Yet from the smoking ruins rose one of the great victories of Hong Kong society. On the foundations of the refugee squatter community from China the first resettlement blocks were constructed. It was the beginning of Hong Kong's public-housing programme.

The Post began a relief fund, donating $5,000; the army provided 80,000 meals a day. The government donated blankets and arranged emergency camps on playing fields and in schools. Not only had the squatters lost their homes, their jobs had also gone up in flames: studded among the sprawling squatter city had been makeshift factories.

In April, with the homeless rehoused in emergency blocks, Colonial Secretary Robert Black announced the establishment of a Housing Authority charged with providing homes for 600,000 people. Half a century after the fire, more than 2.1 million people now live in 684,500 public housing apartments.

Double trouble sets Kowloon ablaze

Nationalist supporters were preparing to celebrate the Double Tenth, or Taiwan National Day, in 1956 when a housing official in Li Cheng Uk Estate unwisely pulled down a Kuomintang poster. Kowloon became a battleground.

Rampaging mobs ransacked the estate office and set alight furniture and documents. Crowds poured into the streets, attacking shops selling mainland goods and beating up foreigners. Police fired tear gas at a bottle-throwing mob of 2,000 youths.

A taxi carrying a Swiss consulate staff member and his wife was overturned and set ablaze; Ursula Ernst later died from the burns she received. The rioting spread with frightening speed and petty criminals were quick to join the trouble, looting under the cloak of disorder.

Many workers in Shamshuipo and the surrounding areas, which became hotbeds of violence, were former Nationalist soldiers. They were still bitter: China's civil war had ended only seven years earlier and most of those who lived in the locality were refugees.

On October 11, vengeful crowds surrounded textile factories in Kowloon where left-wing supporters were known to work. Official figures said 30 people were hacked and kicked to death that day in Tsuen Wan; unofficially, the toll was thought to be far higher.

Alarmed by the failure of police and soldiers to restore law and order, a curfew was imposed, the first in the history of Hong Kong. Hundreds of arrests were made. Police raiding parties swept through Kowloon rounding up rioters and triads who had helped plan the violence. Special Branch detectives conducted a raid on a Kowloon hotel and led out six well-dressed Chinese men at gunpoint; they were suspected agents from Taiwan, sources later said.

On October 15, more than 800 men appeared in courts, most charged with rioting. Later about 1,000 suspects and triads were deported to Taiwan.

Blaming Nationalist supporters for the trouble, the Post said: 'The colony is indignant because many of these lawless rioters are refugees who have cost Hong Kong taxpayers thousands of dollars.'

The editor wrote that there would be applause if the government sent the rioters and the gangsters who exploited them packing.

Starving swarm across border from Guangdong

In spring 1962, conditions in Guangdong were desperate. There was extreme drought, food rations had been drastically reduced, those who had moved to Guangzhou were being forcibly returned to their native villages, and an acute shortage of fertiliser meant what crops could grow in the arid conditions would produce only a paltry harvest.

Then, in the first week of May, the Chinese army withdrew from the border. It was like throwing open the doors to Hong Kong: at first scores, then hundreds, then thousands of people daily poured across seeking a better life.

The initial welcome turned to alarm as newcomers threatened to swamp the territory's social and economic services. By May 12, Gurkha troops and every policeman who could be spared from other duties was stationed along the frontier to round up il-legal immigrants.

Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters waited in Sheung Shui and other towns and villages for relatives. Those caught were sent back, but with no Chinese troops to stop them, many tried their luck again. New Territories residents cut holes in hastily erected border barricades so people could sneak through. Police and soldiers were booed as they escorted captured refugees onto trucks.

In Sheung Shui, boys threw themselves in front of lorries to prevent the deportations and mobs attacked European police. As officers chased protesting villagers, illegal immigrants jumped from lorries and slipped away. On May 22, 6,000 were returned. More had evaded capture and made it to Kowloon to melt into the population.

