Chapter 16 Mei Hanli (1860~1922)

Mei Hanli (1860~1922), also translated as Mei Xuanli.Irishman. Died in 1922.He is the author of "Introduction to Guangzhou Dialect", "Traveling by Speedboat in Hong Kong", etc. After graduating from Meili University, he was admitted to the British Colonial Office. In 1881, he was recruited to Hong Kong as an official student and served in various government positions in Hong Kong. In 1891, when he was the private secretary of the then Acting Governor Robert Black, he met Black's daughter Charlene and later married.He once served as the admiral of the navy, the secretary of the treasury, and the deputy secretary of the Huamin government. From 1893 to 1902, he served as the Hong Kong Police Department.When the Hong Kong British government took over the New Territories, he single-handedly founded the New Territories Police Force, which later became the Village Patrol Force, commonly known as "Pangolin". In 1902, he became the Counselor of Hong Kong and Acting Governor. He was knighted in 1911 and sent from Hong Kong to the Fiji Islands as governor.The following year, he was transferred from Fiji back to Hong Kong to serve as the governor.

When Mei Hanli arrived in Hong Kong for his inauguration, he disembarked from Bugong Wharf and sat on two sedan chairs with his wife, Charlene, to the city hall to hold the inauguration ceremony. On the way, he was suddenly shot and sniped, but he was not injured.Although there was no danger, the solemn and exciting inauguration ceremony was carried out in shock.Therefore, Hong Kong people called him "the governor of Hong Kong with bad luck". Although the assassination of the governor was not solved, it can be analyzed that there are many reasons for attacking Mei Hanli.He was one of the important creators of the Kam Tin massacre in 1899, and the people of the New Territories had reason to punish him.He has represented the police station for many years, and no matter if he is an innocent victim or a triad figure, he will never forget to take revenge on him.

In July 1913, Mei Hanli changed the name of the Chief Registrar to the Department of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China.The Secretary of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China is also an ex officio official member of the Executive Council, the Legislative Council, and the Cleansing Council (the predecessor of the Municipal Council). The activities of associations, as well as statistics of birth and death, marriage registration, and newspaper registration all belong to its jurisdiction. In February 1969, the Department of Civil Affairs was renamed the Department of Civil Affairs.

In August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, and World War I began.British police officers were about to return to serve in the country, and there was an immediate shortage of police personnel. Therefore, the British Hong Kong authorities decided to set up a police academy. The school building was the German clubhouse that was confiscated as enemy property.After Mei Hanli, all Hong Kong police officers are graduates of the police academy. Since 1914, the Hong Kong British authorities have strengthened the road construction on the island. The road from Central across the other side of the island to Deep Water Bay was completed in 1915; from Central to Repulse Bay was completed in 1917; the road to Stanley and Tai Tam Both completed in 1918.

Since 1915, some headquartered in China and Singapore, the Chinese Commercial Bank (1915), the Salt Industry Bank (1918), the Bank of China (1919), the Overseas Chinese Bank of Singapore (1923), the Guangdong Provincial Bank (1929), etc. , successively set up branches in Hong Kong to carry out business. Due to the impact of the First World War, the transportation of goods to and from Europe was interrupted, and some small industrial factories began to set up in Hong Kong. The products were towels, underwear, biscuits, cigarettes, enamelware, flashlights and other light industries. In 1915, Hong Zhaolin, the supervisor of Huizhou, was ordered by Mr. Sun Yat-sen to revolt against Yuan Shikai.The uprising failed, and Hong Zhaolin was injured and fled to Hong Kong. After medical treatment, he recovered and was about to go to Japan to meet Mr. Sun Yat-sen. The Hong Kong British authorities suddenly arrested Hong Zhaolin.The governor of Guangdong, Long Ji, illuminated the British Hong Kong government, accused Hong Zhaolin as a murderer, and demanded his extradition to Guangzhou.Hong Zhaolin asked a lawyer to defend him.The Hong Kong court actually sided with Yuan Shikai and pronounced Hong Zhaolin "guilty".Soon after Yuan Shikai failed to proclaim himself emperor, Long Jiguang also lost power. On December 24, Hong Zhaolin was released.

