Chapter 11 Defu (1834~1909)

Defu (1834~1909), born in Baden, England, came from a famous family. In 1853, he entered Oxford University, dropped out of school, went to Canada to run a farm, and then entered the University of Toronto, where he completed his bachelor's degree and qualified as a lawyer. After working as a lawyer for a while, he entered politics. In 1863, he was sent to Guyana, a British colony, as a magistrate and director of commerce. In 1869, he went to St. Lucia to serve; in 1878, he served as the governor of Fiji and concurrently the chief executive of the Western Pacific region. In 1886 he was appointed Governor of Australia.knighted. Died in 1909.

From Defu to the sixteenth governor of Hong Kong, Staces, there have been seven governors.From the arrival of Defu in 1887 to the resignation of Staces in October 1925, it was about 40 years. During this period, natural disasters and man-made disasters continued one after another. The brutal suppression of the people of Hong Kong has caused the people to suffer, and the people's livelihood is in jeopardy.People in Hong Kong call it a long "dark period".The darkness brought pain to the residents, but also prompted their awakening, unity, and struggle. In addition, the 1911 Revolution in the Mainland was taking place, and a group of progressive talents who accepted advanced ideas emerged in Hong Kong, which contributed to the rise and success of strikes by seamen and provinces and Hong Kong.Defu was the first governor of Hong Kong during the "dark period".He himself has a strong concept of racial discrimination and is a racist.During his tenure, the price of silver plummeted, the Hong Kong dollar depreciated, and the economy was in trouble.The British government forced the Hong Kong government to "pay royal funds", increasing from 20,000 pounds to 90,000 pounds a year.In order to cope with the huge "tribute fee", Defu formulated a plan to develop land resources in Hong Kong.

From Upright Youth to Colonial Ruler According to the Hong Kong documentary series written by Batu, Defu was under 30 years old when he served as a justice of the peace and commercial supervisor in Guyana. The tenth Defu had many sugarcane plantations in Guyana at that time, and most of the laborers came from China and India, many of whom were deceived by colonists and human traffickers.Here, they were treated inhumanely and lost their personal freedom. Defu, who has received modern liberal education, is more sympathetic to the situation of the majority of laborers.He severely condemned this inhumane exploitation and clearly supported some reasonable demands made by the workers.

Local wealthy businessmen and manor owners did not take this young manager seriously. They directly wrote to the British government, suing the administrator for "misbehavior", demanding that he must be removed.What Defu said about the situation in Guyana aroused fierce debate among the British ruling and opposition parties, and many people supported Defu.However, the British government listened to the false accusations of wealthy businessmen and manor owners, and replaced Defu.Reassigned to St. Lucia. Defu did not stop there. After he took office in St. Lucia, he still couldn’t forget Guyana’s defeat. He wrote a letter to the British Foreign Secretary, hoping that the British government could uphold justice and re-investigate the labor situation in Guyana.

Under the pressure of all parties, the British government had to send a delegation to Guyana to investigate, and Defu was also a member of the delegation.But before the investigation team set off, those who opposed Defu's approach had already notified the local businessmen and garden owners of the news through other people, so that they could prepare early.As a result, when the delegation arrived in Guyana, people organized by businessmen and manor owners accused Defu of exaggerating and being too critical.Defu was left alone and unable to speak, and was very embarrassed in front of the investigation team.In the end, I had to admit that I "wrote the report too hastily" and "can't remember clearly".

Through the "Guyana Dispute", Defu began to understand what role his immediate superior wanted him to play in the British colony, who he relied on, who he could not oppose or offend in the colony. On October 6, 1887, Defu came to Hong Kong with the great trust of the British royal family and the determination to cleanse Guyana of shame. A large part of the British Hong Kong government’s fiscal revenue comes from land sales. In Hong Kong, which is a tiny place, the only source of land is reclamation. Therefore, land reclamation is an important part of the work of every governor of Hong Kong.

