Little People's 20 Years in Hong Kong, Book Excerpt | 482 Letters from Su Mei | Hong Kong | Little People

The book "Su Jin's Hong Kong Past" is based on the real communication between her sister Su Jin in Hong Kong and her sister Su Mei in Shanghai, telling the story of Su Jin's daily life and the joys and sorrows she has experienced in Hong Kong for 20 years.

"The Past of Hong Kong in Su Jin" by Baihe Zhonghua Book Company

Although these letters are Su Jin's personal joys and sorrows, they also reflect the lives of Hong Kong people in the 1950s and 1970s; It is not only a fragment of Su Jin's personal life history, but also a documentary historical material for studying the urban history of Hong Kong. During Su Jin's 20 years in Hong Kong, we can see the impact of every major event on her, from the economic takeoff of Hong Kong to Li Ka shing's first bucket of gold - the plastic flower business, from the soaring housing prices in Hong Kong to the Hong Kong stock market crash in 1973, from the 1962 Hong Kong flood to the terrifying typhoon "Miss Wendy", every single one has affected Su Jin's life. From this, we can see the passivity and helplessness of ordinary people in the tide of the times, as well as the long-standing mutual support between the mainland and Hong Kong.

This article is excerpted from the book, with some deletions, and the title is added by the editor.

"Until one hour of water supply every four days"

That year, Hong Kong experienced another natural disaster.

This city experienced a once-in-fifty year severe drought, and from late 1962 to mid-1963, Hong Kong did not receive a single drop of rain for a full nine months.

Hong Kong is surrounded by the sea on three sides, which sounds like it doesn't lack water - it doesn't lack seawater or fresh water. The Tamsui River has only one slender fragrant river, and most of the time Hong Kong people rely on the sky to drink water. In order to store more rainwater, the British government of Hong Kong began building the Ship Bay Freshwater Lake in 1960. Unfortunately, it had not yet been completed, and Hong Kong suffered from a cross year drought from 1962 to 1963. The water in the Shantang Reservoir was only enough for Hong Kong people to drink for more than 40 days.

In June 1962, Su Jin mentioned the water limit in Hong Kong, stating that there was only water from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm in the afternoon. She would never have expected that in the following months, the water supply would gradually change from four hours a day to four hours every four days, two hours every four days... until one hour every four days.

In addition to strict water supply time restrictions, the Water Services Department also requires citizens to wash their hair every two weeks. In order to reduce student sweating, the school even suspended physical education classes. On the streets, people queue up in long lines waiting for water, often turning from receiving water into grabbing water, and brawls happen from time to time.

"Moonlight shines on Hong Kong, with no water or food in the mountains and ponds. Sister goes to fetch water, and Mother goes to the Buddhist temple..."

Water scarcity has become a nightmare for a generation of Hong Kong people.

On the internet, you can still find videos of the singing god Jacky Cheung describing his embarrassment when he lacked water in his childhood, with exaggerated expressions and a unique Cantonese rhythm, inexplicably feeling a bitter joy: "It was so miserable at that time. I remember very few people had to take a shower, most of them used a basin, filled with a basin of water, washed their faces, hands, feet, and then rubbed their bodies with water. After rubbing their bodies, they were considered to have taken a bath. Because we lived on the eighth floor, the old building had no elevator, and there was no water, our eighth floor was even more miserable. Have you heard of turning on the faucet downstairs? When water came,... It must have been below first. When it's time for us, it's going to be difficult to fill a mouthwash cup bit by bit..."

Hong Kong singer Jackie Hui has also created a song called "Water Making Song", which refers to water restriction.

In the MV, he was seen showing off his strong chest and abdominal muscles, singing loudly to the camera while washing, with only one action: rubbing and rubbing. At first, it was still in the big bathtub and under the shower head, but later it turned into a small bathtub or basin, and finally exaggerated to the point of holding a spray can and spraying water on the body, which was hilarious. Art comes from life, and this song is too down-to-earth. It portrays the suffering and history of Hong Kong people during that period in a comedic and humorous way.

Xu Guanjie in his youth

Under great helplessness, Hong Kong compatriots turned to the mainland for help. In May 1963, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a quick decision. Under the special arrangement of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Hong Kong British government sent a huge ship to enter the inland waters to load fresh water at the mouth of the the Pearl River. Under the condition of extremely difficult water use, Shenzhen Reservoir carried 20000 tons of drinking water to Hong Kong free of charge every day.

Despite this, there is still not enough water. In December of the same year, Premier Zhou instructed that "we must spare no effort to ensure that our Hong Kong compatriots will overcome difficulties!" This led to the development of the Dongjiang River diversion project, also known as the "Dongshen Water Supply Project".

During the three-year difficult period, the government allocated a special fund of 38 million yuan and made every effort to start the construction of the Dongshen Water Supply Project.

"Quit the hobby of eating morning tea"

The nightmare like year 1973 has finally passed, and people are hoping for a better year ahead. However, who could have predicted that after entering 1974, the oil crisis in the Middle East had an impact on Hong Kong, with crude oil prices rising fourfold within two months and oil additive prices rising by 70% as a result.

