The Six-Day War of 1899: Hong Kong in the Age of Imperialism (Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies)

305 Pages·2008·9.78 MB·English

by  Patrick H. Hase

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Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies Series
Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies Series is designed to make widely
available important contributions on the local history, culture and society of
Hong Kong and the surrounding region. Generous support from the Sir Lindsay
and Lady May Ride Memorial Fund makes it possible to publish a series of
high-quality works that will be of lasting appeal and value to all, both scholars
and informed general readers, who share a deeper interest in and enthusiasm
for the area.
Other titles in RAS Hong Kong Studies series:

Reluctant Heroes: Rickshaw Pullers in Hong Kong and Canton 1874–
1954
Fung Chi Ming
For Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors: The Chinese Tradition of Paper Offerings
Janet Lee Scott
Hong Kong Internment 1942–1945: Life in the Japanese Civilian Camp at
Stanley
Geoffrey Charles Emerson
Watching over Hong Kong: Private Policing 1841–1941
Sheilah E. Hamilton
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Patrick H. Hase

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Hong Kong University Press
14/F Hing Wai Centre
7 Tin Wan Praya Road
Aberdeen
Hong Kong
© Hong Kong University Press 2008
ISBN 978-962-209-899-2
All rights reserved. No p ortion of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval
system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Secure On-line Ordering
http://www.hkupress.org
Printed and bound by Kings Time Printing Press Ltd., Hong Kong, China.
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For Aileen

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vi Hong Kong in the Age of Imperialism

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Contents
Foreword ix
Preface and Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
1 1899: Hong Kong in the Age of Imperialism 5
2 Riots, Disturbances, Insurrection, and War: Armed 23
Opposition to the Imperial Ideal
3 July 1898–March 1899: The Road to War 39
4 April 1899: The War 61
5 Blake and Lockhart: Conflicts and Casualties 103
6 The Campaign: An Assessment 149
7 The Villagers: Leaders and Led 169
8 The Aftermath of the War 185
Appendices
Appendix 1 Proclamation of the Governor, 7–9 April 1899 191
Appendix 2 The Speech by the Governor, Sir Henry Blake, 194
to the elders of the villages of the Kowloon area,
on 17 April 1899
Appendix 3 Report on the Fighting 15–18 April: Capt. Berger, 196
as taken from Stewart Lockhart’s Diary
Appendix 4 Report on Operations: C. S. Simmonds, 203
Capt. Royal Artillery
Appendix 5 The Spirit Tablet Inscription in the Tin Hau 205
Temple, Tai Shue Ha
Appendix 6 The Six-Day War and Kam Tin 206
Appendix 7 The Biography of Man Tsam-chuen 208
Appendix 8 The Biography of Ng Shing-chi 210
Notes 215
Index 261
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viii Contents
Maps
Map 1 Places Taking Part in the Insurrection, or mentioned 4
in the text
Map 2 The Fighting on 15–17 April 66
Map 3 The Battle of Mui Shue Hang 68
Map 4 The Battle of Lam Tsuen Gap 76
Map 5 The Battle of Shek Tau Wai 88
Map 6 British Troop Movements, 18–19 April 94
Plates
Plate 1 British Officers of the Hongkong Regiment, 1897
Plate 2 British Officers of the Hongkong Regiment, 1902
Plate 3 Viceroy Commissioned Officers of the Hongkong Regiment, 1902
Plate 4 The Tai Po Area
Plate 5 The Flag-Raising Ceremony at Tai Po, 16 April 1899
Plate 6 The Lam Tsuen Gap
Plate 7 The Sheung Tsuen/Shek Tau Wai Area
Plate 8 Proclamation issued by Sir Henry Blake on 9 April 1899
Plate 9 Sir Henry Blake K.C.M.G., Governor of Hong Kong 1898–1904
and the Viceroy of the Double Kwang, Tan Chung-lin
Plate 10 James Stewart Lockhart, C.M.G., Colonial Secretary, Hong Kong,
1895–1902
Plate 11 The Tat Tak Kung Soh, Ping Shan
Plate 12 The Tin Hau Temple, Tai Shue Ha

Plate 13 The Hero Shrine in the Yau Lun Tong, Kam Tin
Plate 14 The Communal Grave at the Miu Kok Yuen Nunnery, Sha Po
Plate 15 Tang Fong-hing, one of the leaders of the insurrection, shortly after
1899
Plate 16 Ng Shing-chi, one of the leaders of the insurrection, shortly before
his death in 1938
Plate 17 Two Village Trained-Band Fighters from the Hong Kong area
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Foreword
The appearance of this volume, the fourth in the Royal Asiatic Society Hong
Kong Studies Series, records a forgotten but very significant series of events in
the history of Hong Kong. Dr Patrick Hase has made an important contribution
by his scholarly research and lively description of the serious fighting that
took place as the British asserted their control over the New Territories.
The publications in the Studies Series have been made possible initially
by the very generous donation of seeding capital by the Trustees of the Clague
Trust Fund, representing the estate of the late Sir Douglas Clague. This
donation enabled us to establish a trust fund in the name of Sir Lindsay and
Lady Ride, in memory of our first Vice President. The Society itself added to
this fund, as have a number of further generous donors.
The result is that we now have funding to bring to students of Hong
Kong’s history, culture and society a number of books that might otherwise
not have seen the light of day. Furthermore, we were delighted to be able to
establish an agreement with Hong Kong University Press which sets out the
basis on which the Press will partner our efforts.
This book is the fourth in the series which began in 2005. The Trustees
of the Ride Fund are actively pursuing a further dozen or so titles, all in
various stages of progress.

Robert Nield
President
Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong Branch
March 2008
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