On September 22, 1874, Hong Kong was hit by the most violent gale in history, and all the embankments near the Central District were destroyed. The then Governor Kennedy appointed a committee in May 1875 to design the entire reconstruction plan of the waterfront embankment, including land reclamation. According to the committee's investigation and estimation: If the Murray Wharf in the Central District is the center, east to Causeway Bay, and west to the gas company, the coastal embankment will be renovated, and the seaside land will be expanded by reclamation, and 212,000 yuan will be spent.Due to the high cost, during Kennedy's term of office, the reconstruction and reclamation plan of the seaside embankment was put on hold, and only the severely damaged part of the embankment was repaired.

In 1877, Kennedy resigned, and Hennessy took over as the governor. The repair of the seaside embankment continued. In 1880, all the repairs were completed, with a total cost of 244,000 yuan.At that time, some foreign businessmen proposed to extend the coast by 20 feet, but the Hong Kong government believed that this proposal would hinder the repair of the embankment, so it was not accepted. The real large-scale reclamation project was during Defu's tenure.The British government has increased its apportionment to Hong Kong year by year, so Defu had no choice but to encourage land reclamation to increase income.Defu adopted the reclamation plan proposed by Sir Paul Chater, a wealthy British businessman in Hong Kong, with the main purpose of solving the gradually serious housing shortage.In addition to reclamation and road construction, this plan also proposes to relocate the naval dock, army barracks and some government buildings from the center of Hong Kong Island to free up space for commercial operations and residential use, thus solving the problem of housing shortage. difficulty.

When the construction started in 1890, it happened that the Duke and Duchess of Connaught of England were visiting Hong Kong. Defu invited the Duke of Connaught to lay the foundation stone of the reclamation project.After the completion of the project, 59 acres of newly refilled land were obtained. The new seaside road was named Connaught Road. A tramway behind Connaught Road was named after the then governor of Hong Kong, Des Voeux, and another section of the road was named after Chater. To commemorate. While promoting the reclamation project, in 1889, the Legislative Council promulgated the "Land Resumption Act".It was decided to force the acquisition of some densely populated places, and the narrow alleys were expanded into avenues; the bill also stipulated that buildings with unsanitary conditions should be rebuilt, and a certain space must be reserved behind the buildings to facilitate ventilation.In order to compensate for the loss of the owner's area, the building can be increased by 3 floors.

Since this year, the Hong Kong government has allowed foreign businessmen to start investing in real estate.A group of British businessmen raised 50 million yuan to form a Hong Kong real estate investment and agency company, which was the basis for the rise of Hong Kong's real estate industry. Later, the company was renamed Hong Kong Land Corporation. In 1890, a hurricane struck Hong Kong and the worst storm in history occurred in Hong Kong. It rained continuously for ten days and ten nights from May 19, with 38 inches of precipitation and a coastal water depth of 45 feet. Landslides and landslides caused serious disasters.

Natural disasters continue, man-made disasters occur one after another, and the people are in dire straits.However, Hong Kong and British officials disregarded the life and death of the people and continued to corrupt the law with corruption. In 1893, Hong Kong discovered a case of embezzlement of public funds by civil servants that shocked Hong Kong Island and England.The chief secretary of the Hong Kong government treasury, Alfis, took advantage of his position to embezzle 63,000 yuan of government funds, which is equivalent to millions of dollars today.Although the incident occurred during the tenure of the eleventh Robinson, the crimes were committed during the tenure of Defu, which shows that the administrative management was chaotic during his tenure. On January 28, 1893, the auditors of the Hong Kong government checked the accounts of the government treasury and found that the records of the inventory and books were insufficient. It was obvious that someone was dereliction of duty and cheating, but it was still unclear who committed the crime. On January 31, Yarfes, the chief secretary of the warehouse, suddenly disappeared, and it was immediately confirmed that the suspect was him.After detailed inspection, it was found that from 1888 to 1892, 63,000 public funds handled by Alfess were stolen.Many old accounts have been destroyed by criminals.The government immediately ordered Alfess to be wanted. Late at night on February 24, the perpetrator was caught in an empty house in Kowloon. On April 18, Alfess was tried in the Criminal Division of