Time flies, that year is the Year of the Tiger, and Su Jin sounds like "bitter year".

The oil shortage has led to a recession in various industries, and Hong Kong has had to start light control. Neon lights can only be turned on from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm, and violators will be fined or imprisoned. With this order, the once bustling night scenery of Hong Kong was greatly reduced. Su Jin said in the letter that in order to save money, many Hong Kong people who love to eat morning tea have given up this hobby, and many tea houses and restaurants have closed down.

Hong Kong people love to eat morning tea

But it's not despair to the end. On December 9, 1973, Su Jin wrote in a letter: "Recently, there has been a lack of energy, which has had a significant impact. Of course, the motherland is also taking care of Hong Kong and will establish an oil refinery on Tsing Yi Island. Most of Hong Kong's citizens rely on their motherland for food, and Hong Kong is also their land."

In one sentence, Su Jin mentioned two things: first, the mainland will build an oil refinery on Tsing Yi Island, and second, the mainland's food supply to Hong Kong.

Here, it is necessary to mention a central enterprise stationed in Hong Kong - China Resources Corporation. These two major events that benefit the people of Hong Kong are both completed by China Resources Corporation. During the water shortage in Hong Kong before, it was also China Resources Corporation that went to Guangdong to fetch water, dispatching 8 ships to travel day and night between the mainland and Hong Kong.

China Resources Corporation was founded in 1938, formerly known as "Lianhe Xing". Initially, it was just a small trading firm carefully planned by early leaders of the Communist Party of China, personally instructed by Zhou Enlai, and planned by Chen Yun. With trade as a cover, it did a lot of work in military, united front, and economic and trade fields.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the United Front, as a secret organization under the leadership of the Eighth Route Army's Hong Kong office, collaborated with the Eighth Route Army's Hong Kong office led by Liao Chengzhi and Pan Hannian, and the Defense of China Alliance led by Song Qingling to carry out anti Japanese fundraising activities, delivering a large amount of medicine and supplies to the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army who fought bravely on the front line. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Lianhe Bank was reorganized according to Premier Zhou's instructions and renamed as China Resources Company, undertaking a more important mission.

During the establishment of the People's Republic of China, China Resources Corporation invested in numerous local areas to ensure stable supply in the Hong Kong market, promoting the economic development of Hong Kong.

According to the central deployment, Wufengxing, a subsidiary of China Resources Corporation, has gradually taken on the supply of grain, oil, and fresh food from the mainland to Hong Kong since the 1950s and 1960s. At the beginning, it walked by waterway. Due to the long time, hundreds of pigs drifted across the sea to Hong Kong, and only one pig remained strong upon arrival. The rest died from heatstroke. In 1962, despite its own extreme difficulties, the mainland still decided to open three special trains from Wuhan, Shanghai, and Zhengzhou to Hong Kong, specifically for transporting vegetables, fruits, live fish, live chicken, and other food to meet the demand of Hong Kong people for vegetable baskets. These three special trains are known as the "lifeline of Hong Kong". They were delivered on time every day and persisted for 48 years until they were retired in 2010.

Hong Kong, with its unique geographical location and numerous disasters, encountered an oil shortage in the early 1970s. This time, the mainland still intervened to help. The Hong Kong British government's Chief Secretary sought help from the mainland through China Resources Corporation, and the mainland immediately sent charcoal to export oil to Hong Kong. According to eyewitnesses at the time, on January 6, 1972, the first shipment of oil arrived at the port. Surprisingly, 500 barrels of oil were transported not by oil tankers but by wooden boats, with the words "Long live the great leader Chairman Mao" printed on the ship's body, leaving a deep impression. At the time of the oil shortage in Hong Kong, the six major oil companies in the UK and the US have raised prices one after another, with only the mainland exporting at a fair price. China Resources Corporation subsequently purchased land and established oil depots in Qingyi and Shatian. In 1974, the mainland promised to steadily export 300000 tons of affordable oil, ultimately solving Hong Kong's oil problem.

This is the 1970s, more than 20 years before Hong Kong's official return. At that time, the mainland had already begun to care for and take care of Hong Kong. The few words mentioned in Su Jin's letter express the emotions and subconscious sense of belonging of ordinary Hong Kong people without any reason.

"Two pieces of glass were sucked away by the wind"

On August 31, 1962, she woke up early during the day and had just finished sending two boxes of raw oil and a box of rock sugar to her family. At night, Miss Wendy arrived.

That was a typhoon that made Hong Kong people pale at the sound of it, and many years later, they still had lingering fear. The wind force was 12.

The movie "The Thief of Time", starring Simon Yam and Joey Yung, won the Best Picture Crystal Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival. It tells the story of a family from the lower echelons of Hong Kong society in the 1960s. Yam was awarded the Best Actor award at the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards for this film.

