cage dwellers - "Chinese House"
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Much is made today of the discrimination of refusing to allow "Chinese houses" to be built next to "European Houses". To put it into perspective, here is a description of the standard Chinese tenement house in 1880:
Entire families or several families, rented a single cubicle. The slats of the floor of the cockloft had gaps, so any family who shared their upstairs cubicle with a pig would rain pig poop and pee on the people downstairs. The ground floor people only had a smilar floor, with dirt underneath, so it could not be cleaned.
This diagram shows the main building, and the cockloft. The cubicles had no windows, no air flow, no light. The men used the public latrines, but the women and children used chamber pots kept under their beds - which was only taken away by the "night soil" collectors twice a week.
In 1886, The Government proposed reforms. Unfortunately, led by Ho Kai (later Sir) an English trained physician with a close connection with the landlords, the measures were opposed based on the reason that they would result in higher rents and subsequently loss of profit. Ho Kai (who built Alice Nethersole hospital after his late English wife) was speaking in the middle of one of Hong Kong's property booms. An argument was made that by creating a 10 ft garden at the back of each property for light, air and an outdoor latrine instead of chamber pots ... well I'll let him speak for himself:
" [ the Government ] appear to forget that there are wide constitutional differences between a native of China and one who hails from Europe. They do not allow for the differences of habits, usage, mode of living and a host of other things between the two. They insist on treating all nationalities alike however much they may differ from one another physically, mentally and constitutionally. Hence arise the several provision in the (Health) Ordinance and Bye-laws in question which I have no hesitation in characterizing as wholly unnecessary."
the was the Chinese member saying that - for Chinese - air, light and keeping the poop and pee outside the house, were "unnecessary".
It is not for the welfare of the poor to have a valuable space occupied by their small rooms narrowed, in order to provide for a model of a privy, a superb kitchen and a sumptuous backyard of 10 feet wide, while at the same time the wicked landlords continue to charge the same rent or even a higher one.
Life and Times of Sir Kai Ho Kai - click here for more
[ I am reminded that there is a new, very expensive housing development on South Side with full ocean view homes, where the maid's room was deliberately designed without a window ! And this the 21st century. Ed. ]
by 1903 things were even worse.
http://218.188.25.84/news_attach_file/37_p.14-27.pdf
Some 30 adults and children survived in a space of just under 500 square feet.
But this time, the Government succeeded in passing reforms.
re: Much is made...
Hi Annelise, is the whole text from you, or does it come from another publication?
If it's from you, please can you explain the background behind your first sentence: Much is made today of the discrimination of refusing to allow "Chinese houses" to be built next to "European Houses".
Thanks, David
The commentary is mine, the
(The commentary is mine, the factually descriptive text is my paraphrase of the cited documents.)
The Peak Reservation Ordinance was clearly intended to be racist - despite the fact that it was carefully worded so that race was not mentioned. Instead, the Governor had to give permission for everyone who lived on the Peak - not just Chinese - but it was understood that whites did not have to formally get permission.
But there really was a serious public health issue that had been ignored for 20 years, and needed to be addressed. People were dying of the plague.
It is true that there was a personal antipathy of whites toward Chinese that helped drive these laws. But they were primarily driven by the horrific conditions that Chinese landlords thought acceptable for Chinese. Compare with today's "cage-homes" where the landlord gets more per square foot by renting out cubicles than he can get for the entire flat.
The first laws talked about "European" or "Chinese" style houses. So what did a "Chinese house" look like, compared to a "European house".
Those of us who have a visceral reaction to the very real racism of the whites, must also focus on the disgusting conditions that Chinese landlords allowed, and fought for, in LegCo - and their contempt for the well being of their tenants. Would you want one of these "Chinese houses" to be built next door to you ? Divided into cubicles with the Chinese landlord allowing deplorable conditions to get more rent per square foot ?
This contempt continues to this day, and - allowed by the Government - and us, the public who knows about it. I know of a maid who has to share a bed and a windowless room with another maid - at properties worth HK$100 million.
Those of us who keep silent, and turn a blind eye to such housing design, are as guilty as the Chinese landlords who were, from racism, not allowed to live on the Peak 100 years ago.
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Upper Class Chinese
I am still looking for the quote I found a while ago where a white woman of the time - defending the ordinance - describes what it is like living next to a well-bred, well-to do Chinese neighbour in Mid-levels, who were all charming and pleasant personally - and just as careful of hygiene as the whites.
However, she goes on to describe the house, as being incessantly noisy 24/hr a day with the natural noise of a large Chinese extended family, and all the servants hired to care for the household. Every verbal exchange, including the most mundane, going on at the top of their voices.
In short - a typical, normal "Chinese" house of the time.