Remember A Day | Police behaving badly, bye-bye to ‘big character posters’ and the world’s oldest man: headlines from 40 years ago
- A journey back through time to look at significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history
Two dogs saving the life of their owner, the world’s oldest man sharing the secrets to longevity and China abolishing “wall posters” made the headlines 40 years ago this week.
August 31, 1980
● Eighteen people, including four marine police officers, had been arrested in connection with the theft of valuables and HK$150,000 (about US$30,000 at the time) in cash from mainland Chinese undocumented immigrants. The victims said their valuables and money were taken while they were being held at the San Uk Ling Detention Centre in Sheung Shui pending repatriation. The allegations followed a complaint two weeks earlier by two female undocumented immigrants who claimed they had been indecently assaulted by a marine police officer in Deep Bay.
September 1, 1980
● The world’s oldest man had been discovered living in a remote village in northwest China. Wu Yunqing, at 142, was still able to ride a bicycle, according to an article in the New Physical Culture magazine. Wu told the publication he had built his own coffin from timber on three occasions. The first two coffins had rotted, and he had recycled the wood of the third one into floorboards for his room. Wu revealed the secret of longevity was living a moderate life, doing regular physical exercise and optimism. He slept only four to five hours a day, mostly in a sitting position.