On March 26, 1916, the Clock Tower of Tsim Sha Tsui Railway Station was officially opened, and it became a symbol of Hong Kong city for the next half century. In the same year, the British government asked the British Hong Kong government to open up more tax sources to support Britain's war expenses on the grounds of participating in the European War.The Tax Sources Committee of the Hong Kong Government proposed that profits tax and salaries tax be levied according to Ceylon's method, and all income taxes should be handed over to the United Kingdom.This proposal was unanimously opposed by people in Hong Kong, and they united to fight against the British Hong Kong authorities on the grounds that Hong Kong people have no obligation to support the British government in foreign wars.The Mei Hanli authorities had no choice but to change their approach and issue "war bonds" in Hong Kong to raise funds to support the British government in the war.

Mei Hanli arrived in Hong Kong at the age of 21, left Hong Kong at the age of 59, and died at the age of 62. It is rare for an Englishman to have lived in Hong Kong for 38 years.He devoted almost his entire life to the cause of British colonial rule. In 1898, Mei Hanli served as the police chief of the Hong Kong government and cracked a major bribery case in which the police station itself covered private gambling.It became a famous case in Hong Kong history. Back then, Mei Hanli suddenly received a secret report from Zheng An, saying that Cen had gathered people to gamble privately and was under the protection of the police station.After receiving the report, Mei Hanli immediately mobilized a group of police chiefs, personally led a team, and rushed to Huali East Street, Shanghuan, reported by Zheng An, to search. Sure enough, Cen's private gambling head office was uncovered.The general account book for paying the gambling money was found in the compound wall of the main office.The account books clearly recorded the details of Cen's bribery, who worked in a certain place, what his job was, and how much bribes he gave each month.In addition to the police station officials, the recipients of bribes also included other agencies of the Hong Kong government, from the top figures to messengers and servants.A large amount of jewelry was found from Cen's special warehouse, which were sold by gamblers in various gambling halls or used as collateral after losing bets.Many of them are stolen goods that have been reported.

Originally, Cen manipulated the private gambling business. Under the cover of all parties, he was very well informed and had many eyes and ears. In normal times, even if the director came to search in person, someone would send news, because there were high-level bribe-taking figures who secretly notified him.However, this time a large-scale celebration was being held in London, and several high-level figures related to Cen were sent back to England to attend the commemorative ceremony. No one could report in time, so Mei Hanli caught it by accident. After examination, Cen has been operating and manipulating private gambling for many years. In 1897, it was the heyday. The private gambling halls sheltered by the police were concentrated in the area of ​​Huali East Street, West Street, Changxing Street, and Sifang Street in Sheung Wan.Gambling halls send out "lead streets" to attract business. Every day after dusk, they are distributed in Damakou, Shuikengkou, Dadadi, Hollywood Road, Man Mo Temple, etc., to attract passers-by to gamble and lead them to At the intersection of the street where there are gambling halls, there are special personnel to lead them to the stalls that open gambling halls in the street to gamble.Because of the official protection, this kind of gambling house at that time also promised a kind of guarantee to the gamblers who came to gamble. Anyone who was searched by the police or lost property in the gambling house would be responsible for compensation afterwards.It can be seen that they rely on great power.

After this major case was uncovered, the Hong Kong government's reputation was affected because of its extensive involvement.However, after all, there are evidences in the account books, and the relevant persons cannot be concealed no matter what.As a result, the police dismissed 14 British assistants, 38 Indian police officers, and more than 70 Chinese police officers and translators for this bribery case.In the General Registrar's Office, the chief copywriter Osman, as well as more than 20 people including secretaries, translators, and servants, were dismissed because of this.Departments such as the Cleaning Bureau, Fire Fighting Bureau, and Magistrates' Office also dismissed many people.