At the end of the month, on the mainland side of the Shenzhen River, military patrols resumed. On the Hong Kong side, a barbed-wire barricade sprang up from Shataukok to Deep Bay.

Airliner shot down

The global aviation industry was in uproar in July 1954, when two Chinese fighter aircraft shot down a Cathay Pacific Skymaster 130 kilometres off the coast of Hainan. Nine passengers died and nine were rescued when a United States Grumman seaplane landed in a rolling, five-metre swell to pick them up.

The incident sparked protests against Beijing, which later apologised for the 'accidental and unfortunate' incident. Three days after the passenger plane ditched, two American fighters shot down two Chinese warplanes that attempted to interfere with a search for survivors.

The Skymaster was cruising at 3,000m on the five-hour flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong when Captain Philip Blown spotted two propeller-powered fighters closing fast on his tail. Without warning, they attacked with machine guns. Incendiary bullets set petrol tanks ablaze.

The pilot told the Post how he had flown down to sea level, with the fighters still firing, just before his aircraft hit the sea. 'They were shooting to kill,' he said.

MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE watched a three-hour drama unfold in Whampoa Street, Hung Hom, in 1960 as a 35-year-old textile worker paraded along a narrow rooftop ledge threatening to kill himself. Finally, he took a photograph of a woman out of his pocket, ripped it to pieces, threw them to the wind and jumped eight floors. He died instantly.

Letters to the editor

'Nature Lover' was ahead of his time in March 1954. 'Unless under strict control, the rapid industrial development of the peninsula shall turn this one Jewel of the East into an ugly mass of vibrated concrete,' he warned.

'Wild wolf' takes man

In June 1959, businessman Wong Ying-kau left the Cactus nightclub in Wan Chai and disappeared.

A month later, his father, wealthy banker Wong Sik-pun, received a letter containing a ransom demand for $500,000, his son's driving licence - and a human ear. The note was signed 'The Wild Wolf'. There was no indication of how the money should be paid. A second demand for $200,000 was received, again with no instructions.

In February 1961, Wong Sik-pun was kidnapped as his chauffeur drove him to work. A car rammed his Mercedes-Benz, armed men leaped out and drove off with the banker. Two weeks later he was freed, and told police he had been held in a wooden cage in a house somewhere on Hong Kong Island.

The full story did not come out for another year, when three men were tried for the murder of Wong Ying-kau. One of the accused, a 32-year-old driving instructor named Ngai Ping-kin, led police to a hillside near Repulse Bay where a man's remains were dug up. It was Wong Ying-kau, who had been beaten to death.

After his own kidnapping, the victim's father revealed he had been confronted by a man who said he was the Wild Wolf, and who boasted of killing Wong Ying-kau because he had not cooperated with his abductors. The three accused were found guilty of murder and all were hanged in Stanley Prison in November 1962.

LIFE

Three stretches of road in the heart of Central were reserved daily in 1953 so women drivers could park and go shopping. The areas accounted for a significant proportion of parking space.

A 16-year-old student appeared before magistrate K. A. S. Phillips in Central Court in 1960 charged with stealing an $11 English-Chinese dictionary. The magistrate reached into his pocket, withdrew the money, paid for the book and gave it to the boy. He then gave him a dressing down and subjected him to a $50 bond to ensure good behaviour. The boy had told police he took the book because he wanted to study and could not afford to buy it.

Commercial Radio went on air in August 1959 at a cost of $1 million. It provided 15 hours of education and entertainment programming a day in Cantonese and English.

Great excitement brought Hong Kong to a standstill at 10am on July 6, 1962, as the inaugural government lottery was held. Mrs J. J. Cowperthwaite, the wife of the financial secretary, announced the 111 prizes. The first was $684,800, then came 10 prizes of $68,480 and 100 of $6,848. Eager buyers had bought 1,712,000 tickets.

