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Reconstruction and Resettlement After the War

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Hong Kong Architecture 1945-2015

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Abstract

Japan surrendered the Second World War on August 15, 1945. After a hard and bitter struggle lasting three years and eight months, Hong Kong was liberated with the help of Allied Forces. The British fleet re-entered the waters of Hong Kong and a military government temporarily administered the colony.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The figures and quotes of this chapter are mainly taken from the Hong Kong Annual Report 1957, Hong Kong Government Publication Bureau (1958). The post-war situation partly references Graye (1951).

  2. 2.

    According to the Hong Kong Annual Report 1948, Hong Kong loaned 10,000 t of rice to the Shanghai government in 1948. See (Hong Kong Government 1949).

  3. 3.

    Hong Kong Annual Report 1946, Hong Kong Government Publication Bureau (1947).

  4. 4.

    Annual Report on Hong Kong For the Year 1946, Hong Kong Government Publication Bureau (1947).

  5. 5.

    The Town Planning Review was founded by Sir Patrick Abercrombie in 1910 and has been run since then. It is the most recognized journals in the field of urban and regional planning.

  6. 6.

    For details of the life and career of Sir Patrick Abercrombie, see Amati and Freestone (2009), Dehaene (2004), Lai (1999). The award of urban planning in the World Congress of Architects was named after Abercrombie. This honor is awarded to an excellent urban planning project in every congress. Moreover, Town Planning Review, which was founded by him in 1910, is still running today and is one of the leading planning journals in the world.

  7. 7.

    For details of the pre-war town planning of Hong Kong, see Xue et al. (2012).

  8. 8.

    About the comment and attitude of Hong Kong government towards Abercrombie’s report, see Bristow (1984), Home (1997).

  9. 9.

    On June 27, 1997, a motion entitled Protection of the Harbour Ordinance proposed by civil activists and Legislative Council member Christine Loh was passed in the Legislative Council three days before the sovereignty handover and later became Chapter 531 of the Hong Kong Law. The motion stated that the harbor, as a special public asset and a natural heritage of the Hong Kong people, was subject to the “presumption against reclamation” principle. It primarily called upon the government to withdraw plans for reclamation of the harbor and to take urgent measures to ensure its protection and preservation. Protection of the Harbour (Amendment) Bill 1997 (Minutes) 10 Feb 98, Legislative Council document. http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr97-98/english/bc/bc04/minutes/bc041002.htm, Accessed 20 May 2015.

  10. 10.

    About housing and planning before WWII, see Xue et al. (2012).

  11. 11.

    Alan Smart’s book provides another insight into the fire and public housing in Hong Kong, see Smart (2006).

  12. 12.

    Since 1976, Hong Kong government has adopted the international measuring system. All submission drawings to the government must use the metric unit. The international system is used in discussing engineering and construction issues. However, the trade of interior and furniture design still use the empire system of foot and inch. This book uses the British system when discussing buildings in the 1950s and 60s, or when citing popular informal sayings. The other descriptions use the international system.

  13. 13.

    For details on the rental of public and private housing in the 1950s, see Tu (2003).

  14. 14.

    For details on the dimensions of Mark I settlement houses, the author read the drawings of the Mei Ho Building and verified them on site. The unit number of 8,500 comes from Ho (2010).

  15. 15.

    For details on the life and feeling of public housing residents, see Leung (1999), Blyth and Wotherspoon (1996), Liu (2010).

  16. 16.

    The housing blocks built in the 1950s are usually four to five stories. Voice of rebuilding taller blocks was high in the 21st century. For the co-op houses of civil servants, the owners should pay back the full land premium and the new developers should pay additional land premium. This will involve billions of dollars, which impedes the redevelopment. See Tai Kung Pao, January 3, 2014.

  17. 17.

    Private toilets were installed in units in the 1970s. In 2000, the building was vacant. In 2014, it was remodeled into a community creative place.

  18. 18.

    Hong Kong Annual Report 1957, p. 14.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

    Charlie Q. L. Xue

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  1. Charlie Q. L. Xue
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Correspondence to Charlie Q. L. Xue .

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Xue, C.Q.L. (2016). Reconstruction and Resettlement After the War. In: Hong Kong Architecture 1945-2015. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1004-0_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1004-0_1

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