Chapter 26 Chapter Four

Another name for Hong Kong is "Xiangjiang".Many activities held here, such as "Ode to Hong Kong", "Travel to Hong Kong", and "A Symphony of Lights", are named after "Xiangjiang".Why does Hong Kong have this "alias"?In addition to "alias", why is Hong Kong's "big size" called Hong Kong?Even today, even if you ask Hong Kong people, nine times out of ten they cannot give you an answer to this question.What is the reason?There are too many legends. One of the legends: Hong Kong was an unnamed island in the early years. There was a stream named "Xiangjiang" on the Pok Fu Lam Mountain on the island. The water was sweet and fragrant, and it flowed into the sea from the mountain. With such a geography, the port from Xiangjiang to the sea becomes "Hong Kong"; second: Hong Kong's name comes from "Xianggu", where is Xianggu sacred?Xianggu is a legendary female pirate. This female pirate has occupied Hong Kong for a long time, so Hong Kong is also called Xianggu Island and Xiangdao, also referred to as Hong Kong; what about the third: a long time ago, it was said that in the vast sea, there was One thing drifted straight towards Hong Kong. This thing was nothing but a red incense burner. This "red incense burner" drifted away until it reached the Tin Hau Temple in Hong Kong. A hill on the island was first called "Red Xianglu Mountain", and later expanded into "Red Xianglu Hong Kong", from which Hong Kong got its name.

However, regarding the origin of the name of Hong Kong, I carefully drilled into the pile of historical materials, carefully analyzed and judged, and finally felt that the first three theories were based on too vague, but there is another kind of "record" that is more reliable among the divergent opinions-Xiangshu In Hong Kong, there are incense trees. "Incense" is a good product that Chinese people have used to worship gods and pay tribute since the age of the old nose. fragrant.Before the first year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Hong Kong was under the jurisdiction of Dongguan County, and Shatian and Tai Po were the famous producing areas of "Dongguanxiang". , transported to Shek Pai Bay (today's "Aberdeen") by "big-eyed chicken" cargo ship, and then transshipped to mainland China, Southeast Asia and many other countries in Arabia. Xiangbutou", the nearby village is called "Hong Kong Village", and Seac Paiwan, a port for transshipment of spices, naturally wears the reputation of "Hong Kong", and has traveled all the way to today...

In fact, regardless of the reason why Hong Kong got its name, there is not much value in itself. On the contrary, Hong Kong can be "smelly" or "smelly". This is a detail hidden in the city and real life. Interesting topic and the perspective of studying Hong Kong society—— I have such an experience and I have asked many people who have lived in Hong Kong. After a long absence, when you think of this city, there will always be a prominent impression in your mind: the city of Hong Kong is so strange that it is always clean. , Red flowers and green leaves.In terms of climatic conditions alone, Hong Kong has a subtropical climate, and there are frequent "winds and rains" throughout the year. This has actually caused a lot of trouble for Hong Kong people; Isn't it just that the old man of God has a preference for Hong Kong, and from time to time he will send people to clean up the city diligently, so that the natural beauty of Hong Kong, the oriental pearl, has a long-term transparency and holiness?

I came to Hong Kong for the first time more than ten years ago. I heard from my friends that the cleanliness of Hong Kong is due to climate conditions, but more importantly, management. If Hong Kong does not have good "management", the city will be very clean. It may be a stinking port. "Smelly Harbor"? I didn’t pay much attention to what my friend said at the time, but ten years later, when I came here as a resident, I suddenly remembered this sentence one day, and held a knife in my hand—scent and smell, can it be fragrant or stinky?Cut across the board, the dissection of the city of Hong Kong was re-presented in front of my eyes in colorful colors——

Because it is often washed by rain, there is no wind and sand, and there are no sandstorms. Hong Kong people rarely have black marks on their white shirts, necklines and cuffs.This is of course related to the weather conditions, but people who are familiar with the surrounding cities of Hong Kong also know that Guangdong, Guangxi, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, the climate conditions in those places are almost the same as those in Hong Kong, but people there always complain that the air is always dark. The ground is so sloppy and sloppy that people have to stand on their toes and frown when they walk from time to time.Comparing the two phases, there are many conclusions, one of which confirms what my friend said: Hong Kong also had the conditions to become "stinky", if artificial management is excluded.

To be precise, since September 2004, I have lived in Hong Kong for two years. I can cite various reasons to assume that Hong Kong can become "smelly". The most important one is that Hong Kong has a huge population density and living conditions Crowded, Hong Kong people, young and old, don't want to stay at home except for work (going to work). They all like to go to the street, and go to public places such as shops, restaurants, tea rooms, and cafes to relax and seek spaciousness.Just imagine how many millions of people live in a narrow area of ​​1103 square kilometers, only 13% of which can be used for human habitation. Eating, drinking, and sewage can easily transform Hong Kong Smelly?Secondly, the climate in Hong Kong is hot and humid, everything is easy to grow here, all kinds of bacteria spread very quickly, mosquito bites can live in paradise and reproduce wantonly, in addition, Hong Kong people also love to keep pets, streets and alleys It was already overcrowded, but cats and dogs, who also have the right to live and are protected by law, also come out for a walk every day. These little guys go to the streets and alleys of Hong Kong, and they are completely out of control of their owners. Not breaking any laws at all...

In fact, what we mainlanders often say about Hong Kong is a grand concept of "Hong Kong" formed by the merger of the three land masses of New Territories, Kowloon, and Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong Island, in particular, is surrounded by the sea. Countless high-rise buildings have been built over the years—the north shore of Hong Kong Island, starting from Quarry Bay in the east, passing through North Point, and heading west to Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Admiralty, Central, and until Sheung Wan. Buildings have been stretched into a long building corridor, or an artificial canyon has been dug out. People travel in this "corridor" or "canyon" every day. If 1/10 people have the habit of throwing paper scraps If things such as drinks and bottles are thrown away, the north shore of Hong Kong Island will become a long garbage channel. Over the years, patches of ground will be polluted, patches of sea water will be ruined, and Hong Kong will become a "smelly port". Easy?

However, when mainlanders come to Hong Kong, they don’t see garbage and cigarette butts everywhere in the stations, subways, squares, and streets. No matter where they go to any pier, they don’t see the turbidity and oil stains floating on the sea at all.Although the living space of ordinary people is small, you can't find any debris piled up in the corridors. Every household dumps garbage outside every day, and the openings of plastic bags must be tightly sealed. At the beginning, when I walked into the home of my first local friend in Hong Kong, I felt that the building they lived in was not wide, but why was it so neat?What about the shoe racks, wooden cabinets, and cardboard boxes in every household?And what about the leftover vegetables that you can’t eat when you buy them back?

My friend said: "Don't look for it, you can't find it. There is a law in Hong Kong: Residents are not allowed to pile up any sundries in the corridor. No matter how small your home is, you can't put a pair of shoes or a potato in the corridor." In Hong Kong, inside and outside the door, there are two completely different worlds, public and private...