2024-03-21 02:22:29
The countdown to the land resumption in Xiawan Village witnessed the years of smuggling and corpses were left in the Shenzhen River. Villagers: Hard life, self-reliance, unwilling to be abandoned by society
[YahooNews”Iwillnevergoswimmingintheriveragain”GuoHaixiantheheadofXiawanVillagefrownedrecallingthepastyearsandfeelingthehelplessnessandmiseryofthetimesbehindtheshockingstories
Not just the village chief, every villager has experienced these scenes of seeing corpses, hearing gunshots, and taking in stowaways, because Ha Wan Village is located in Lok Ma Chau and adjacent to the Shenzhen River. It is a lookout station that witnesses the historical changes between China and Hong Kong. The villagers said in unison: “We survive in hardships. We are self-reliant and rely on our own labor to feed generations of people.”
Just as the villagers are approaching their 70s and ears, they are about to face the fate of moving out of their homes. With the groundbreaking of Xintian Science and Technology City, Hawan Village has been included in the demolition scope, and the villagers will have to move out as soon as the third quarter of next year. What they are unwilling to do is: “We have developed this village step by step. We have been working hard, but we are out of step with the world.” Without struggle, society will abandon us as soon as it develops.”
Even though they may not be able to keep their homeland in the end, they hope to record the history of Hawan Village well before destroying the village.
There is a land father-in-law under the big banyan tree in Hawan Village. It is a place where the villagers gather together. Every year, the land festival and fireworks are held.
Boating to Hong Kong to make a living by burning bricks
Guo Haixian is 69 years old and is the fifth village chief of Xiawan Village. In the early 1960s, he came to Hong Kong from Dongguan with his parents, two sisters, eldest brother and younger brother. At that time, China was experiencing a difficult period of great famine after the failure of the “Three Red Flags” campaign.
At that time, China followed a collectivist “big pot rice” system. Parents had to work and had no time to take care of their children. All children had to be put into nursery care and then picked up by their parents at night. His family said that he had been sick all day and was worried that his life would be in danger if he continued to stay in that place. In fact, under the circumstances at that time, it was difficult for them to find food to satisfy their hunger. My father followed like-minded people, found several boats, and rowed from Dongguan to Hong Kong.
When they first came to Hong Kong, they had few friends and little knowledge. They had no choice but to seek refuge with their uncle in Upper Village, Pat Heung, Yuen Long, and earn a living by working hard. Bricks at that time were not made by machines, but fired piece by piece by hand. My parents found yellow mud at the top of the mountain, added water, and kneaded it like flour. Then they poured it into a rectangular shelf and swept it to reveal the shape of a whole brick. He, his elder brother and his younger brother took the bricks, dried them in the sun, and then put them into the brick kiln to burn.
But he said that he might not be able to adapt to the new place, and his brother later died of illness. Now every time he passes by the old site, he will get out of the car and say to his younger brother: “Brother is here to visit you.” Talking about his younger brother, the village chief burst into tears because he felt: “We are sorry for my younger brother. We were too poor at that time and the family had to make money. , my brother had a fever and felt very uncomfortable, so he went to the hospital, but it was already too late. In fact, it didn’t just happen in my family. There were many such situations in that era, and I was just one of them.”
After working as a bricklayer for several years, they moved to Hawan Village, where their life was not as hard as before. He still remembered that outside the house were all swamps, reeds and mangroves. He said that walking into the reeds is like a frog in a well. Sitting in the well and looking at the sky, the reeds all around are so lush that you can’t see the outside world, only the sky. Whenever the seasons change, migratory birds fly in, and the whole sky is dark. There are also so many water chickens in front of the swamp.
Shenzhen river tears out hair in scary times
However, what the people of Ha Wan Village remember the most is the period of smuggling craze. Across the river, witnessing the changing times between China and Hong Kong is a unique experience and history for this village. Guo Haixian said: “If environmental groups describe the sky above here as a corridor for birds, I will say that this used to be a corridor for stowaways.”