the High Court and was charged with a total of 19 charges, including embezzlement of public funds, forging government tax receipts, stealing and destroying royal books, etc.Alfess pleaded guilty to 12 of the 19 counts charged by the government.Therefore, the defense lawyer of the defendant told the court that since the defendant had admitted to 12 of the 19 charges and he had been convicted, in order to save time, there seemed to be no need to investigate the remaining 7 charges, so he asked the court for a lighter sentence.The judge pronounced an impromptu sentence and sentenced Alfis to 6 years of hard labor imprisonment. There is a passage in the judge's judgment: You know, your crime is one of that series of crimes that have brought disgrace to the colony.Three years have passed since I was sentenced here for a crime similar to yours—that is, against Baradas, Chief Secretary of the Post Office.Apparently, he failed to warn you about the punishment he imposed, so that you were restrained from using public funds. The judge also told Alfis that the six-year hard labor prison sentence he was sentenced to was only for the charges of Article 19, and the other items 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, etc. It can be punished with five years of hard imprisonment, and the fifteenth and sixteenth items can be sentenced to three years' imprisonment. Therefore, the total sentence is only six years' imprisonment, which is a very lenient punishment. Although the case of Alfis was over, it was a case of embezzlement of public funds by a high-ranking public servant.Governor Robinson therefore ordered a commission to investigate the circumstances of the crime, and to hold the other officials directly and indirectly responsible.After investigation and verification, a report was written on April 26 and sent to the Secretary of State in London.On July 26 of the same year, the Hong Kong government received a reply from London, stating that it had reviewed the Governor's report, and believed that some officials in Hong Kong related to treasury and taxation should bear considerable responsibility, and the most responsible one was Alpheus. Immediately superior, that is, when the government treasury Secretary Michel? Inglis.Therefore, Yinglisi was severely condemned, alleging that he had neglected his duties and failed his great trust. In addition to a fine of 1,000 yuan in salary, he was transferred to another place as a warning. However, Yinglisi has good popularity among Chinese residents. Hong Kong Chinese residents expressed sympathy for the Secretary of the Treasury being implicated in the Alpheus case, launched an action to condolence him, and jointly signed a letter to the Secretary of State in London, requesting approval to be exempted from the crime. When Yinglisi was transferred to another place, everyone also donated money to pay the fine for Yinglisi. On January 5, 1894, London sent instructions on the request of Chinese residents. The Secretary of State was very pleased that Inris, Secretary of the Treasury, could gain a good reputation in Hong Kong.As for the transfer punishment, it was decided to postpone the execution for the time being. In 1895, Inris asked for leave to return to England, and later served in a prison in northern England, and never returned to Hong Kong. The post office case mentioned in the judge's judgment to Alfess took place on March 22, 1890, during Defu's tenure.Baradas, director of the remittance department of the Hong Kong Post Bureau, disappeared quietly without asking for leave from the Post Office.According to the Civil Service Regulations, he should be dismissed for absenteeism. On April 12, a notice was issued in the Gazette announcing that from March 22, the post of director of the remittance department of the post office would be vacant.At the same time, an investigation into the reasons for his private resignation was conducted.After verification, it was found that Baradas was suspected of embezzling public funds.Later investigations proved that the person went to Manila privately from Hong Kong via Macau and Xiamen.The Hong Kong government immediately sent a letter to the Spanish government in the Philippines, requesting to pursue him on its behalf. On May 17, Manila notified the Hong Kong government that the perpetrator had been arrested. Baradas will be extradited to Hong Kong at the end of June.According to the investigation, from February 1888 to 1889, the criminals stole a total of 50,681 yuan of public funds.However, when the trial opened on July 25, 1890, he was only charged with four counts of theft of public funds totaling 4,577 yuan.Baradas only admitted one of them for a total of 1737 yuan.During the trial, the judge instructed the defendant that he was convicted on the fourth count. Although the embezzled public funds were only over a thousand yuan, but as a civil servant, he was entrusted by the state, so he stole it himself and deliberately absconded, so the crime is unforgivable. , the sentence of 2 years of hard labor is light.As for the other persons responsible for the