewed by the Public Works Bureau. It is considered that the project is complete and meets the standards before issuing the new house residence certificate, otherwise it will be punished. Chinese businessman Fu Yipeng undertook the construction of the Tai Tam Reservoir Project. At that time, the contract was based on the principle that it would not collapse for three years. Hong Kong was often hit by typhoons. In case of typhoons, the dam collapsed and had to be rebuilt, which was very risky.After Fu's investment was completed, Hong Kong had no typhoon for three years, and the stone dam was solid and no further construction was needed, so he became rich. In 1884, the Hong Kong Jockey Club was formally established to be responsible for races, daily operations and betting management. In the early years of Hong Kong, most of the horse racing participants were British soldiers, and they were frequently transferred.Foreigners who love horse racing are also bosses or senior staff of foreign companies, and their jobs are also transferred from time to time.Therefore, the horse racing committee in Hong Kong's early years was organized once a year.Later, with the development of foreign capitalist economic expansion to China, Hong Kong became an important entrepot.During the Baoyun period, with the approval of the Hong Kong government, foreign businessmen established a permanent jockey club in Hong Kong - the Hong Kong Jockey Club.This jockey club has become a trading place for important officials of the Hong Kong government and large businessmen of various foreign firms, and has a great influence on many aspects of Hong Kong's social life. In the more than 40 years since the establishment of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the concept of racial discrimination has always been very deep. Even the upper class of Chinese people can only be guests of the Jockey Club, not members.This practice hurt the national feelings of Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong.Therefore, the Chinese in Hong Kong organized a Chinese Jockey Club in 1920 and set up a racecourse in Fanling.Under such circumstances, the Hong Kong Jockey Club symbolically accepted two Chinese as members in 1927.The two Chinese members were Ho Kom Tong and Rong Hsien Loong, and they were well-known compradors in Hong Kong at that time.While absorbing Chinese members, it also allows Chinese jockeys to participate in the competition.In this way, there is no need for the Chinese Jockey Club to exist, and the racecourse in Fanling will be handed over to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for management. With the development of horse racing activities in Hong Kong, the phenomenon of betting on horses has gradually appeared on the racecourse.The early horse betting was just for entertainment, not real gambling.The main content is between the horse owner and the horse owner, between the jockey and the jockey, or between two spectators, each chooses a horse as the object of the bet, and the bet is nothing more than a bottle of champagne or a dinner.It is completely a kind of folk entertainment.This situation continued for decades. Since horse racing and betting are closely related to the people's livelihood in Hong Kong, the terms commonly used in the racecourse have gradually become popular in society and become folk sayings. In 1927, these idioms not only became the daily vocabulary of Hong Kong people, but also spread to Guangdong and Fujian coastal areas, and even the Chinese communities in Southeast Asia and Taiwan used these vivid idioms in their conversations. There are many examples of racecourse terms evolving into common people's colloquial sayings, such as "fight to the end", which originally described horses trying their best to strive for better results in competitions.In Hong Kong society, this sentence is the most popular, because Hong Kong people work very hard to do things, and Hong Kong's economy has achieved today's brilliant achievements, which is the achievement of every Hong Kong person "fighting to the end". The spirit of "doing everything" is famous all over the world.As we often say, "explosive sheds" - Hong Kong racecourses were built with bamboo and wood in the past, so they were called sheds. "Burst" means that the entire stable is full of horse fans.Nowadays, theaters are full and buses are full of tourists, which is called "burst". "Scraping the gate" - before the start of each race, the horses are dragged into the gate by the groom, and when the gate is opened, the horses rush out. "Scrambling the gate" means that the horse rushes out as soon as the gate is opened and before it is ready to run, which of course takes advantage of the race.This term has become popular, and anything that is done first is called "scrambling the gate".For example, mooncake shops have launched mooncakes for sale in the market a long time before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Their practice is called "grabbing the gate". "Upset" - originally used to describe a cold horse running out.However, the results produced under abnormal circumstances have always been called "upset", which is similar to the so-called "favorite". In 1960, the club was granted the title of Royal Assent.Horse racing was originally one of the characteristics of the colony, and the addition of the word "royal assent" further enhanced the colonial color.By the early 1990s, the Jockey Club had more than 4,000 full-time employees and more than 10,000 part-time employees, making it a huge organization.There is a board of directors and sub-committees under it, which are respectively responsible for the management, supervision and development decision-making of competitions, licensing, betting, finance and general affairs, membership affairs, donations and other aspects.10.7% of the total betting amount of the Jockey Club is paid to the Hong Kong government as gaming tax, 7.4% is used as the Jockey Club commission, and the remaining 81.8% is distributed to betting winners. Most of the net surplus is used for charitable services. In the 10 years from 1983 to 1993, the Jockey Club has sponsored 2.7 billion yuan in public welfare undertakings such as education, health, culture, art, recreation, technology, and welfare. The Health Bureau of the Hong Kong government was established in the Bowen era. At that time, it was not called the Health Bureau but the Cleansing Bureau. After Hong Kong was opened as a port, it quickly transformed from a fishing village with a few thousand people into a city with a population of hundreds of thousands. Many environmental sanitation facilities could not keep up with the needs of population expansion, especially the environmental pollution that caused the residents to fall ill. The situation is serious.Chen Xun's "Hong Kong Miscellaneous Notes" records that in the decades after Hong Kong was opened as a port, infectious diseases such as dysentery and fever were very common.At that time, many soldiers of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong fell ill, and even the entire battalion of British troops were sick. In 1881, the British Colonial Secretary Kimberly Burr sent Royal Engineer Chawick to Hong Kong