Ancient Uber - Blood and Tears of Rickshaw Pullers in Hong Kong
Hong Kong transportation controls the pulse of Hong Kong people's life and is closely related to its economy and political atmosphere. Curator Cat will talk about one of the earliest transportations, the rickshaw.
The rickshaw was originally invented by the Japanese and introduced to Hong Kong in 1874. Since it only required one person to operate, it quickly became the main means of transportation, and provided employment opportunities for the working class. When it was first introduced, there were no special regulations from the government. People and vehicles scrambled for the road and the traffic was chaotic. It was not until March 24, 1883, when the British Hong Kong government passed the "Vehicle and Public Transport Act" as an attempt to regulate the rickshaw industry and to control traffic. Some of the licensing guidelines are:
License deposit of $50; (while the monthly income of the rickshaw driver at that time was $5 to $13)
The license fee is $3 every six months, and the driver's license is 2 cents; the license is non-transferable; (later it was increased to $6 every half year in 1887, and the driver’s license fee increased to 3 cents)
The Commissioner of Police has the right to refuse to issue a license if the vehicle or driver is considered not clean
Fare to be collected as directed by the Commissioner of Police
Rickshaw drivers lived a very difficult life. Two drivers often shared the same bed as they rotated between morning and night shifts. Because of the language barrier, they had to rely on their rickshaw owners to provide protection and information from outside of their circle. Drivers believed the regulations targeted and suppressed them. The rickshaw owners and the drivers were often beaten and insulted. The police often protected the foreign passenger while the drivers were unjustly punished since the drivers and owners were not represented in the policy making. Without representation, the rickshaw industry had no intention to comply with the law enacted by the government. Instead, rickshaw drivers from all over Hong Kong and China began to organize their own labor union to defend their rights and to protect their livelihood. A few examples include:
Hong Kong Ngan Family Clan Association (The Gan family was the leader of the rickshaw industry, the founder of Ngan Yongci, the son of Yan Chengkun, was the founder of China Motor Co., Ltd., the CMB that owns the earliest Hong Kong Island bus franchise)
Yee On Chamber of Commerce (The predecessor of Hong Kong triads Sun Yee on. That’s how the underworld was born!)
Labor unions participated in subsequent strikes and protests, including the seamen's general strike in 1922 and the provincial, Hong Kong and Macao strike in 1925, which had a great significance in Hong Kong's history.
Although Mr. Hung, the last rickshaw driver in Hong Kong, has closed his business in 2021. The history of rickshaw pullers continues to impact Hong Kong to this day. Curator Cat created this AR exhibit so you can relive the experience first hand and think about the impact it has on us today.