more than 50,000 yuan case and the whereabouts of the money, they have not been pursued. Around 1890, misappropriation of public funds and dereliction of duty was very popular in Hong Kong, and many cases were discovered one after another.When the crime was committed, several major cases were all in the Defu period, and the Dongchuang incident occurred in the Robinson period.Since Hong Kong was opened as a port until now, it has not taken strong measures to punish public officials for corruption, gambling and theft, setting up private brothels, colluding with pirates and smuggling, and sometimes even shielding them. The sentencing was also fairly light. In 1887, when Defu came to power, the Hong Kong government revised and promulgated the law on jurors.When the court hears a case, whether the crime is established or not is determined collectively by the jurors.Almost all Hong Kong residents can participate in such a major responsibility.The revised jury law stipulates that 7 jurors must be selected for civil or criminal cases tried in the High Court, as well as cases involving idiocy, madness and insanity, which are ordinary jurors.For certain cases, the justices have the power to call special jurors for jury.Ordinary jurors are voluntary jurors, but special jurors are paid. In civil cases, they can get an allowance of 10 yuan for each jury appearance. In criminal cases, even special jurors are free of charge. Jurors are actually accompanying people in litigation, which is a very hard job.The law stipulates that before the judge orders the jury to be dismissed, jurors are not allowed to walk around for half a step except for their personal needs (referring to defecation).If the judge does not dismiss them, they will have to wait at the designated place, or even stay overnight in the court.The court appoints a special person to monitor the jurors.The man is to take an oath that no outsider shall speak to or approach the jurors.Therefore, serving as a juror is similar to being under house arrest. It is an obligation for Hong Kong residents to serve as jurors. Anyone under the age of 60 and over 21 years old, who is physically and mentally normal and who understands English has the obligation to serve as a juror.Those who are qualified but do not report will be fined 500 yuan.At the beginning of February every year, the high court summarizes the residents' declarations for this year and publishes a list. The names and addresses of all residents who are eligible to serve as jurors are on the list.During the announcement period, if a resident thinks he is not qualified and is on the list, he can state his reasons and request an exemption.Other disqualified persons on the list can also raise objections to the court.In the end, this list will be sent to the governor for personal review, and the governor will make the final delineation.The approved list shall be published in two Chinese newspapers and two English newspapers to inform the residents of this obligation.Within one month after the announcement is published, those who miss the report can make up the report, and those who fail to report after the deadline will be punished.According to the law, there are ten types of people who are exempt from the obligation to serve as jurors.1. Government officials; 2. Editors and staff of newspapers; 3. Officials of foreign government agencies in Hong Kong rather than operators; 4. Current barristers and secretaries; 5. Registered doctors; 6. Working chemists and pharmacists; 7. Missionaries of official churches; 8. Teachers of any schools other than Chinese schools in Hong Kong and professors, lecturers and other staff of the University of Hong Kong; 9. Soldiers including sea and land volunteers; 10. Ship owners and local navigators. The purpose of this provision is that these people are likely to be involved in litigation cases and should be avoided. Because jurors have the power to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not, and even the life and death of the prisoner, they have great responsibilities. Therefore, jurors must solemnly swear an oath of impartiality before appearing in court. The law stipulates that in civil cases, there are 7 jurors. If 4 jurors agree in a case, the defendant can be judged whether he is guilty or not.In criminal cases, at least five jurors must agree to a verdict.Criminals sentenced to death must be unanimously approved by all jurors before they can be convicted.During the trial, if one or two of the seven jurors are absent, the trial can proceed as usual, and the charges will still be determined by the majority and the minority.In criminal cases, the number of absent jurors cannot exceed two, and in severe criminal cases, the number of absent jurors cannot exceed one. Defu did not start the formulation of jury laws. Jury law has been enacted in 1864, and has been extended. In 1868, the two criminals Li Atai and Kuang Afa were charged with murder and injury.The case was tried on February 27. At about 7:00 p.m., the judge announced that because the trial of the case could not be concluded that night, the