He remembers that in the 1960s, looking across the Shenzhen River from his home, there were red flags hanging all over the place, and a People’s Liberation Army soldier standing guard every few dozen feet. During his childhood, he could pick up a basketball liner from anywhere, so many that it was like a wonder. But behind the scenes, these basketball liner were actually tools used by stowaways to stuff them into their clothes and swim to Hong Kong. A ball reflects a human life.
Early in the morning at that time, he would chop grass with his mother, pushing aside the grass while chopping, and tried to dig out a corpse. In that era, we saw too much death. Another time, he was swimming in the Shenzhen River. When he dived down, he thought there was some grass. When he pulled it up, it turned out to be a bunch of hair. “That must be a woman. With such long hair, I thought it came from grass, boss.” , it’s my hair when it’s pulled up, I’d be stupid not to be afraid, I’ll never swim in the Shenzhen River again.”
When he talks about his brother, his eyes will burst into tears; when he talks about the corpse, he becomes depressed; when he talks about fear, he becomes excited again. Villagers and reporters were sometimes amused by the village chief’s vivid descriptions, but he said: “Maybe we think it’s funny, but it was actually a very sad era. From the Great Famine to the Cultural Revolution factional struggles, many people Many people died when they fled like this, and Xiawan Village is a microcosm of this.”
Village chief Guo Haixian said that these experiences reflect a very sad era, and Xiawan Village is a microcosm of it.
Villagers’ collective memories of gunshots in the middle of the night
This is not the experience of the village chief alone, but the collective memory of the entire Xiawan Village residents. Mr. Chen, a villager, was born in Xiawan Village. In the blink of an eye, he dated, got married, and gave birth to children here in the past few decades. Now his daughter is also married. He still remembers that in the past, there was a deserted field across the Shenzhen River, and “The East is Red, the Sun Rises…” would be played on the radio, and gunshots would be heard in the middle of the night.
He used to live near Lok Ma Chau. After attending kindergarten, he had to walk home by himself. The reeds nearby were very tall and he had to walk very close to the house before he could see his family. At that time, the People’s Liberation Army would catch stowaways on the Shenzhen River. Many speedboats were constantly patrolling. There was no iron fence between the river and the land. The speedboats were flying next to it, and occasionally gunshots were heard. The People’s Liberation Army really Will shoot stowaways. He was always afraid when he walked. At that time, he was only a few years old.
He once saw the body of a stowaway and tried to go to the police station to call the police. Looking back now, he felt that those people were actually brave men. Most of the smugglers are from the Guangdong area, but he has met people who speak Mandarin and have a northern accent. He reflects that it is very difficult for them to come here from afar. When they came to Hong Kong, they often could only work in construction and other labor industries. Many of Hong Kong’s constructions at that time actually included their contributions.
Mr. Chen, a villager, said that these barbed wire fences were left over from the establishment of the restricted area during the British rule.
After seeing all the corpses, everyone took in the stowaways
In the same era, villager Ms. Zhou also came to Hong Kong with her father, brother and two sisters in order to provide food and clothing. She said that her father was a boatman who transported sand, so there was a boat to bring her family to Hong Kong to disembark, and because her family was a boatman, they saw all the corpses at sea. At that time, her family lived in a shack near the current Huanggang Port, and the family also took in many stowaways.
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Due to the large number of illegal immigrants, the British Hong Kong government promulgated the “Barrier Policy” in the mid-1970s, which stated that after illegal immigrants arrived in Hong Kong, they could obtain Hong Kong residence as long as they arrived in the city. However, if they were intercepted at the border, they would be deported. ; Until the 1980s, there were still too many people stowaways, and the policy was canceled and changed to arrest and release, that is, once stowaways are discovered, they will be deported.
From then on, their family did not take in stowaways. In fact, not only Ms. Zhou, most of the villagers here have taken in stowaways, even people with prominent backgrounds. They are willing to take him in because everyone has a familiar experience. In that era, they were all the same people who fell into the world.