Because the potential power of this case is very great, the informant Zheng An was killed two months later and his body was thrown into the river. During Mei Hanli's tenure, misfortunes never come singly. In 1918, two incidents that shocked the world occurred in Hong Kong, which became the focus of the Hong Kong news media for a while, and they were also the two most troublesome incidents during Mei Hanli's tenure.The shock brought by the incident can be seen only from the layout of Hong Kong's English "South China Morning Post". The South China Morning Post has always carried advertisements on the cover page, and any major news is published on the inside page. Even the news of the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 was published on the inside page.The two social news incidents in Hong Kong in early 1918 made the front page advertisements have to give way.Moreover, the newspaper reporters went all out, and the two news stories were published prominently on the front page. The circulation of the newspaper increased sharply, and Luoyang paper was expensive at the time.

One of the two social news items is that the Happy Valley Racecourse fire occurred on February 26. More than 600 people were killed and thousands were injured. It is one of the most important and catastrophic news in Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post reporter conducted in-depth interviews and attached pictures, which is more prominent than all Chinese newspapers on Hong Kong Island. The second social news is that an encounter between police and robbers in Gilson Street, Wan Chai on January 22 resulted in many deaths. According to the records of the fire that year, the stands at the racecourse were simple and simple, and the audience seats were all temporary multi-storey stands made of bamboo, wood planks, sunflower leaves, etc. The stands were built along Wong Nai Chung Road until near the golf club. February 26 is the second anniversary of the 1918 Jockey Club Grand Prix fire that killed more than six hundred people Today, the Lunar New Year has just passed, and the citizens are still immersed in the strong atmosphere of the New Year. A large number of citizens flock to the racecourse to watch the excitement, or even gamble to make a fortune in the New Year.At 2:30 p.m., when the race reached the fifth race, the stands suddenly collapsed and caught fire, and the fans ran for their lives, causing chaos.The stands near the golf club collapsed first, and the fire in the stands spread rapidly. At this time, the wind was strong and the weather was dry, and the firefighting facilities were insufficient.Many of the deceased were descendants of prominent families. At that time, watching horse racing was a high-end entertainment, and it was difficult for ordinary people to have the opportunity to enter. The cause of the fire was investigated and it was proved that the grandstand in the racecourse collapsed, igniting the fire from the cooked food vendors below the stage.There are many stalls selling cooked food under the stands in the arena. The dried bamboo and wood materials fell down, overturned the fire, and set the bamboo shed ablaze.Because that year was the Wuwu year, it was also called the "Wuwu tragedy".After the incident, the relevant parties buried the remains of the victims together in the coffee garden grave. The South China Morning Post commented that the fire was more serious than any disaster since the opening of the port.After the fire, the newspaper continued to report on the life experience of the victims and the aftermath. The cover page still published most of the follow-up news and kept some advertisements. The newspaper continued to sell well for a long time. As for the encounter between police and robbers on Gilson Street on January 22, 1918, it was a famous gunfight between police and robbers in Hong Kong history.Of course, in the second half of the 20th century, Hong Kong seemed to be very common. However, Hong Kong had a small population back then, and there were not many cases of robbery with open flames, and there were fewer gangsters who dared to challenge the police with guns. In the encounter on January 22, the two sides had a stalemate for 18 hours. Three criminals died and three fled; four assistants and police officers died, five were injured, and suffered heavy losses. Before the incident, the police were chasing a group of gun robbers. On the 22nd, assistants and police officers led a group of Chinese detectives to No. 4 and No. 6, Gilson Street to investigate. The front of the house was the storefront, and the back was the living room. Several groups lived in it, and the gun robber happened to be one of them. A group of people who hid a variety of firearms.When the assistant and police officers went in to check, the gangsters first shot and killed two people.The Wanchai police station received the report and immediately sent a large number of police officers to the reinforcements. Two more police officers were killed in the encounter.When the Central Police Station received the report, it immediately sent Superintendent Mai Sai to lead a team to reinforce, set up an encirclement