1970's Hong Kong

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					1970’s Hong Kong
 Hong Kong's population was estimated to
  be 4 million in 1971
 This was an increase of 1 million from
            Metric system
 The Metric System became the standard in
  Hong Kong during the 1970s. Television
  advertisements would say "1 feet equals 3
  feet" (一呎等如三尺), as the Chinese term
  for metre literally means metric feet.
 The Hong Kong government introduced the
  6-year free compulsory education in 1971,
  and expanded it to 9-year in 1978.
 Companies were also seeking highly
  educated employees for complex projects.
 72% of overseas graduates between 1962
  and 1976 would come back to Hong Kong to
  take on highly skilled domestic positions
 The 1970s was the first decade in Hong Kong with daily
  news broadcasts. The news programs ranked top 10
  continuously for a decade.
 Other segment of the ratings included TV dramas, which
  averaged 80 to 120 episodes, usually broadcasting at 7:00
  PM. 66% of the population tuned in regularly covering 2 to
  3 million viewers nightly. Popular final episodes would
  empty out streets and restaurants. Most series did not
  contain much if any Chinese traditionalism.
 The theme songs of these dramas also helped revived
  Cantonese music - the term Cantopop was indeed coined
  during this period of time.
The 1975 Japanese series
Ultraman (Chinese: 咸蛋超人) was
aired, and was named as such
since the protagonist had eyes
resembling eggs. The children
were fascinated. Kids tried to "fly"
in the air, imitating their heroes.
Two kids (aged 3½ and 4½)
attempted a flight jumping off a 7
story building in Kowloon City on
July 26, 1975. The younger brother
was killed on the spot, while the
elder was miraculously saved. The
broadcast of the series was
suspended for some time after the
 The martial arts films Cinema
  starred by Bruce Lee,
  including the 1971 The
  Big Boss (唐山大兄)
  and Fist of Fury (精武
  門) the following year,
  were sensational.
 Cantonese films were
  much revived in the
  1970s, with the great
  success of 1976 "The
  Private Eyes" (半斤八
  兩), directed by
  Michael Hui
     In August 1971, Typhoon
     Rose passed over Hong
     Kong causing extensive
     damage, forcing the
     hoisting of Hurricane
     Signal No. 10 on August
     16. A total of 5,664 people
     from 1,032 families
     became homeless. The
     typhoon also destroyed
     653 wooden huts and
     damaged 24 buildings, six
     beyond repair.
            Natural Disasters
 In June 1972, torrential rains caused two serious
  landslides in Sau Mau Ping and the Mid-levels
 In the Sau Mau Ping case, shanty town dwellers
  refused to evacuate despite warning; a road
  embankment partially collapsed and the debris
  buried those in their dwelling. Together there were
  over 150 deaths, 110 injured and more than 5000
  people were left homeless.
    The Mid-levels case happened at Kotewall Road. A large
   area of a slope collapsed, demolishing a 12-story apartment
       block and taking the top floors off a block next to it.

Po Shan Road (1972)
Failure of a natural hillside caused by undercutting at the slope toe
- a 15-storey building destroyed and 67 people killed.
 In the 1970s, corruption was a way of life in Hong
  Kong, being the norm in all government
  departments. Policemen would often extract bribes
  (popularly called "tea fee") before they
  investigated a crime, as did firemen before they
  rescued people and put out fires. Many Chinese
  detective superintendents amassed incredible
  wealth from their corrupt dealings with triads and
 That is not to say British officers were entirely
  clean in their dealings.
 In 1974, Hong Kong Governor Lord MacLehose of
  Beoch, realizing the seriousness of the problem,
  founded the Independent Commission Against
  Corruption (ICAC). The investigations and arrests
  of many police officers created a furor among the
  police, who protested against the ICAC and even
  tried to overrun the headquarters in one protest.
 The efforts of the ICAC in time changed the habits
  of an entire population and turned Hong Kong into
  one of the least corrupt cities in the world.
 To improve the quality of public housing and
  relieve overcrowded conditions, the government
  announced the Ten-year Housing Program (十年
  建屋計劃) in 1972, with the goal of providing
  quality housing for 1.8 millions people in 10 years.
 The Hong Kong Housing Authority was thus
  formed to spearhead the program.
 The government also introduced the Home
  Ownership Scheme (居者有其屋計劃) in 1976,
  building houses and selling them at below-market
  prices to help people own property.
 Wellcome, the first supermarket in Hong Kong,
  was opened in Central in 1970. It was called
  "Gweilo market" by some locals, as most
  customers were westerners during the initial
  period of its operation.
 By 1975, more than 200 big- and small-scaled
  supermarkets could be found in the city. These
  new stores eliminated most traditional rice dealers
  (米舖), wine shops (辦館) and convenient stores
  (See Dor) (士多).
     The Big M comes to town
 The first McDonald's
  restaurant opened on
  Paterson Street,
  Causeway Bay in 1975.
    Hong Kong's first underground
  railroad, the Mass Transit
  Railway (MTR) was opened in
  October 1979. The first line
  served eastern Kowloon from
  Shek Kip Mei to Kwun Tong. In
  December services were
  extended to Tsim Sha Tsui and
  by 1980 it was possible to ride
  from Kwun Tong to the central
  business district in Central on
  the other side of the harbour on
  Hong Kong Island.
 The Cross-Harbour Tunnel, the
  first underwater tunnel in Hong
  Kong, opened in 1972. For the
  first time in the region's history,
  people could travel between
  Hong Kong and Kowloon
  without taking ferries. As a          The area around the entrance of the Cross
  result, small electrical boats like   Harbour Tunnel at the Island side in the
  sampans (小電船) were                    1970s, when the tunnel was being
  gradually eliminated.                 constructed.

 As a result of the water shutdown by mainland
  China during the Cultural Revolution riots in Hong
  Kong, the government responded with a
  desalination plant at Lok On Pai, Castle Peak in
 The High Island Reservoir construction went from
  1969 to 1979, and was expected to be the same
  size as Plover Cove. The construction, contracted
  by a Japanese company cost more than HKD
  $400 million.
      Tsang Tsou Choi, or the
       "Kowloon Emperor", began
       his career of calligraphy
       graffiti in 1970.

      The Jumbo Floating
       Restaurant was
       established in October
       1976 by Dr. Stanley Ho
       after four years and over
       HK$30 million were spent
       to design and build it. It
       was originally decorated in
       the style of an ancient
       Chinese imperial palace.
      The Jumbo restaurant
       caught fire beofre being
      Hong Kong Essay Checklist
   Introduction to explain the purpose of the essay
   Paragraphs on each area of research
   Explanation of causes and effects
   Comparisons between then and now
   Quotations
   Illustrations
   Explanations from different sources of information
   Bibliography

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