A 1.5-kilometre procession through Central headed by a dancing dragon, and military parades in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories, marked the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June, 1953. More than 15,000 under-privileged children were treated to special presents and ships in the harbour fired a 21-gun salute. In villages and towns throughout the New Territories there were Cantonese operas, fireworks and parades. Celebrations among British expatriates were heightened when news that a 33-year-old New Zealand beekeeper, Edmund Hillary, and a rugged Nepalese guide called Sherpa Tenzing, had carried the Union Flag to the crest of Mount Everest. The first ascent of the world's highest mountain was hailed as a coronation gift to the new queen.

Politicians and religious groups hotly debated the issue of football gambling in June 1960. When the Football Pool Betting Bill reached Legco, it was defeated by seven votes to nil.

THREE FISHERMEN and an eight-year-old boy survived eight days in the sea while clinging to the pilot house of their otherwise sunken trawler. When rescued in April 1960 they were near death; eight others aboard the boat had already perished. Rescuers on the US vessel Pilot Main organised a collection for the survivors, and when they reached Hong Kong each was given US$25.

THE NUMBER 10 SIGNAL went up in June 1960 as typhoon Mary came calling. She scored a direct hit, with winds gusting at more than 100 knots in what the Post called the worst storm in 23 years. It left 43 people dead and 14,249 homeless. Huge waves des-troyed half the homes in Stanley village. Most of the fishing fleet at Cheung Chau was obliterated and a freighter was left aground off Kai Tak.

IN 1957, A YEAR after he was elected vice-president of the United States, Richard Nixon marked the anniversary at a 12-course banquet at the Kam Ling restaurant in Hong Kong. Then it was back to politics, with a blast at 'the aggressive totalitarian leadership which has imposed itself on the Chinese people'.

The man who would later become US president, and who in 1972 would make his historic trip to China, was in Asia as part of a world tour.

Three planes drop from sky

FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR Lieutenant B. McConville and trainee pilot Brian Farrell, 18, died when a single-engined Harvard training aircraft of the Kong Kong Auxiliary Air Force crashed off Cheung Chau in July 1954. Farrell was the son of the chief manager of Hong Kong Telephone.

In another incident, a Short Sunderland flying boat sent on a rescue mission sank when a freak wave caught a wing, flipping the aircraft over. The crew scrambled out. The previous month, a Supermarine Spitfire crashed during firing practice at Port Shelter. The pilot's body was never recovered.

THE PARAMOUNT RESTAURANT AND nightclub offered fine French cuisine, dancing and live entertainment in the 50s. Attractions included the Benny Trio of Latin American Dancing stars, and the Rivieras, billed as world-famous dancers from Paris. A business lunch cost $4 and a special lunch $6. The restaurant's piano bar, open until 2am, featured Larry Allen 'for your drinking pleasure'.

Letters to the editor

In June 1953, 'Kowloon Resident' expressed his disgust at the dirty and dangerous habit of 'small children obeying calls of nature on the pavement kerbs'. He wrote: 'When I remonstrate with Chinese shopkeepers for allowing this right in front of their shops and foodstuff, they only seem to be amused.'

In 1953, 'Dog Lover' voiced suspicion of a lucrative racket in which dogs were being stolen, slaughtered and sold as meat for human consumption. He asked if it was legal, and if not, suggested, 'the sellers of dog meat be arrested and courts impose penalties heavy enough to discourage cruel thefts of this nature'.

In 1962, 'Worried Mother' was concerned about the 'sinful and morally degrading dives' of Wan Chai. 'I entered to see a group of young men, in a most intoxicated state, building what I can only describe as a human pyramid in the centre of the dance floor.

'It subsequently collapsed and this was followed by high-pitched drunken chanting, which became worse still when they suddenly went mad. They were writhing and jerking to music in a manner more akin to some primitive fertility rite than a modern dance known as the normally respectable Twist. I am worried such a place exists to tempt the young and inexperienced into sin.'