circle, and tightly sealed the house at No. 6 Jilichen Street.There are both police officers and residents inside, so it is difficult to start at the moment.The news quickly spread throughout Hong Kong, and there were huge crowds of residents who came to watch the fun.Many senior government officials rushed to the scene to direct.At 1:00 p.m., the Governor-General of the Police Department, Major Robertson of the British Garrison in Hong Kong, and some Army officers went to the scene to inspect and command. The two sides shouted many times, and finally subdued a gangster who was guarding the door of building No. 6. The police rushed into the house and found that the inspector Su Liyun had been shot and killed 5 times, and the police officer Keli had been shot to death 4 times.It was four o'clock in the morning the next day when the battle ended. gfhfghfghgfh On November 11, 1918, the First World War ended. As one of the victors of the participating countries, China had great hopes for improving China's international status. In January 1919, the Paris Peace Conference was held.At the peace conference, the Chinese delegation to the Paris Peace Conference proposed the abolition of the sphere of influence, the return of the concession, the return of the leased land, and the cancellation of the "Twenty-One" request.However, the Paris Peace Conference controlled by the British and French powers refused to discuss China's proposal, and passed a plan that damaged China's rights and interests: Japan would have all the rights stipulated in the Jiaozhou Lease and the Sino-German Treaty. On May 4, 1919, patriotic students in Beijing held a demonstration to protest against the Paris Peace Conference's recognition of Japan's unreasonable decision to take over the various privileges that Germany had occupied Shandong, my country. This was the great "May 4th" Movement.The movement soon expanded to all parts of the country and became an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal political and cultural movement of unprecedented scale.Hong Kong compatriots also took action one after another to express their patriotic passion.For this patriotic movement of the Chinese people, the Meghanli government played the role of executioner in Hong Kong. After the outbreak of World War I, Japan's influence in Hong Kong was expanded.At that time, as one of the participating countries in the First World War, Britain focused its energy on fighting for hegemony in Europe, and its power in the Far East was empty.In order to compete with Germany in the Far East, the British government planned to use the power of Japan to contain Germany.As early as August 4, 1914, when the British Ambassador to Japan Green met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato, he proposed that when the war spread to the Far East and Hong Kong was attacked by the German army, Britain hoped that Japan would provide assistance. On August 7, the British government formally sent a note to the Japanese government, hoping that the Japanese fleet would attack the German fleet in the China Sea.Britain tried to rely on Japan's power to maintain its colonial interests in the Far East. Britain's request is in the arms of Japanese militarism.Japan took advantage of World War I, when European countries were busy fighting, to expand its power in southern China.In a short period of time, the number of Japanese expatriates in Hong Kong far exceeded that of European and American countries.In the Queen's Road area of ​​Hong Kong Island, the Japanese competed to open shops, dealing in antique calligraphy and paintings, books and stationery, porcelain lacquerware, pharmaceuticals and groceries, as well as hairdressing, photography and other industries.Because of the large number of Japanese overseas Chinese, they also opened the Falkland Hospital and Japanese Primary School in Hong Kong, which mainly serve the Japanese.In terms of military affairs, Japanese warships often cruise in the South China Sea and park near Hong Kong Island. According to Gu Weijun's memoirs, during the war, Britain had promised Japan and supported Japan's interests in China.At the end of the war, Britain was very grateful for Japan's "contribution in the war", so Britain strongly supported Japan at the Paris Peace Conference. According to the pro-Japanese policy of the British government, the Meghanley government adopted a high-pressure policy on Chinese residents in Hong Kong and strictly enforced the police. deportation as "persona non grata".On the other hand, the Hong Kong government took protective measures against the Japanese. After the "May 4th" movement broke out, the Hong Kong British authorities tried their best to suppress the patriotic actions of Chinese residents and protect Japan's influence in Hong Kong. Hong Kong residents are very angry about Mei Hanli's flattering behavior.Young students and intellectuals disregarded the Hong Kong government's regulations and actively responded to the patriotic movement of Beijing students and were very active.Teachers from various private Chinese schools spoke impassionedly on the podium, stating national humiliation and inspiring