trial was postponed the next day, and all jurors were detained under surveillance and sent to the European Hotel for the night.At that time, someone raised objections to this, and the justice took the 22nd and 23rd items of Law No. 11 of 1864 as the basis to implement his decision.During the Defu period, some regulations were amended. For example, the original law stipulated that there must be three jurors unanimous before a sentence of fixed-term imprisonment can be sentenced. For a death penalty sentence, seven jurors must agree completely before a judgment can be made. Instead, with one juror absent, the case proceeds to trial and a verdict is reached. During the Defu period, it began to supply residents with electricity. On January 24, 1889, the Hong Kong Electric Power Company was established.At that time, it was not called an electric power company, because at the beginning of its establishment, it only supplied electricity for lighting, so it was called an electric light company, or "Hong Kong Electric" for short.The factory building of the company was selected to be built on the side of the mountain near Yongfeng Street in Wanchai.There were very few users of electric lights in the early days, and the power company provided electricity for household lighting for no more than 600 households, 75 street lamps, and electric water pumps for the hilltop area.The total power generation is only 50 kilowatts, which is just the electricity consumption of a small shop now.But at that time, it was enough for the entire Hong Kong Island, and there was no power outage at all. According to Mr. Chen Qian’s recollection, at the beginning of the 20th century, British Hong Kong people boasted that Hong Kong’s electric lights were bright, the telephone was efficient, and the tap water was clear, which were the three major advantages of Hong Kong’s Victoria City.In fact, it was nothing more than a start-up, far from Shanghai at that time.During the First World War, due to old machines, weak load capacity, and frequent failures, there were always power outages three times a week. Therefore, many public places with electric lights must also be equipped with gas lamps. Because the company is run and managed by British people, the wires, bulbs, lamp sockets, light switches and other parts used by users who install electric lights and electrical appliances must use British-made products.The Hong Kong government's electric lighting management department also stipulates that the company should send people to check the wires at regular intervals. If leakage or insufficient voltage is found, it will be repaired or replaced within a limited time, otherwise the power will be cut off.The company claims that this is for the safety of the public, but in fact it is to protect the interests of British manufacturers and help sell products.Therefore, every time the wire is checked, the user has to pay a repair fee and an installation fee.Relevant management departments, companies and inspectors colluded with each other to cheat.Probably this is the embryonic form of "electric tiger". Later, the population of Hong Kong gradually increased, and industry and commerce developed rapidly. The electric light company with only 50 kilowatts of power generation capacity could no longer meet the actual needs, so it began to build another larger power plant in the North Point area. In 1919, the North Point Power Plant was completed to supply electricity. After 1925, with the further development of commerce, the Kowloon area began to prosper, and the electricity consumption increased, making it difficult for Hong Kong Electric Company to supply electricity.The Hong Kong government meeting passed, allowing Chinese to organize power companies in the Kowloon area.Headed by Yan Chengkun of Jiulong Zhonghua Motor Company, the electric power company was established by raising funds through IPO.Buy machines from the UK, lay wires, and generate electricity to supply Kowloon and the New Territories. The scale is relatively large, and the British are hired as chief engineers and Chinese workers. The charges are the same as those of the Hong Kong Electric Company. In 1969, the larger-scale Aberdeen Power Plant was built, and the power supply was more abundant.By the end of the 1970s, the power generated could supply 3,000 kWh per person per year in Hong Kong, but the actual electricity consumption was less than 1,000 kWh per person per year. Therefore, the electric light company that had contributed to Hong Kong in history has been decommissioned and turned into a sales household. Appliances are gone. 1890 was Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and the 50th anniversary of the opening of Hong Kong. Defu decided to celebrate it grandly. For this reason, Defu began to expand the Governor's Mansion on Upper Albert Road in February 1890.A total of 40,000 yuan was allocated, and the main project was to build a banquet hall with a width of 40 feet, a length of 60 feet, and a height of 26 feet.The new part has the same size as the original building and is connected by a covered