Hong Kong Snapshot is back! Continue from the last posts, this time we come to Sheung Wan. There is a park called the Hollywood Road Park beside the possession street. The park is the place where British flag first raised in Hong Kong.
香港隨拍回來了，緊接上一回的故事，這次我們來到了上環，水坑口街旁邊的荷李活道公園。這裡，是香港第一次升起英國國旗的地方。
The 20th Jan 1841, Charles Elliot, the Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China, issued a circular announcing "the conclusion of preliminary arrangements". The condition included “the cession of the Hong Kong Island to Great Britain”. On the 25th Jan, The British army landed on the possession point. They walked up to a small hill through a trial and raised the British flag. The trail is now the Possession Street and the hill is now the Hollywood Road Park.
1841年1月20日，英國駐華商務總監義律單方面宣佈《穿鼻草約》，割讓香港島給英國，並於1月25日正式登陸香港島上環的水坑口，登岸後他們沿著一條小路走上岸邊的一座小山，正式升起英國國旗。那條小路，就是今天的水坑口街，而那座小山，今天成為了荷李活道公園。
The Possession Point 水坑口 1845 (photo from Wikipedia)
But actually the British wished to have Zhoushan but not Hong Kong. To Great Britain, China was a great market still not developed. They always wanted to have a base area in China to develop business, foreign affairs and even military to China. Their target was Zhoushan. Zhoushan is located at the door of Yangtze next to Shanghai. It is also at the middle between Beijing and Guanzhou, two main cities of China.
其實，英國本來希望得到的，不是香港，而是舟山。對英國來說，中國是一個尚未開發的龐大市場，他們一直希望在中國得到一個指揮地，不論是發展商業、外交或軍事，都更為有利，而這個根據地，他們希望是舟山。舟山位於中國東海岸的長江口，鄰近富裕的上海，而且位於北京及廣州的中間，是最理想的地點。
However, Elliot had different idea. Elliot long stayed at Hong Kong. He found that the Victoria Harbor of Hong Kong had deep and sheltered waters which was the best natural landform harbor. Besides, there were plenty of freshwater which was much easy for them to develop and protect the place. Zhoushan was not a good place for ships. Also, for the British traders in Guanzhou, Zhoushan got no help to them. So the traders like the Jardines and Swire all persuaded Elliot to get Hong Kong instead of Zhoushan. Under the situation, Elliot believed Hong Kong is much more useful for Great Britian resulting in the cession of Hong Kong Island.
不過，義律卻不是這樣想。義律曾在香港長期逗留，一早已留意到香港的維多利亞港海闊水深，是天然良港 (這一句說話，我在小學的課本已讀到…..)，而且有充足的淡水，易於發展，也易於防守，舟山雖然地理優越，但不利船隻停泊，不易防守。另外，義律長期在中國南方，對廣州一帶的英商多有認識，而對那班英商來說，英國得到舟山對他們毫無幫助，故一眾活躍在廣州的英商如怡和、太古等都極力游說義律得到香港，在這樣的環境下，義律認為得到香港比得到舟山更為有利於英國，造成今天的結果。
A painting of Victoria Harbour in the late 1800s
十九世紀後期的維多利亞港油畫
Victoria Harbour today 今天的維多利亞港
(photo from Wikipedia)
Great Britain was very disappointed with the decision of Elliot. The Viscount Palmerston, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the later Prime Minister of the UK, said Hong Kong was just a “deserted island” and couldn’t even build a house. Also, Elliot didn’t get the permission from the Chinese Emperor. The conclusion of preliminary arrangements was just bullshit. Even the Queen Victoria made joke in her letter to her uncle, saying that her daughter should be awarded the name of “Princess of Hong Kong”. In the result, Elliot was fired and lost the title of the first Governor of Hong Kong…
不過英國對義律這個舉動極為不滿，英國外務大臣巴麥尊稱香港是一個「鳥不生蛋之地，一間房屋也建不成」，而且義律根本還未通過道光皇帝的批准文書，《穿鼻草約》根本就是一張廢紙。就連維多利亞女皇在與她的叔父的書信中，都以這件事來開玩笑，稱她的女兒應該稱為「香港公主」。結果，成功得到香港的義律不久便被革職回國，無緣成為香港的第一任總督……
Lord Palmerston 巴麥尊 (photo from Wikipedia)
Let’s back to the Hollywood Road Park. The British built three barrack in Hong Kong Island after landing. One of them was the area of Hollywood Road Park. Later the barracks were moved to Admiralty and brothels moved to the area. There were more than brothels. In 1904, the Government thought the brothels affected the city’s outlook and moved all of them to Shek Tong Tsui, the west of Hong Kong Island. The area then became a night market and later the Hollywood Road Market. In 1990, The Hollywood Road Park was built.
故事回到荷李活道公園，英軍佔領香港後，建了三個軍營，分別是現在的荷李活道公園、摩囉街及西環的英皇佐治五世公園。後來英軍遷到金鐘的添馬艦，荷李活道公園及水坑口一帶卻成為了妓院集中營，有妓寨三十多間，不過政府認為妓院影響市容，故在1904年將所有妓院強制遷入西區石塘咀一帶的荒涼之地，順道為石塘咀開荒，之後荷李活道公園一帶成為了晚上市集，亦即粵語中的「大笪地」，再之後是荷李活道街市，直到1990年，政府建成了今天的荷李活道公園。
Hollywood Road in the 1950s 五十年代的荷李活道
(photo from WeShare)
The park is built in Chinese architectural style. It is also part of the Central and Western Heritage Trail of Hong Kong. The nice view of the park is a good place for you to stay and enjoy. And why is it called the Hollywood Road Park? Let me tell you in the next post.
荷李活道以中式風格設計而成，環境優美，且是香港中西區文物徑的一部份，偶然經過的話，絕對適合停留休息。至於為何叫荷李活道公園，就留待下一回解釋了。
!steemitworldmap 22.2858876 lat 114.1452069 long d3scr
Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going!
謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！