students' patriotic enthusiasm.Some schools use the proposition of advocating domestic products to boycott Japanese products to guide students to participate in patriotic actions.Many students cleared out Japanese goods from their homes and burned them in public near the Central Police Station on Hollywood Road, expressing their contempt for the Hong Kong government's repressive policies.Students from the private Taoying School took to the streets holding "patriotic umbrellas" (paper umbrellas produced in the Mainland), chanting the slogan "Promote domestic products".Students from famous schools such as Queen's College, St. Stephen's, Yinghua, and St. Paul's also held rallies separately, and decided to set up a "Students' Union", draft a charter, and prepare for joint action. Facing the rising patriotic enthusiasm of Hong Kong intellectuals, Mei Hanli was extremely disturbed and immediately took emergency measures to prevent the situation from expanding.The Hong Kong government first ordered all the police to cancel their vacations and put them on alert. At the same time, additional armed police were sent to patrol the Japanese shops and nearby streets day and night to strictly protect the Japanese expatriates and ensure the supply of Japanese goods and drinking water.Mei Hanli also resumed the method during the First World War, recruiting reserve police, equipped with guns and ammunition, patrolling the streets day and night, ready to suppress the patriotic actions of the Hong Kong people at any time. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong were very angry about the suppression by the British Hong Kong authorities, and they took actions to resist it.Citizens living in Wan Chai flocked to demonstrate in front of Japanese shops, threw stones, smashed windows, and chanted slogans of boycotting Japanese products.Housewives refused to use Japanese matches; businessmen gathered in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and decided to promote domestic products.Xianshi, Wing On, Daxin, True Light and other large department stores announced that they will buy more domestic silk and Suzhou and Hangzhou miscellaneous goods in the future. People from all walks of life are welcome to come to the company to check whether there are any "hatred goods".For a time, domestic products such as indanthrene and patriotic cloth were very popular. The Japanese government was terrified of the Hong Kong people's patriotic movement, and sent three new giant warships, "Nagato", "Mutsu", and "Fuso", to berth outside Lei Yue Mun, with their guns aimed directly at Hong Kong as a threat.The Japanese Consulate in Hong Kong also issued a note requesting the Hong Kong British government to ban newspapers and periodicals with anti-Japanese remarks.The Hong Kong British authorities worked closely with Japan to deal with patriotic compatriots in Hong Kong.The Department of Chinese Civil Affairs of the Hong Kong Government informed Chinese newspapers such as "Circular Daily" and "Chinese Character Daily" that "it is not allowed to incite anti-Japanese patriotism, obstruct public order, and not to mention imperialism and other words"; the Hong Kong Department of Education ordered Chinese inspectors to inspect all All private Chinese schools in Hong Kong, if they use the "Elementary Essays" published by Shanghai Huiwentang as their textbooks, they will be banned immediately.Because the book has the content of advocating domestic products and boycotting Japanese products.The Police Division also sent detectives to search the book market to see if there was any accumulation of "Elementary Essays and Essays", and if found, they would be confiscated immediately. Nevertheless, after the vigorous "May 4th" Movement, anti-imperialist and anti-feudal patriotism has penetrated into the hearts of Hong Kong people, and Hong Kong's social outlook has undergone many changes.Some patriotic students cut down on food and clothing, donated money, and rented places in Sai Ying Pun and Hollywood Road to set up "Cultural Education" and serve as teachers, providing free books, paper and pens, and educating poor children.Progressive workers from all walks of life gradually banded together and organized unions.Young students abandoned the old ethics, advocated science, advocated equality between men and women, and the social atmosphere was greatly improved. Among the officials of the Hong Kong government, there is the Department of Chinese Civil Affairs, which specializes in managing all matters of Chinese residents.At first it was called Fuhua Road, and later it was renamed Huamin Government Affairs Department.The head of the department is a British person.The first Fuhua Road was Ji Shili, a British-German.The staff in the department are called "Shiye", and "Shiye" is responsible for the documents in the department, and the documents are mostly in Chinese.When residents have something to write to the Secretary of Government Affairs, they must use "reporting notes". Residents' reports or dialogues with the Secretary of Government Affairs should be addressed as "adults".This series of nouns are all traditional Chinese vocabulary, probably a method