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Liberation On 30 August 1945, the British Pacific Fleet under Rear Admiral Cecil Harcourt dropped anchor in Victoria Harbour, one day before Chiang Kai-shek ordered his 13th Army to march towards Hong Kong and reclaim the former British colony. The Japanese garrison offered no resistance and British marines soon took over all the strategic points on Hong Kong Island, and in Kowloon and the New Territories. The British established an interim government in the war-torn territory, freeing expatriate soldiers and civilians interned during the Japanese occupation, and rounding up Japanese soldiers for repatriation. Preoccupied with the civil war and giving in to pressure from Britain’s ally, the United States, whose support it needed, the Nationalist government decided not to protest. If Chiang Kai-shek had insisted on reclaiming the territory, the history of Hong Kong would have been different. On 19 September, the Japanese forces in Hong Kong formally surrendered to the British at Government House, the residence of successive colonial governors. The Royal Marine band dressed in Scottish kilts was assembled on the lawn with its instruments, and hundreds of British marine commandos in green berets stood in formation. Inside, Vice Admiral Ruitaro Fujita and Major General Umekichi Okada stood behind a small table bearing writing brushes and an ink slab. Rear Admiral Harcourt read the surrender document. Watched by military observers from the United States, China and Canada, the Japanese officers signed the document, handed over their swords, bowed stiffly from the waist, and were marched away. The band on the lawn struck up “God Save the King” and a seaman slowly hoisted the Union Jack to the top of the flag post. Simultaneously, the warships in Victoria Harbour fired thundering triumphal salutes and the Fleet Air Arm squadron roared overhead at low altitude. When the Chinese troops arrived in Hong Kong, after the British forces had landed, there was not much for them to do. Awaiting orders, they camped in 3 Hong Kong after the War 66 The Dragon and the Crown Kowloon Tong just north of Boundary Street — the dividing line between the leased New Territories and the ceded areas of Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island. Kowloon Tong was an upper-income residential district and the soldiers took over many of the large mansions that had been vacated during the Japanese occupation. Since they had no official duties to perform and there was no agreement between the Chinese and British military authorities to confine them to their camps, the soldiers started to roam the streets to kill time. Hong Kong was excited at first about the arrival of the Chinese troops, but quickly became disillusioned by their arrogance and lack of discipline. When I returned to Hong Kong in November, I heard stories about the soldiers bullying local people and getting into fistfights with British sailors and marines. Chinese army vehicles defied traffic regulations, and a junior officer caught shoplifting in an Indian shop in Central was arrested and sent to jail. The Hong Kong people welcomed the Chinese troops as heroes when they first arrived, but saw them off with relief when they were recalled to China towards the end of 1945. The irony of these events was not lost on those of us who had looked forward to Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, and beneath our jubilation at the ending of the war lay a lingering tug of disappointment. The British later proclaimed 30 August as Hong Kong’s Liberation Day, an annual holiday. Home Sweet Home As our elation subsided, the hard reality of rebuilding our home in a devastated economy started to sink in. Our family had splintered during the war: Tse Kwong and I left home soon after the Japanese occupation; after Father died (in 1943) Mother and Yuan Kwong went to Babu in Guangxi to stay with Aunt Rose; Man Kwong was the only one in our family who remained in Hong Kong throughout the hostilities, and he had to struggle to make ends meet. Man Kwong’s studies at Lingnan University were abruptly terminated when the Japanese invaded in 1941, and he had to support the family as Father’s health rapidly deteriorated. Tall and handsome, Man Kwong was groomed to become the head of the family. His education in elite schools, Pui Ching and Lingnan, gave him a broad perspective, a solid personal network and good preparation for the business world. As the eldest son, Man Kwong was pampered by Mother and...

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