Fragrant Flower

Author’s NoteThe controversy over the Regimental Band was a burning problem in Hong Kong in 1880. The descriptions of the poisoning of the bread and the way the thieves used the storm-water drains are authentic. An exhaustive report on the origin and characteristics of Chinese slavery and domestic servitude in Hong Kong was reviewed in a debate in the House of Lords on June 21st, 1880. It was stated that the Attorney General had been wrong in his exposition of the law, but that, on the other hand, the Chief Justice had rushed into wild exaggerations. Sir John Pope-Hennessy was the first Governor of Hong Kong who treated the Chinese as partners. He took the first steps to translate into reality the ideal of non-discrimination between the races which had appeared on the Governor’s instructions in 1886 and in British Colonial Policy much earlier. In this enlightened policy he was in advance of his time but he was, however, a poor administrator and an impossible man to work with. He quarrelled with all his officials and was distrusted by the Colonial Office. He left Hong Kong in March, 1882 for the Governorship of Mauritius where again he aroused intense hostility. He had the right ideas but went about them in the wrong way. This book is dedicated to my friends in Hong Kong, and especially to George Wright Nooth, for many years Deputy Chief of Police, who showed me the New Territories and took me to the Red Chinese border. To the Mandarin Hotel, which in my opinion is not only the most glamorous in the world but also has the best service, and to their sweet, delightful Assistant to the General Manager, Miss Kai-Yin Lo, who introduced me to her charming family and the superlative Chinese food one finds only in a private house.