MORE THAN 70 PER CENT of rice paddies in Hong Kong were not planted in the first few months of 1960 because of the most severe drought in 70-odd years. Then came a downpour on May 6 that killed 17 people, left 7,000 others homeless and swamped the New Territories with floodwaters two metres deep.

World of Nancy Kwan

The world loved the book The World Of Suzie Wong, and Hong Kong loved gorgeous Nancy Kwan. The 20-year-old dancer was chosen in 1960 to play the strumpet with a heart of gold in the film adaption of Richard Mason's bestseller. Set in a Wan Chai brothel of the 50s, it told of a beautiful prostitute who fell in love with a client. Hong Kong people were thrilled when she landed the part opposite William Holden. In the harsh post-war years of the 1950s many young women were forced into a life of sin. But Kwan's background couldn't have been further removed. Her father was a wealthy architect and her mother English and a former model. Kwan was born in Hong Kong, but during the Japanese occupation the family left for Free China, outside Japanese control. She later trained at the Royal Ballet in London.

CRIME

Two British soldiers were sen-tenced to hang in May 1953 for the murder of a 33-year-old amah who worked at an army barracks at Shek Kong. The soldiers, aged 19 and 24, had beaten her to death with a pair of handcuffs.

Lai Shek-sheung, 25, was jailed for four months in 1953 for bringing dogs from the New Territories into Kowloon. His offence endangered the safety of every person in the colony, said magistrate D. F. O'Reilly. The govern-ment had fought for years to keep rabies out of Hong Kong. The sentence and the crime were common: such dogs were sold for meat.

A British police inspector was jailed for six weeks in 1961 for beating up a taxi driver who had parked illegally in Wan Chai to enjoy some late-night noodles at a dai pai dong. Geoffrey Cox, 25, had grabbed Wong Wei-chuen, pulled him from his cab, slapped his face several times and arrested him.

Business

Hong Kong had the largest fishing fleet of any city in the British empire, according to government reports of 1953. The fishing industry employed 50,000 people.

In September 1960, 16 new seven-storey blocks built on reclaimed land marked the emergence of satellite town Kwun Tong in Kowloon. These and other housing blocks would house 40,000 'refugees and poor citizens' and provide a labour pool for a nearby industrial area. The district would house 150,000 people in five years.

When Governor Sir Robert Black opened the new $16 million terminal at Kai Tak airport in November 1962, he declared Hong Kong was at the forefront of air travel. 'We have come a long way since the first passengers from Imperial Airways landed in 1936,' he stated proudly.

A black and white television set cost $540 in 1960 and could be bought on a 12-month, $50 payment plan, or with a $150 deposit plus four monthly payments of $100.

In 1960, a return air ticket to London cost $4,982.40 with the British Overseas Airways Corporation.

British Actress Jean Simmons was the 60s face of a soap. 'It's thrilling the way Lux Toilet Soap leaves your skin softer, smoother,' she cooed from newspaper and magazine ads.

In 1960, an employer offered a salary of $800 a month for a male interpreter with fluent English and Putonghua. Women assistant revenue officers in the Commerce and Industry Department were offered $180 to $280 a month; they had to be fluent in Cantonese,

be able to write Chinese, read without wear-ing glasses, and be in perfect health. They were promised pay rises to $300 after 20 years' service.

Government doctors with full qualifications started on salaries of $2,100 a month (for men) or $1,575 (for women).

Fashion

In 1958, men's suits daringly began to sport slightly flared jackets with vents at the sides, and flared cuffs and trouser bottoms.

The sleeveless look for women was big in summer 1958. 'Small capped sleeves covering the shoulder' were in demand.

Ladies typically wore bouffant petticoats under their skirts and dresses to create volume to fit the fashions of the 50s. Lane Crawford sold the petticoats in pink, blue, yellow, black, red and white from $12 each.

