Hong Kong Metamorphosis

5.District Office Tai Po

5฀ District Offic e Ta i P o I ha d longe d t o b e a District Office r bu t wa s a little disappointe d t o b e sent ther e onl y a matte r o f month s befor e I wa s du e fo r m y first lon g leave. Thi s wa s t o b e fo r seve n month s afte r a four-yea r tour . I readil y agreed t o a n extensio n o f thi s tou r fo r anothe r fou r months . Wh o kne w where I shoul d b e sen t o n return . Terra incognit a In th e 1950s , th e Ne w Territorie s wer e terra incognita for urba n dweller s — an d tha t include d everyon e o f an y seniorit y i n th e government . Th e Tai P o district , o n th e easter n sid e o f th e Ne w Territories , ra n fro m th e Kowloon Hill s t o th e borde r wit h China . Th e populatio n wa s perhaps a hundred thousand . Thi s wa s a farmin g communit y — ric e bein g th e predominant crop . Villag e lif e continue d i n ver y muc h th e wa y tha t i t had don e fo r generations . Fe w village s ha d acces s t o roads ; non e ha d electricity, runnin g water , sewage , o r refus e collectio n services . You ha d to go throug h a n operator t o make a phone cal l from town , an d pa y o n a per-call basis . Where communa l service s wer e found , the y ha d bee n pu t in b y th e peopl e themselves . Democracy was up and thriving, for th e Hong Kon g government di d little i n th e villages . Ther e wer e eve n remnant s o f crud e loca l taxatio n systems. In Ta i Po , Yuen Long , Sheung Shu i an d probabl y othe r centres , 58 I HON G KON G METAMORPHOSI S there wa s a sor t o f sale s ta x o n al l good s sol d i n th e marke t Thi s wa s levied fo r th e use of the Public Weighing Scale s which ha d t o be used fo r all majo r purchase s s o tha t buye r an d selle r coul d b e satisfie d a s t o th e weights exchange d Th e operatio n wa s pu t ou t t o tende r b y th e elder s annually Fund s from th e Public Weighing Scale s financed schools , clinics and loca l publi c work s O n Lanta u Islan d ther e wer e a couple o f strea m crossings wher e th e villager s levie d a toll fo r publi c purpose s Ther e wa s also what coul d b e regarde d a s a wealth ta x Ric h me n wer e expecte d t o contribute substantia l sum s fo r village facilitie s Socia l pressure was suc h that n o la w wa s necessar y O n Cheun g Cha u Islan d wher e ther e wa s a population no t fa r shor t o f ten thousand , ther e was no running water , n o sewage system an d electricit y cos t th e earth fro m a private company Th e villagers manage d a marke t an d deal t wit h al l stree t an d rainwate r drainage Ther e wer e good littl e businesse s i n shippin g fres h wate r fro m Lantau Islan d an d th e farmer s sa w to the disposa l o f night-soil The y ha d a police station, schools and a charitable hospital I n discussing th e suppl y of water t o Lamma Island , th e Director o f Water Supplie s sai d i t wa s...