staircase.When the luxurious banquet hall with an area of ​​2,400 square meters was completed, his wife held a grand ball in this hall to entertain Hong Kong celebrities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the port. The lively atmosphere reached the climax during his tenure. In the early years, there was a "Government Hill" in Hong Kong.At the corner of Queen's Road Central and Garden Road in Central, there is an empty field, commonly known as Mary's Training Ground.Straight up from the training ground is "Government Hill".At that time, the Governor's Mansion, the Hong Kong Governor's administrative agency, and the post office were all located on "Government Hill".The University of Hong Kong and St. John's Cathedral, the cathedral of the Victorian Diocese of Anglican Church in Hong Kong, are also here. It can be said that it was the political and religious center of Hong Kong in its early years. "Government Hill" is the mid-level area of ​​Taiping Mountain, with the mountain at its back and the sea facing, and a beautiful environment. It is the main noble residential area for the upper class. At the foot of the hill on the west side of the Marley Training Ground, facing the back entrance of HSBC Bank on Queen's Road.A red brick building used to be the seat of the Hong Kong Governor's Mansion in the past, which was the earliest place where the Governor of Hong Kong worked. Before the completion of the Governor’s Mansion on Upper Albert Road, the office of the Governor of Hong Kong was moved again and again. Sometimes it was located above the Zoological and Botanical Garden in Central today, sometimes it was located on Spring Garden Street in Wanchai today, and sometimes it was even temporarily leased to private houses.Looking back at the history of the Governor's Palace, an overview is as follows. In August 1841, Pu Dingcha led troops northward to attack the coastal cities of China. When Johnston performed his duties on behalf of Pu Dingcha as the deputy commercial supervisor, the office was set up in the large red brick building in the above-mentioned Central Ring. Property is the property of Hart Corporation.It covers an area of ​​1280 square meters and was called "Johnston Mansion" at that time.Until July 1844, the office of the Governor of Hong Kong was still located in this red brick building.It became the highest administrative center in Hong Kong at that time.The interior of this red building is dominated by traditional buildings in the 19th century. It has a spacious space and an open balcony design, which looks quiet and elegant. In 1915, French missionaries bought it for 380,000 Hong Kong dollars and renamed it "Missionary Building" for preaching. In 1989, the British Hong Kong government listed this building as a historic site, and later it was used by the Hong Kong Government Information Office. In 1845, the office of the Governor was located in a small building in "Bingtou Garden". Governor Pudingcha and Governor Davis both worked here.Because at the beginning of the British occupation, the governor of Hong Kong was also the commander-in-chief of the British armed forces stationed in Hong Kong, so Hong Kong people used to call the governor Bingtou, which is also the origin of the name "Bingtou Garden", which is now the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden. From 1847 to 1848, the Governor-General leased the official residence for a rent of 625 pounds.A large building on Caine Road was the private residence of Davis, the second Hong Kong governor at that time. At that time, the Hong Kong governor had no official residence, so he had to rent a private house.Caine Road, the Governor of Davis, was also the official residence of Justice William Caine. In 1851, construction of the new Governor's Mansion officially started on Upper Albert Road in the mid-levels of the Central District of Hong Kong Island. In 1855, the new Governor's Mansion was completed at a cost of HK$70,000.Bao Ling, the fourth governor of the Hong Kong government, became the first resident.Since then, it has undergone several renovations, extensions, and renovations. Defu began to expand in 1890 and was completed in 1891. In 1908, Luard, the fourteenth governor, renovated the interior of the Governor's Mansion and installed luxurious electric fans on the ceiling. In 1929, Clementi, the 17th governor of Hong Kong, expanded the banquet hall again, making the two parts into one. On the eve of World War II, the building of the Governor's Mansion was already outdated, and a plan to demolish and rebuild it was proposed. However, on December 25, 1941, Yang Muqi, the 21st Governor of Hong Kong, surrendered to the Japanese invaders.The Japanese army occupied the Governor's Mansion and carried out large-scale reconstruction and expansion projects; the reconstruction and expansion were completed in 1944.In order to cater to Japanese tastes, most of the original buildings were demolished, leaving only the basement and foundations. After Japan surrendered, in 1947, the 23rd Governor of Hong Kong, Grantham, refurbished Hong Kong Governor's