Unlined men's gloves in hand-sewn tan leather sold at department stores for $26.50, while hog-skin, hand-sewn, fleece-lined gloves cost $40.

Platinum eternity rings mounted with diamonds cost from $475 at Lane Crawford in the late 50s.

The Shui Hing department store sold a large selection of Maidenform bras. The Prelude was the 'solution to all your bra problems', apparently. Lucky ladies could adjust the straps and wear it 'six wonderful ways'.

Meanwhile, Jockey Midway underwear, available at Hong Kong's Better Outfitters, fitted 'snug as your skin, moves as you move, gives you positive masculine support and con-ventional leg coverage'.

In the 1960s, long 'rope' necklaces were worn in twos or threes around the neck to create a choker effect. Com-bining the clearest crystal rondelles and freshwater pearls, their colours created rainbow-like reflections to match any outfit.

Timeline

Hong kong and China

1953

Jan 13

Fire in Ho Man Tin, 1,500 squatter huts destroyed, 8,000 homeless

Apr 20

Charges for public hospitals standardised

Sept 7

Queen Elizabeth Stadium opened

1954

Feb 20

Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood star, makes secret visit

Mar 24

13,000 vote in Urban Council poll

Aug 6

Health Department launches building cleansing campaign

1955

Feb 10

Telephone company installs public phones

Apr 21

Census shows 30 per cent unemployment in New Territories (population 300,000)

July 28

Stock market turnover is $4.25 million, a post-war record

1956

Apr 26

Tycoon Sir Robert Ho Tung dies

Oct 10

Riots in Shamshuipo and Tuen Wan

1957

May 25

Chinese Radio Hong Kong operates 24-hour service

July

100,000 women sign a petition to ban concubines

1958

May 1

Schools forbidden to hoist Chinese national flag

July 6

Water supply reduced to two hours a day

Dec 27

16 police suspended for corruption

1959

Feb 27

Population reaches 2.805 million, 1 per cent foreigners

Mar 2

Workers' Association fights for 8-hour work day

1960

April

Corruption Committee set up for people to report graft

June 1

Legco vetoes bill to legalise soccer gambling

1961

Feb 25

First census in 30

years shows population of 3.13 million

July 7

Estimated 80,000 triad members in city

1962

Sept 1

Typhoon Wanda hits Hong Kong, kills 180

Nov 1

51 measles cases confirmed in a week, 11 die

Around the world

1953

May 29

Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing climb Mount Everest

July 27

Korean War ends

Oct 22

Laos gains full independence from France

1954

July 13

Vietnam is divided into two countries along 17th parallel

Sept 26

Ronald Reagan makes his debut as host of General Electric Theater

1955

May 14

Eight Communist bloc countries sign the Warsaw Pact in Poland

Sept 19

President Juan Peron of Argentina ousted after a military revolt

Sept 30

Actor James Dean, 24, dies in a car crash

1956

Mar 20

Tunisia granted independence by France

Aug 6

US journalists allowed to enter China after a seven-year ban

1957

Mar 25

Treaty of Rome establishes the European Economic Community

Oct 4

First man-made space satellite, Sputnik, launched by Soviet Union

1958

Mar 27

Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union

Feb 1

Egypt and Syria unite to form the United Arab Republic

1959

Feb 16

Fidel Castro becomes Cuban premier

Aug 21

Hawaii becomes 50th state of America

1960

May 1

Soviet missile downs American spy plane near Sverdlovsk; pilot held for 21 months

June 4

China fires 500 artillery shells on Quemoy Island, off Taiwan

1961

Apr 17

Bay of Pigs invasion begins; Cuba destroys US invasion force

May 31

Amnesty International founded

Aug 13

Construction of the Berlin Wall begins

1962

May 8

Actress Marilyn Monroe, 36, commits suicide

Oct 16

Soviet missiles discovered in Cuba