1966 – Now that I decided to pass the Colombo Scholarship and to stay in Hong Kong, it was time again to look for a job.
Chinese families always wanted their children to be a doctor, a lawyer or an accountant in that order. Naturally not all kids have the intellectual capability to aspire to one of these professions. Even if they do, circumstances may prevent them from achieving their goals, such as family constraint, financial issues or simply karma.
Becoming a doctor, a lawyer or other professions does not necessarily guarantee you great success in life, though your chance of success may be higher than those without the qualifications. I have seen lawyers struggling in their practice and doctors given up the profession for psychological or other reasons. Education is important and one should never pass the opportunity to study. Interesting to note that many successful people did not have the opportunity to attend proper schooling and that includes Mr. Lee Ka-Shing, one of the richest men in Asia. He was born when China was in chaos and he was deprived of a full education.
To a Chinese family working in a bank was a prestigious matter. So I sent my resume to all the banks in Hong Kong and what I received as reply was disappointing: “Thank you for your application, we are sorry we have no opening at this time. We will let you know if a vacancy presents itself”. The reality was that most jobs were filled through “connections and relationships”, the Chinese call it “guanxi” or “guanshi”. My late mother often mentioned about “guardian angel”, some one that in the course of one’s life would open a door for you. In some way it is much like “guanxi”. I found my guardian angel in Father Germain of the Xavier House, one of the many missionaries that had set foot in China and Hong Kong for over a century. Father Germain had earlier helped my two other friends find a job at Banque Nationale de Paris and Air France respectively.
Three major banks in 1960s Hong Kong side by side, Bank of China, Hong Kong Bank and Chartered Bank. Hilton Hotel is on the left.
One phone call from Father Germain to a Mr. Yao, Personnel Manager at the Banque Nationale de Paris landed me an interview. I took a written and oral test and Mr. Yao was impressed. He further complimented me: “you have a beautiful handwriting”. Mr. Yao wanted to make full use of my knowledge of French and posted me to the Tsim Sha Tsui branch in the busy tourist area of Kowloon. At the branch because I was fluent in English and French, I was treated by my colleagues with some respect in spite of my young age. Not only did I serve many French tourists coming to the branch for money exchange but I came across many French speaking Vietnamese military personnel and businessmen who wanted to keep some of their money at our bank in Hong Kong. South Vietnam was at war with the Viet Cong and what the future held nobody knew. Need to save for the rainy days.
Tsim Sha Tsui the tourist district in Kowloon. The neon light is mesmerizing as it was in 1960s
That was also the time when American soldiers posted in Vietnam spent their recreation in Hong Kong. At any one time there were a couple of U.S. battle ships anchored in the harbour. The American servicemen in Hong Kong probably set the stage for the book “The World of Suzie Wong”.
Hong Kong Harbour 1966
It was also the era when Americans were flocking to Hong Kong to buy custom made suits, among other things, at a fraction of the cost in their country, and delivery was made in 24 hours. Hong Kong people were and are still hard working, innovative and accommodating. “Idle time” was not in their vocabulary; if the tailor had to work through the night to finish the suit, so it would be. Shops were lining Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, surprisingly owned by many Indian businessmen with Chinese tailors behind the shop front. The Indian businessmen were also busy travelling to major U.S. cities to take measurement of Americans wanting a custom made suit, while other clients would buy a suit through “Mail Order”, sending in the measurement and a cheque. It was a happy and prosperous era for a lot of small shop owners. One Mauritian even found his niche selling decorative items made of jade and ivory to the French tourists under the business name of “Chez Edouard”.
Personally for me it was a golden year. I was young, energetic, confident, single, with a good job in a new fascinating country with seemingly endless potential. I was courting my future wife and very much in love, my first love, it was like a replay of the movie “Love is a many splendoured thing”.
At night Tsim ShaTsui switched focus from an intense business environment to an entertainment mecca. The neon lights turned on, night became day, restaurants filled with noisy patrons and the bars lively with loud music, often with live band made up of artists from the Philippines, to entice the American servicemen as well as other tourists for a drink and more. Today Tsim Sha Tsui has changed a lot and moved upscale, the small shops and bars are long gone and replaced by large department stores, malls and brand name boutiques. I missed my four years in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Numerous bars sprang up in Hong Kong to service the Americans on recreation from Saigon
On the dark side, China started the Cultural Revolution “to rid society of members of the bourgeoisie threatening to seize political power from the proletariat”. 1.7 millions people died. Countless politicians and intellectuals killed. Cultural relics and artifacts destroyed. Red Guards waving their little “Mao Red Book” were threatening to a lot of people in Hong Kong. The Cultural Revolution somewhat spilled into Hong Kong leading to the 1967 Riot, the last straw for many residents who packed up and immigrated to the Americas. Fortunately the instability of Hong Kong did not last too long, apparently at the command of the administration in Beijing. Life was back to normal but the expected return of Hong Kong to China due in 1997 was an ongoing concern. While riding on the ferry and admiring the great many high rises along the Hong Kong shores, one American commented to me: “Look at all these buildings. They will soon belong to China”.
Hong Kong 1967 Riots
Hong Kong shores 1960s with its many high rise buildings
Pro-communist rioters brandishing the Mao Red Books in front of Hong Kong Government House.