Remembering Wanchai – A Community Oral History Project

Wanchai is one of the oldest communities in Hong Kong. Developed since Hong Kong first became a British Colony, it has lived through over one and a half centuries of urbanization. The oral history of old residents in Wanchai is therefore an immensely rich source of data for researching Hong Kong history and society.

In 2002, we conducted interviews with over 10 elderly residents who had been born, or had lived or worked in Wanchai during the 1930s through the 60s. This community oral history project reveals to us the diverse meanings of "community" as perceived by different groups of people. From their oral accounts, the community appears varied, complex, highly mobile rather than homogeneous and stable. Some of the accounts are fragmented and even self-contradictory, but their importance lies in the interviewee’s own subjective understanding and perception of community and history.

Southorn Playgound

Southorn Playground was a major landmark to the senior residents of Wanchai. It is associated both as a place of leisure and work. Its character changed through the day. In the morning, labourers (commonly called "coolies") gathered to wait for employment. Other labourers provided "massage" service for these "coolies" to relieve their pain and physical exhaustion. In the evening, it was transformed into an open-air, working class "night club" where yet other groups of labourers entertained people by selling food, performing Chinese magic and "kung-fu".

Bombings

From the early 20th century, Wanchai had largely become a Chinese residential district, but it was also fringed by British military establishments - the army barracks and the naval Dockyard. The Naval Dockyard is another well-remembered landmark. Instead of saying naval dockyard in colloquial Chinese, they refer to dockyard as "dug yar" or "dog yar". This Sinicization and the incorporation of English vocabulary into the local Chinese language reflects the interconnectedness between the colonial power and ordinary people’s lives. This colonial landmark also indirectly endangered the district as it became a target of the bombing both by the Japanese in 1941 and the Allies during the Japanese occupation.

Life Under Japanese Occupation

Hardship during the Japanese Occupation is one of the most poignant shared memories of our interviewees. In Wanchai, stories of cannibalism, starvation, torture and abuses by Japanese soldiers, and child labourers are told. Senior residents recall vividly how they survived hardship at the hand of the Japanese on the one hand. On the other hand, there are also accounts of good times — how people enjoyed the leisure and having fun - despite the constant threat of Japanese atrocities, even though this might be only the minority.

Chinese Schools

Several well-known schools were located in Wanchai before and after the Second World War. One of these was established by the famous traditional teacher, Mo Dunmei (莫敦梅老師). Started as a shushu (書塾) in 1919, the school was renamed Dunmei School (敦梅學校) in 1934. It taught classical Chinese writings and Confucian ethics. The school had once been closed during the Japanese Occupation. After the war, the school continued to provide Chinese education for children from better-off families. In response to the pressing demand for school places in the community, it also offered fee reduction for poorer children. Without a unified school premise, classes had to be run in separate apartments in pre-war tenement buildings throughout Wanchai. This was one of the problems shared among private Chinese schools.

Poverty and Children

Postwar immigration from the Mainland transformed Hong Kong. Many of these immigrants settled in Wanchai, squatting on roof-tops, up the hillsides and even in the streets. Poverty, inadequate housing, child labour and the paucity of school places became serious problems. A popular discourse from the 50s to the 70s was that poor families with too many children was the cause of persistent poverty, and the government sought to remedy the situation by providing relief and promoting family planning.

Sex Work in the Neighbourhood

Sex work is one of the oldest occupations in Wanchai. Senior residents remember that sex work was an integral part of community life. While some residents take it for granted, others feel ashamed of sharing the neighbourhood with sex workers. Though Wanchai has changed drastically as a result of reclamation and redevelopment, the presence of sex workers operating in the midst of ordinary residents continues to be a feature of the district.

If you know anyone who are willing to share their life histories and valuable photographs about the history of Hong Kong, please contact us at 28592460 ext. 15 or [email protected].

We acknowledge that Government Information Services, Public Records Office of Hong Kong and Joint Publishing (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd. kindly offer their permission for the reproduction of the photos.

^top