Due to flooding, many villagers’ photos of the past were soaked and lost. In this group photo, the child on the back is already the principal of a middle school today.Pictures provided by villagers
Survive amidst hardships, become self-reliant and get ahead
They all said that the experience of this village is something that other villages cannot experience or feel. “We survive in hardships and are self-reliant. We start from scratch and rely on our own labor to support generations of people.” Talking about their descendants, they are very proud because this village has produced many intellectuals, some of whom have become middle school principals, Some people go to universities to engage in scientific research.
“If you don’t study, you won’t be literate, you will be bullied, and you won’t get respect. Only if you are literate can you find a good job. The mentality of the previous generation at that time was to hope that the next generation would study hard, because we With no money, no fields, and no land, we can only rely on ourselves and exchange education for culture.” Ms. Zhou said forcefully.
Guo Haixian added: “Although Xiawan Village is poor and is made up of different clans, everyone is very competitive and hard-working. Many of the younger generations have graduated from college. We are not an aboriginal village, so we have no choice but to rely on I know that I don’t have enough academic qualifications to do anything, so I try my best to let my children read as many books as possible. Even if you are poor, your children should go to school.” He proudly described the village: “With good unity and good construction, it will not be better than the first. Nijo village messenger.”
In the village hall of Xiawan Village, photos of the five village chiefs are posted.
Guo Haixian said that he never thought that he would be the last village chief, and he hoped to retain the village office in the future.
From saltwater grass to fish ponds and then reclaiming land to build Xintian Science and Technology City
From the map, Hawan Village is located in the Lok Ma Chau Port area, with the Lok Ma Chau Loop to the east, Futian Port to the north, and Huanggang Port to the west. The port was not completed before, and the area to the west also falls within the scope of Hawan Village. Guo Haixian said that the previous people called Hawan Village “Xiawan Village”. During the British rule, due to the English translation into Chinese, their village name was also written as “Xiawan Village”.
He said that his father’s generation had no knowledge or skills and could only forage with their bare hands. “Because Hawan Village is a place where salt water meets fresh water and is rich in species. They will catch fish and shrimp in the river. People here may not have money to buy rice, but they can eat a lot of seafood.” Mr. Chen explained that this is why they There is no reason to leave Hawan Village.
Later, the villagers began to plant saltwater grass, and the grass fields stretched as far as the eye could see, growing as tall as humans. After the villagers harvest, break the edges, and dry them in the sun, they tie them into straw ropes and sell them wholesale. He said that before there were no plastic bags, all the markets needed this kind of straw rope. Pig sellers and fish sellers would put straw ropes on their stalls. When customers came, they would pull out one and tie up the food. This is how they made it by hand. The packaging tools last for more than ten or twenty years. The village chief added: “This industry has indirectly contributed to environmental protection in Hong Kong for more than ten years.”
After the manual work, machines appeared. They turned the grass fields into jiwei, and then divided the fish ponds from the jiwei. According to information from the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society and the book “The Fisherman Moves the Mountains: Hong Kong’s Native Fishery Folklore” by Professor Zhang Zhanhong of the Department of Anthropology at the Chinese University, the total area of fish ponds in Hong Kong increased to a peak of 2,130 hectares in the mid-1980s. However, large-scale development of fish ponds has begun in the Pearl River Delta, and truckloads of affordable freshwater fish are arriving at Man Kam To Port. Coupled with the development of new towns in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai, large areas of fish ponds in the New Territories have disappeared.
Mr. Chan recalled that there was a time when freshwater fish were quite abundant in Hong Kong. “We caught so much fish that we couldn’t buy it all, and boxes and boxes fell back into the river. Our own agriculture and fisheries are self-sufficient and we don’t need any outside imports at all. “But Ms. Zhou pointed out that later on, freshwater fish from mainland China entered Hong Kong, accelerating the decline of local fish ponds. “Aconite, grass carp…all these could be sold in Hong Kong, and our fish ponds began to make no money. “
There is still a pond next to the village chief’s house.
