1872 Jan 01
Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital, 1872
Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital, 1872
According to assessment report in 2009 from Antiquities and Monuments Office of Hong Kong Government :
“Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital was set up by Mr. Choi Leung , a merchant on the island.
His aim is to provide shelter to the homeless and sick and those perished in sea during typhoon. It was then expanded in 1915 by Cheung Chau Kai Fong.”
Based on the record from Land Registry of Hong Kong Lands Department, Cheung Chau Kai Fong, represented by Chu Fook, and Lo Chiu, and witnessed by Wong Wai Tsak Tong Manager, Wong Tsuen Ting ,on 5th of December in 1914, executed a deed of exchange of Cheung Chau Lot 340 with a parcel of land of 4,500 s.f.. from Colonial Government. It is Cheung Chau Lot 732 where Fong Bin Hospital now located.
This act caused then Assistant District Officer for New Territories South, Eric Hamilton, to comment on news of death of Chu Fook in report in 1921, of his great amount of work for Cheung Chau community.
It also led to him remark in his report in 1922 on death of Wong Tsuen Ting, Manager of Wong Wai Tsak Tong, of his and his predecessor’s appreciation for Wong’s continuous support and his capability in Cheung Chau community work.
Antiquities and Monuments Office also mentioned “Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital was mainly providing Chinese Medicine, and was under major renovation in 1931 and 1951 to cope with demand.
It was changed hand to Cheung Chau Residents Association in 1945, reputable Chinese medication practice was hired, visitors came as far as other outlying islands.”
But ever since 1934 when St John’s Ambulance opened Haw Par Hospital providing western medicine, Fong Bin Hospital was slowly fading away till complete abandon in 1988.
Right now the premises are in ruin, ownership is managed on temporary basis by Assistant District Officer for New Territories South.
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| Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital | Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital – Tai Sun Street |
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| Cheung Chau Fong Bin Hospital Donation plaque |
Click here to view the route map
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Land ownership chaos in New Territories, 1898
1898 Jan 01
Land ownership chaos in New Territories, 1898
After Britian took over New Territories and outlying Islands in 1898, Stewart Lockhart, Colonial Secretary, wrote in 1900 report to government there was too much chaos in Land ownerships in New Territories.
He reported that there were cases involving ill-informed tenants wrongly refusing to pay rent to their Landlords because the lands are in New Territories, and others are to pay rents to the Government.
“Lawless characters also took forcible possession of land and tried to deceive the authority by misrepresentations. Tenants have also endeavoured to usurp the rights of landlords.”
On 20th Oct 1898 , Stewart Lockhart issued a special notice in Chinese to emphasize all landlords and tenants ought to submit land right information to authority.
“Ill-behaved persons will most certainly be severely punished according to law and no leniency will be shown to them. Tremble and obey”
Colonial Secretary,1900
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Land Court , 1900
1900 Jan 01
Land Court , 1900
Since the issue of Chinese Notice in 1899 by the Governor, Henry Blake, informing all land owners in New Territories and Outlying Islands to claim land ownerships, Colonial Government received great amount of land claim disputes, amounting to 69,253 cases, as reported by Stewart Lockhart in his report to Government in 1902.
(參閱 : Ching Dynasty New Territories and outlying islands Land Tenure, before 1898)
Colonial Government enacted the No 18th Ordinance in Hong Kong, the Land Court Ordinance to establish Land Court to handle all theses claim disputes.
Mr. H E Pollock was appointed President, Mr. Gompertz was appointed member, and Mr. Kemp appointed as Registrar.
“ First sitting of Land Court did not take place till 20th February 1901 on Ma Wan Island, then frequent intervals to Cheung Chau and Ping Chau.
Mr. Pollock and me also went to Liyumoon to sit in Chinese Temple for hearing, and Cha Kwo Lang to sit in vacant shop for hearing.” remarked by H H J Gompertz as President of Land Court in report to Colonial Government dated 15th March 1902.
(參閱 : British Colonial Government Policy on land administration in New Territories, 1899)
In 1905, Land Court member J R Wood submitted his report to Colonial Government and listed out the chief problems for settlement :
“Many large tracts of land are now claimed by persons who have never paid Crown Rent on them, who never reported their occupation, such as it was to the authorities, and whose claims have never in any way recognised by the Chinese Government.
Very many persons have been paying under the name of tax annual sums to families who professed to be giving an account of these sum to District Treasury but who as a matter of fact very often did nothing of the kind and who in many cases had no real title to more than a very small fraction of the territory over which they collected this rent. “
J R Wood went on to comment “ The claims to large tracts have for the most part on investigation proved untenable, while the Tax-collecting families or Taxlords, as we have called them., have , where they can show documents in support of their income of any part of it, been provided for in ways appropriate to each case on recommendations of the Court.”
Wong Wai Tsak Tong Clan’s book land title record |
Wong Wai Tsak Tong clan’s book land title record |
Wong Wai Tsak Tong clan’s book land title record |
 Wong Wai Tsak Tong Clan’s Book |
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Land Survey in New Territories, 1900
1900 Jan 01
Land Survey in New Territories, 1900
Stewart Lockhart, mentioned in his report on New Territories dated 8th Oct 1898, that there was urgent need to survey all land in New Territories. It was approved by the Governor.
Mr. Tate and Mr. Newland were put in charge of a team of surveyors and survey collies hired from India, along together with local collies.
In his 1900 January report, Mr. P Tate mentioned land surveying is experiencing no problem in New Territories, mainly as a result of employment of local collies.
But Stewart Lockhart, emphasised in his 1900 report to Governor that it has lot to do with issue of Government Notice in Chinese.
“In fact land surveying also made land owners more positive in registering land titles with Colonial Government in view of the determination shown by the authority in land administration in New Territories.” Stewart Lockhart.
Hong Kong Map in 1898
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Plague in Cheung Chau, 1899
1900 Jan 12
Plague in Cheung Chau, 1899
As stated in his report dated 12th Jan 1900, by Dr. J.M. Atkinson , Principal Civic Medical Officer of the Colonial Government, knowledge of prevalence of plague at Cheung Chau was obtained in April last and Drs. Thompson and Clark were deputed to visit and take the necessary step to eradicate the disease.
“House to house visitation was instituted, a matshed hospital erected and free medicine distributed, so that by middle of June the disease was practically stamped out. “
It went on to say “ The Police carried out house to house visitation, Inspector Gillies particularly distinguishing himself. Indeed, I have little doubt the assiduous way in which he performed these duties undermined his health, predisposed him to the attack of fever which unfortunately proved fatal.”
“A few cases of plague occurred in Chinese Kowloon. No other case reported from any other portion of the New Territories although the di epidemic in Hong Kong.”
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