Canton-Hong Kong strike
Encyclopedia
The Canton-Hong Kong strike (省港大罷工) was a strike
and boycott
in that took place between Hong Kong
and Guangdong
, China
from June 1925 to October 1926. It started out as a response to the May 30 Movement
shooting incidents in which Chinese
protesters were massacred by the British
.
police under British
command opened fire on a crowd of Chinese demonstrators at the Shanghai International Settlement
. At least 9 demonstrators were killed, and many others wounded. To further escalate the incident, on June 23, 1925 a heated demonstration in Shamian
took place as part of the Shakee massacre. Troops under foreign command killed more than 50 Chinese protesters and wounded almost 120 more.
called for a strike especially in Hong Kong
where British imperialism was apparent. The Kuomintang
leaders and Soviet advisors even considered attacking the International Settlement in Shamian
. Anti-British pamphlet
s were passed around in HK. Rumors also spread that the Colonial government planned to poison the colony's water supplies. Guangdong offered free train passage to HK. In the first week or protest, more than 50,000 Chinese left HK. Food prices soared. The colony was a ghost town by July. By the end of July, some 250,000 Chinese left for Guangdong. The worse of the strike was over by 1926.
of 3 million pound
s to prevent the economy from collapsing. An anti-British goods boycott continued for several more months. The economy was paralyzed and HK's total trade fell by 50%, shipping diminished by 40%, rents decreased by 60%.
's first novel, The Conquerors (1928).
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
and boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
in that took place between Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
from June 1925 to October 1926. It started out as a response to the May 30 Movement
May 30 Movement
The May Thirtieth Movement was a labor and anti-imperalist movement during the middle-period of the Republic of China era. It began when Shanghai Municipal Police officers opened fire on Chinese protesters in Shanghai's International Settlement...
shooting incidents in which Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
protesters were massacred by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Incident
On May 30, 1925 SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
police under British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
command opened fire on a crowd of Chinese demonstrators at the Shanghai International Settlement
Shanghai International Settlement
The Shanghai International Settlement began originally as a purely British settlement. It was one of the original five treaty ports which were established under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking at the end of the first opium war in the year 1842...
. At least 9 demonstrators were killed, and many others wounded. To further escalate the incident, on June 23, 1925 a heated demonstration in Shamian
Shamian Island
Shamian Island , formerly known as Shameen Island or Shamin Island, from its Cantonese pronunciation, is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, China...
took place as part of the Shakee massacre. Troops under foreign command killed more than 50 Chinese protesters and wounded almost 120 more.
Strike
GuangdongGuangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
called for a strike especially in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
where British imperialism was apparent. The Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
leaders and Soviet advisors even considered attacking the International Settlement in Shamian
Shamian Island
Shamian Island , formerly known as Shameen Island or Shamin Island, from its Cantonese pronunciation, is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, China...
. Anti-British pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
s were passed around in HK. Rumors also spread that the Colonial government planned to poison the colony's water supplies. Guangdong offered free train passage to HK. In the first week or protest, more than 50,000 Chinese left HK. Food prices soared. The colony was a ghost town by July. By the end of July, some 250,000 Chinese left for Guangdong. The worse of the strike was over by 1926.
Economy
The British government had to provide a trade loanLoan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
of 3 million pound
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
s to prevent the economy from collapsing. An anti-British goods boycott continued for several more months. The economy was paralyzed and HK's total trade fell by 50%, shipping diminished by 40%, rents decreased by 60%.
In literature
The Canton-Hong Kong strike plays a prominent part in André MalrauxAndré Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
's first novel, The Conquerors (1928).
See also
- History of Colonial Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)
- History of the Republic of ChinaHistory of the Republic of ChinaThe History of the Republic of China begins after the Qing Dynasty in 1912, when the formation of the Republic of China put an end to over two thousand years of Imperial rule. The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, ruled from 1644 to 1912...