Many scholars refer to official documents for historical analysis, but Professor Cecilia Chu prefers to explore ordinary people’s perspectives from correspondence and mass media material such as newspaper supplements and magazines.
“All these records vividly reflect diverse perspectives of the people living in the colonial city. I’m very interested in how historical discourse has been constructed through multiple, hybrid narratives,” the urban historian says in an interview with CUHK in Focus.
As she found out – to her surprise – the trend of non-local investors fuelling Hong Kong property prices was singled out as early as the 1920s, when the media published many letters to the editor on this issue. These include, for example, a letter to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) signed “Chinese Hongkongite” critical of two sources of housing speculators.
There were the mainland Chinese immigrants flush with cash, but also the Europeans, whom the letter contributor argued should not have the sole privilege of living in segregated zones.
“Chinese, Portuguese, Indians, etc., born in and permanently residing in Hongkong should therefore receive the same protection as Europeans towards overcoming the problem of high rent,” said the contributor, who further suggested that the proposed affordable Housing Scheme (previously featured in the newspaper) “should be reserved for, or given a first chance to, Hongkongites only, especially to working men having moderate means, such as myself, who would otherwise be unable to possess a house of their own”.