to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the public health situation in Hong Kong. In 1882, he published the "Zaiweik Hygienic Survey Report", and believed that the above situation was caused by the poor water and soil in Hong Kong, the extremely unclean environment, poor sanitation facilities, and unsound management system.According to the report, the Hong Kong government has taken some measures to improve public sanitation. In March 1883, after the governor of Hong Kong, Bowen, took office, the first thing he did was to pass a health amendment bill through the Legislative Council, and decided to establish a cleansing bureau to be responsible for the sanitation affairs of the whole territory and to change the urban environment. The newly established Sanitation Bureau has a large organization and a large number of personnel. Its expenditure is second only to the police station, and it also has a lot of work under its jurisdiction.At that time, in addition to managing street markets and slaughterhouses, the Cleaning Bureau also included street cleaning, garbage removal, channel dredging, funeral and burial, excrement disposal, house fumigation, rodent and insect control, etc., all included in the scope of work of the Cleaning Bureau. At that time, the organization of the Sanitation Bureau was quite strict, and more than ten people in the bureau served as councilors to guide the work.Daily affairs are handled by an English-speaking head office, with assistants, Chinese translators and cleaners below.There are also specific regulations on staff requirements.Chinese translators must have the level of the fourth class or above in the English Academy, and must have a comprehensive understanding of Hong Kong's health regulations, and can only be hired after passing the examination.Cleaning workers must pass the medical examination of the government hospital, be in good health, have no criminal record, no bad habits, and be young and powerful before they can be hired. After the establishment of the Sanitation Bureau, it was stipulated that all Chinese houses in Hong Kong and Kowloon should be cleaned twice a year by section and section. This cleaning method was called "washing Taipingdi" at that time.On the day when it was stipulated to wash the Taiping land, the staff of the Cleansing Bureau put the bamboo brooms for washing the floors, the iron hooks for the canals, the canvas hoses for draining the water, and the large iron buckets for the water, all on the street, and let the residents in the neighborhood pick them up. Use, brainstorm and work together to clean the environment. After the big bucket is filled with water, disinfectant is added, and residents can put the bed board furniture into the big iron bucket for soaking to remove cockroaches and bedbugs. After a busy day, the cleaning assistant will check it, and if it is not satisfactory, it will be cleaned again. In 1885, the Hong Kong government promulgated regulations to limit the number of people living on each floor of residential buildings according to the trend of rapid population increase.According to the size of the room, the regulations stipulate that one person is limited for every 500 cubic feet, and the number of people allowed to live in the whole building is written on a conspicuous place on the wall.The deputy of the Cleaning Bureau often patrols at night.If the number of residents exceeds the limit, they will be penalized.The civilian buildings near Xiyingpan, Hong Kong are small in size, with 20 to 30 people living on each floor.According to regulations, the number of people is obviously exceeded. Therefore, many households temporarily stay at relatives and friends' homes at night, and return home at dawn to avoid being investigated and punished.Later, the Hong Kong government abolished this ordinance when it realized that this ordinance was hindering the development of Hong Kong. In the 1950s and 1960s, Hong Kong still had the idea of ​​washing Taipingdi. With the development of society and the improvement of sanitation facilities, Xitaipingdi has long since ceased to exist. The younger generation in Hong Kong do not even know the story of Xitaipingdi. When the old people lost everything by playing mahjong in the besieged city, they occasionally joked and joked. Baowen retired early due to his health and left Hong Kong in mid-December 1885. England decided that William Marsh, Secretary of State, would act as the acting governor. In March 1886, Zhang Zhidong, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, wrote to urge the establishment of a consulate in Hong Kong.The Qing government negotiated with the British government. The Hong Kong Western Chamber of Commerce did not want the Qing government to set up a consulate in Hong Kong. Marsh accepted the suggestion of the Western Chamber of Commerce and reported it to London, but ignored the Qing government's request. There have been conflicts between the Qing government and the British Hong Kong government because of customs duties. In 1885, China and Britain signed the "Special Articles on the Continuation of the Yantai Treaty", agreeing to import opium into China, and a tax of 110 taels per box was levied. In 1886, under the mediation of China's General Taxation Department and the British Hurd, China and Britain signed the "Hong Kong Opium Trade Agreement", stipulating that opium transported into Hong Kong or transshipped from Hong Kong to other regions must obtain the permission of the Hong Kong Port Office; Hong Kong agrees Assist Chinese Customs in tax collection and manage sailboats traveling between Hong Kong and the coast of China.The Chinese side withdrew the cruise ships overseas in Hong Kong in 1871, that is, the original four permanent customs offices in Kam Shui Mun, Kowloon City, Fo Tau Chau, and Cheung Chau were taken over by Hong Kong Kowloon Customs.The following year, Kowloon Gate was formally established, and the general gate was located on the second floor of the Bank Building, No. 16-18, Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong.Morgan was the first tax secretary.The establishment of the Kowloon Pass expanded the power of the Hong Kong Customs, intensified the control of the Western powers over the Qing government, and of course increased the Qing government's fiscal revenue. After William Marsh served as Governor-General for a year and a half, he was also transferred from Hong Kong, and the government affairs were handed over to Major General Cameron Cameron, commander of the British Garrison in Hong Kong. In September 1887, Acting Hong Kong Governor Cameron presided over the meeting of the Legislative Council, passed the "Public Health Ordinance 1887", canceled the proposal to establish a Health Bureau, increased the number of health committees, and appointed the Chief Land Surveyor, Police Division, and Chief Registrar , Colonial medical officers, etc. are official members.Originally, the Sanitation Committee had 4 non-official members, but this time the number was increased to 6, and it was stipulated that 2 of them must be Chinese.This is the beginning of joint participation of Chinese and Western people in municipal affairs. From October 6, 1887 to May 1891, Defu served as the tenth governor of Hong Kong.