used by the British to win over the Chinese, or invented by the masters. The daily affairs of the Huamin Government Affairs Department are very complicated. The licenses for ships traveling between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, and between Hong Kong Island and Macau, as well as the licenses for dock workers, street bearers, coachmen, and street vendors, are all issued by the Huamin Government Affairs Department.The watchmen patrol the streets, and the investment in temples, brothels, hotels, and charities are all managed by the Secretary of State.In matters such as issuing licenses and undertaking bidding, the department is up and down, openly and secretly, and the cashier should be quite rich. In addition to the tedious daily affairs, the Department of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China has more important government affairs, such as reviewing the public letters of the Chinese, checking the raising and lowering of the flags of various units, and so on.Mr. Chen Qian once described a rare story about Fuhua Dao making things difficult for Chinese characters in "Hong Kong Old Events and Experiences", which can well explain the function of the Chinese People's Government Affairs Department.This story happened to Fuhua Donok in the early days of Governor Meghanli's tenure. All the affairs of Hong Kong temples, such as the temple's previous meetings, dragon dances, lion dances, dotting and other activities, are mostly held at Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road or Tin Hau Temple in Causeway Bay.For these activities, the Secretary of Huamin Government Affairs always presides over them in person without hesitation. In 1912, the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan held the birthday celebration of Emperor Guan. In the introduction of the Man Mo Temple Guan Emperor's birthday donation, the phrase "Hua Yi miscellaneous places" was used.After seeing it, the Secretary of Chinese Civil Affairs was very dissatisfied with the word "Yi", thinking that it demeaned the British and had xenophobic meanings, so he insisted on pursuing it.Who is the source of this short quote, and there is no signature.Without asking the reason, the Secretary of Huamin Administration summoned Liu Xiangshi, a Chinese medicine practitioner who opened in Shuikengkou.At that time, Liu Xiangshi was treating patients in the hospital, when the guard came suddenly and said loudly: "Are you Liu Xiangshi? Master Huamin asked you to come to the office to talk." Regarding the sudden call, the second monk Liu Xiangshi was puzzled, so he asked the guard Ask why.The guard said angrily, "You know what you do yourself. Your lord's interrogation is to ask yourself. It's none of my business." Seeing the guard's bad face, Liu Xiangshi enthusiastically entertained him with tea money and asked for advice with a smile. The guard told him , it is because of a sentence from Xiaoyin urging donations for the construction of the Man Mo Temple.The colleagues present all sided with Liu Xiangshi and supported him to argue with Hua Minsi. Liu Xiangshi has read the Four Books and Five Classics, and he knows the meaning of the word "Yi". He is very calm and confident about how to answer questions with the Secretary of the Huamin Administration.According to the appointed time, wearing a white cloth gown, holding a carved feather fan with an ivory handle, gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and thick-soled felt shoes, he swaggered into the Huamin Administration Department. Upon seeing Liu Xiangshi, the Secretary of the Huamin Administration, Nok, reprimanded loudly: "You are worthy of Man Mo Temple, why do you use the phrase 'Hua Yi Miscellaneous' in the quotation to persuade you to donate. Yi is a 'Fan ghost', which is an insult to the British Empire. You practiced medicine in Hong Kong and benefited from the British, but you actually used such vicious words to incite the masses. What is your intention? Did you get instigated by others?" The Secretary of Huamin Administration was aggressive.But Liu Xiangshi waved his feather fan and said slowly: "I wrote this small introduction myself, and I was not instructed by anyone. I am Chinese and have read "Mencius". In "Mencius? Li Lou", it is said: "Shun People from the Eastern Yi....King Wen, also from the Western Yi.' The character 'Yi' in this chapter clearly states that Shun is a sage in the east, and King Wen is a sage in the West. The word Yi is representative of locality, not necessarily It refers to the "fan ghost" that adults said! Mencius used the word "Yi" to refer to Shun and King Wen, so I use the word "Yi" to represent people from all countries. It is definitely based on a basis and not malicious. You can open it Look at Mencius." After hearing this, Nuoke knew that it was Liu Xiangshi's strong argument, and he couldn't refute it, let alone convict him, so he changed his tone and said calmly: "Mr. Liu is really knowledgeable, and he can quote ancient books to explain the meaning of barbarians." SHA is happy. On September 23, 1919, Staces took office as the sixteenth governor of Hong Kong.to October 1925.Deferred for one year.