Chinese Text & photo by Mr Chan Yat Fong, 98.5.5 [printed in Race Programme '98]
Translated by E. Hou, with assistance from Peter Ahern

Stanley (Chik Chu or Chek Chue in Cantonese), though a famous historical site in its own right, is for many, just a popular spot for shopping and a day out on the beautiful south side of Hong Kong Island. Convenient transport connections, Chinese cuisine and bargains in the street market bring great satisfaction to people who come for a day of fun.

St. Stephen's Beach, Stanley

Stanley has been recognised as a village since the Ming and Qing Dynasties and was considered worth mentioning in geography books of the period. The population, unlike many traditional villages has continued to grow and the village itself has evolved to fit the times.

In 1938, a Chinese Scholar, Chen Gong-zhe wrote a book about the history of Hong Kong. In this book, he described Stanley in this way: "After crossing a slope people can see the grandeur of Stanley, the place where the British army first landed. Yet, they soon abandoned the place because of the moist weather that brought epidemics. There were a quite a few cemeteries as a multitude of people died of epidemics. Now the place has turned into the hostels of St. Stephen's College. Stanley village was once a haunt of bandits".

In 1949, a book edited by An-ping, A Profile of Hong Kong, documented the impact of British rule on Stanley. According to the book, when the British arrived in Hong Kong, they first settled in Stanley, a fishing village not far from Aberdeen. A dark-grey hill fort was built; it was the first British prison in the Far East. Over 3,000 people of different races were incarcerated there . . . On the peak of Wong Ma Kok Hill stands Stanley Fort. As it was a restricted army camp, Stanley was not bustling with as much noise and excitement as Aberdeen. The church founded St. Stephen's College and a probation centre for children nearby.

A Feng-shui master Zeng Zi-nan highly praised Stanley in his book. He said the whole range of hills in Stanley could bring great fortune to the entire area. It was mainly due to the beauty of Stanley Mound (The Twins). Since the front and back peaks of Stanley Mound were identical and looked like twins and a spur (Fein*) come out from between them the strength is so outstanding it's as if tigers were coming out of the forest or dragons running down to the sea....

In 1996, the Southern District Board published a historic and geographic guide to the southern side of Hong Kong Island. According to the book, the name "Stanley" is to commemorate the British naval general who defeated the leading bandit of the time, Cheung Pao-tzu, and occupied the place. However, this story does not fit historical facts. According to related historical literature, Cheung was defeated by the Ching army and died under the rule of Emperor Daoguang (1822 AD). Later, another gang of bandits headed by Xu Ya-pao rampaged along the coastal areas from 1846 AD to 1851 A.D. They mainly robbed the British vessels. Finally, they were captured by the British and were locked up in Stanley Prison.

In 1849, the British army attacked Xu and his gang. Being out-numbered, all the bandits were trapped. Xu boldly confessed to murder. He then hanged himself in prison. People believed he was such a brave man that he would rather commit suicide than be insulted by being captured by the British.

The above references and many others show the historic importance of Stanley, almost since the beginning of records on the area, and can be used to study and learn even in this modern age.