The population will be frozen and people may move out as early as the third quarter of next year.
The fish pond days of Xiawan Village are long gone. Most of the villagers now go out to work. With the road development in the Lok Ma Chau Loop in recent years and the upcoming construction of San Tin Science and Technology City, the fish ponds have been filled in again, and even the villagers are facing the fate of moving out of their homes.
The Lands Department announced on the 8th of this month that it announced the resumption of 1,776 new fields in Yuen Long, totaling about 171 hectares of private land, for the first phase of the New Tin Technology City development project. If the owners or occupiers of the relevant land have objections, they must submit them in writing to the department before May 7.
The first phase of the development plan covers Ha Wan Village. Government personnel entered the village last week, registered the villagers’ information, and began to freeze the population. The villagers will be moved out as soon as the third quarter of next year, and they will initially receive public housing compensation and resettlement.
On the other side of the village chief’s house, road work has begun, erecting iron fences and digging the ground.
Zi Fei Yuan knows the joy of fish
Guo Haixian said that more than 90% of the villagers hope to retain Xiawan Village. It is like a small community, established by several generations. Everyone has close relationships and trusts each other. When it was still a restricted area, they almost never closed their doors at night, asking which village could be better? Do it. “Ha Wan Village used to be peaceful and full of nature, but now it only smells of earth and billows of sand. It’s no longer what it used to be.”
Some people may say that across the Shenzhen River, there are many high-rise buildings today, but Xiawan Village is deserted. But he agreed very much with a sentence in “Zhuangzi”: “You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish?”
The meaning is: “You are not the fish in the pond, how do you know that the fish in the pond is unhappy. We have lived here for decades, we are used to living here, we are indifferent to the world, and we see more trees than people, isn’t that good? You like concrete forests, prosperity, and wealth, but we don’t like that. We just need to live an adequate life. We like the natural ecology, and we don’t like destruction, but we are in the minority in this era.”
“If these places are lost, they will be gone. Especially if Hong Kong is so small. In a few decades, the New Territories will not be considered the New Territories. They will all be concrete forests. The New Territories are the back garden of Hong Kong and the back garden of the entire society. However, The Hong Kong government and the mainland Chinese government may think that the Greater Bay Area is the back garden…”
The village chief planted pots of plants in his home, but he said he was no longer in the mood to water them after knowing that the land would be taken over.
We have been working hard to stay aloof from the world
Mr. Chen felt pity and unwillingness: “Because this village was developed by us hand in hand, and it has been integrated with the natural environment at different stages. We built grass fields and base walls, tried our best not to damage the surrounding environment, and cultivated fish ponds. All is well, we will plant a lot of trees. We have opened up many roads, and the government only cares about this convenience. We have been working hard, but we have nothing to do with the world. When society develops, it will abandon us. This is the last thing we want to do. “
Guo Haixian said: “The government is not taking over a piece of land, but taking over a village of ours. We must have suitable houses for us before we can build our village. We don’t want to go to interim housing, and we don’t want to move twice.” A group of villagers We also hope that the authorities will preserve the land park, village hall, archway and rain shelter in Hawan Village, leaving some continuity for our ancestors.
Guo Haixian said: “As the village chief, I can kneel down in exchange for the preservation of this village.” The villagers said: “No, we don’t do these things, so don’t kneel down.” The village chief said again: “If it’s for Xiawan Village, I can do it. If someone from the government says, do this action without killing the village, I can do it.” But the reality may not be like this. The people here may end up following the excavator, but they hope, I can still well remember the history of this village. In the history of Hong Kong, Ha Wan Village once existed.
The archway of Ha Wan Village is still under construction, but unexpectedly the village is about to be demolished.
The faucet is still there, but the archway has not yet been hung.
A group of villagers hope to retain the land father-in-law, village hall, archway and rain shelter in Hawan Village, leaving a little bit of continuation for their ancestors.
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