Those who have watched this film may find it difficult to forget the terrifying and heartbreaking scene in the movie. The typhoon overturned the roof of the shoe store that the family relied on for a living. In order to prevent the roof from being blown away, in the wind and rain, parents tightly grabbed the roof truss with their hands and hung themselves in mid air; Below, the child tightly hugged his mother's leg, afraid that her mother would be blown away by the strong wind. The glass downstairs was scratched, and the family watched helplessly as a whole house of goods was blown away.

Dad shouted loudly, "The most crucial thing is to keep this top!"

In the movie, the name of the typhoon was "Betty", and the "Miss Wendy" encountered by Su Jin was even more powerful than "Betty". It was known as the strongest typhoon to hit Hong Kong after the war, with a wind force of 13 and a north wind direction, averaging 133 kilometers per hour. The wind speed record has not been broken yet. Miss Wendy caused 183 deaths, 108 missing, 388 injured, and 72000 homeless, making it the most terrifying typhoon in Hong Kong's history.

Dense urban housing

Sujin described the scene of that night as follows: "I didn't sleep all night because the wind was blowing northwest, and my room was also facing northwest, so the windows at night were making noise, as if blowing away the windows, and the entire building was shaking. I lived on the 8th floor, which was very high, and the opposite house was very low, so it was even more airborne and the wind was stronger. As a result, two pieces of glass were sucked away by the wind, and the hundred leaf curtains were blown off. On the morning of the 1st, from 9:30am to 10:30am, the wind became even stronger, squeezing things together. I and the landlord both walked down to the ground floor, afraid of the wind, as if the house was about to collapse. Later, after 3:00pm, the wind came." As I grew younger, I just took a nap. The food was eaten at the landlord's place. The wind this time caused great losses to the people of Hong Kong. Although I didn't suffer any losses, I was greatly alarmed. Many people were homeless, and I didn't go to work that day. The city's traffic was paralyzed, so I was fortunate enough to send out my things one day earlier. Otherwise, it would be a few more days later. The traffic problem is that the New Territories are almost flooded. Living in Hong Kong is a big problem, as houses and locations are related to strong winds. Rich people live well, and even if the wind blows, houses are not affected by anything; People who don't have money live in mountaintop wooden houses and old wooden buildings, but this time the buildings collapsed and people died due to the wind, which is common

The glass in the room was sucked away by the typhoon, and if someone happened to stand by the window, the consequences would be unimaginable. Under the fear, Su Jin's conclusion was both true and poignant: "No wonder rent is expensive, which is also one of the reasons."

"Like ants gnawing on bones"

During the two to three years living in Hennessy Tower, typhoons often hit Hong Kong, especially in 1964 when they were particularly diligent. On October 12th, Sujin was mixed with joy and sorrow for the arrival of another typhoon. That typhoon is also very famous, it is called "Daiti", with a wind force of 10.

The rainstorm brought by the typhoon hit the port filled all reservoirs, temporarily solving the problem of water use.

However, Tianwei is also unpredictable. It is said that "Daidi" caused 26 deaths, and Su Jin was also frightened. "The strong wind of the previous three days was also very frightening, and a large glass window in the room was sucked away by the wind.".

"So the room was flooded with water, there was no wind, and the wind was stronger, so I couldn't sleep for two consecutive nights."

Sujin, who had not closed her eyes for two days and two nights, stood in a messy room after being flooded with water. She was disheveled and looked haggard. She muttered to herself, calculating her financial losses: "It's really surprising to see the wind. A piece of glass worth 10 Hong Kong dollars is also a waste of money."

Relying on heaven is ultimately better than relying on people.

On February 20, 1964, the entire Dongshen Water Supply Project began construction. At that time, the technology was not very advanced and construction materials were extremely scarce. In order to enable Hong Kong compatriots to drink the Dongjiang River water as soon as possible, the most advantageous resources and technologies were applied to the construction of the Dongshen Water Supply Project from the central to local levels. The Ministry of Railways prioritized the use of construction materials related to the Dongshen Project. In the early stages of the project, Guangdong Province mobilized more than 10000 migrant workers to carry out civil construction work on the main dam body. Later, to ensure the completion of the dam body project before the rainy season, another 30000 migrant workers were temporarily mobilized to the Shenzhen Reservoir for construction.

It is said that when Hong Kong water conservancy engineering experts walked into the construction site, they shook their heads while looking because "except for a few Dongfanghong tracked tractors used for soil compaction, there were no large construction equipment in sight, and there were only a few small and medium-sized machinery". What caught the eye was "only a dense crowd covering the entire banks of the Shima River.". Shovel, shoulder pole, dustpan, cart. In order to open the waterway as soon as possible, many people have abandoned their homes and businesses day and night, and even sacrificed their precious lives.

On March 1, 1965, after 11 months of non-stop construction for 24 hours, and at the same time after several typhoons, rainstorm and other extreme weather baptism, the Dongshen Project began to officially supply water to Hong Kong, completely solving the water shortage in Hong Kong, and completing a great cause of the times related to people's livelihood.

Water is already on its way, just wait for another 5 months, and Su Jin can enjoy the sweet and refreshing Dongjiang water. You can wash your hair, take a shower, and do laundry at any time, and no longer have to worry about water restrictions or water shutdowns.