Mansion, including installing air conditioners, ceilings, new fireplaces and room decoration. In 1964, after the 24th Governor of Hong Kong, David Trench, took office, the main room was remodeled into the "Adam School" style, and gorgeous reliefs were laid on the ceiling and walls. In 1979, the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, MacLehose, rebuilt the Governor's Mansion on a large scale, including the roof, banquet hall and private secretary's office, and installed air conditioning in the banquet hall for the first time. Over the next ten years, the Governor's Mansion did not change much. It was not until the acting Governor Patten took office in late 1992 that a large-scale renovation was carried out on the Governor's Mansion again. According to Hong Kong newspapers, since 1968, the Governor's Mansion has been open to the public for 10 days every year during the azalea blooming season.Let the public enter to enjoy the flowers.Of course, in addition to viewing the flowers, you should also look at the buildings of the Governor's Mansion.However, the Hong Kong Governor's Mansion that tourists can see today is completely different from the old style, both from the outside and the inside, especially the Hong Kong Governor's Mansion that was renovated on a large scale after Patten took office in 1992. Chris Patten set the theme of this decoration as "Collection of East and West", using all Hong Kong local designers, engineers and artists.The main person in charge is He Tao.He Tao's design did not change the original shape and characteristics of the Governor's Mansion, and still has its strong colonial characteristics, but under the so-called "gathering of east and west" theme, a variety of different buildings are placed in buildings with strong colonial colors. Style oriental furniture, bonsai, sculpture decoration.Such as the antique pottery flower pot with rooster pattern, the Ming Dynasty style wooden chairs in the lobby, the sculptures of the twelve zodiac signs and the striking four carpets with the pattern of redbud flowers in the center of the lobby. According to the article by Mr. Confucianism, a Hong Kong newspaper, the impressions of some people who have entered the Hong Kong government are as follows: Li Qiming, a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, has been to the Governor's Mansion several times. His impression is: "Although I don't think it is very magnificent, I always feel that it is very tall and spacious, giving people a sense of freshness and clarity." Member of the Legislative Council, Chen Rongcan, entered the Governor's Mansion for the first time. His feeling was: "The design of the Governor's Mansion is extraordinary, more elegant than a beautiful hotel. Although the living room of the Governor's Mansion is built on the basement floor, it is absolutely not built into the ground. The feeling of a library; the most memorable is the conference hall, which can accommodate more than 200 people and has a unique design in the shape of a half moon.” Liu Jiaxin, director of Hong Kong Cable TV News, has been visiting the Governor's Mansion since the time of the 27th Hong Kong Governor David Wilson. It is full of colonial features. The toilet on the first floor is dedicated to the governor of Hong Kong, which is like a reception room. When people push the door, they feel like they are in the wrong place, which is too extravagant.” As a witness of Hong Kong's history, the Governor's Mansion can make more people understand colonialism and remember the shame of history forever. Mr. Confucianism also said that if you ask how much this 140-year-old ancient building is worth today, according to the Hong Kong Antiquities and Monuments Office, it has not yet announced the area of ​​the Hong Kong Governor's Mansion listed as a historic site, but a preliminary estimate , based on HK$60,000 per square meter of real estate in the Central District, the market value must exceed HK$10 billion, which is higher than the sum of the value of the top ten ancient buildings such as the "Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay" announced by the Hong Kong Antiquities and Monuments Board in 1996.As for the historical value, it is inestimable. When Defu was 57 years old, he felt more and more powerless with the heavy Hong Kong affairs.The piracy problem and the sharp drop in fiscal revenue that emerged in the latter part of his tenure made him helpless.In this case, he began to think about quitting. At the beginning of 1891, he wrote to the British Colonial Office, requesting that he be allowed to retire early. In May 1891, after receiving an affirmative answer from the British side, he passed the red carpet at Hong Kong Airport and embarked on the journey home.Since then, he has never held public office again, but summed up his life's political life in a quiet life in England. On December 5, 1909, Defu died in London at the age of 75. William Robinson, who had the same surname as the fifth Governor of Hong Kong, served as the eleventh Governor of Hong Kong from December 10, 1891 to February 1898.