Hong Kong Snapshot (79) – Gutzlaff Street, the only house of the Victoria era left in HK, and the story of a “protected woman” 香港隨拍 (79) – 紅毛嬌街，香港維多利亞時代遺下的最後樓房，還有紅毛嬌的故事

In downtown Central, next to the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator system, there is a construction site.

In downtown Central, down below HK famous restaurant Lan Fong Yuen, there is a construction site.

Yes, construction site is common in HK. We have construction sites 365 days a year. But this construction site may be destroying the only house left in the Victoria era of Hong Kong.

在中環鬧市，著名的自動扶手電梯旁邊，有一個地盤。

在中環鬧市，超著名茶餐廳蘭芳園的下方，有一個地盤。

對，在香港，地盤很常見，香港一年三百六十五天都有地盤工程進行中，不過，這個地盤，很可能在拆毀香港唯一餘下的維多利亞時代民房。

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Some background first. To the world, the colonized HK in the 19th century may be an adventure land. All opium in China was exported from HK. All Chinese oversea workers were exported from HK. Also, all modern Western products, like machines, are exported from HK to Asia. HK was just like the playground of rich traders. Under the situation, we had a term in HK: protected women.

As traders always stayed long in HK, they had needs. One need is woman. Some of them may go to brothels but it could just solve the short-term problem. So Some of them might buy Chinese girls to serve them. One day, an American capture bought a Chinese girl called Ong Akew.

先說一下背景，殖民時代的香港，可說是一個冒險樂園，當時全中國的鴉片，都經由香港內銷；全中國的販賣人口，都是經由香港出境，還有其他西方先進產物，要進入亞洲，都先進入香港，香港尤如富人的樂園，在這樣的情況下，香港出現了一個名詞：「受保護婦女」。
世界各地的商人遠渡重洋都香港長期逗留，自有不少需要，其中一樣就是女人。他們有的會去妓院，但也只是解決一時之需，故有些就索性買下華人婦女作情婦，就是這樣，一名來自美國的船長買下了一名叫吳亞嬌的華人女子。

Western men and Chinese women (photo from MingPao)

Ong Akew came from a family on water and worked in the brothels of Guangzhou. After American captain Endicott bought her, she moved to HK. Later in 1852 Endicott married a British lady and ended the relationship with Ong. He left ten houses at Gutzlaff Street to Ong and Ong developed her business kingdom by the ten houses! (Some said it should be Cochrane Street but actually the ten houses were just between the two streets)

吳亞嬌是水上人，本於廣州青樓謀生，後被美國船長安德葛買下當情婦，到了香港。吳亞嬌為安德葛生下5名子女，不過安德葛後來娶了一名英國女子，就在1852年和吳亞嬌結束關係。安德葛給吳亞嬌留下了吉士笠街的十棟樓房作為分手費，而吳亞嬌竟以這錢財發展了自己的事業。(另一說是閣麟街，不過其實這十棟樓就在兩街之間)

Endicott 美國船長安德葛 (photo from hk01.com)

The term “protected women” is talking about those Chinese girls bought by Western rich men, just like Ong. In eyes of Chinese, they were just prostitutes but they were “protected” by the rich western. Ong was different from the other “protected women”. She developed her business in the property industry and soon became the biggest landlord of the Gutzlaff Street. Ong was not a weak woman. There was a case that the opium of Ong was robbed by Shap Ng-Tsai, the strongest pirate of HK. She went up to the ship of Shap alone and negotiated with Shap. She succeeded. The name of Ong Akew was spread through HK.
Ong gave shelters to many single poor women at Gutzlaff. At the same time, many western prostitutes also lived at the street. As Chinese liked to called the western “Red Hair” due to their hair colors, Ong who was closed to them was also called “Red Head kew” and the Gutzlaff Street was called the “Red Head Kew Street”. In 1878, Ong was bankrupt because of failure of investment. She Stayed at the house Endicott left her in her remaining life.

「受保護婦女」指的是類似吳亞嬌的與洋人發展情婦關係的女人，當時的人一方面認為她們是妓女，另一方面又因為她們身後的洋人不敢對她們怎樣。不過吳亞嬌與其他受保護婦女不同，靠著安德葛給她的財產，她從事地產生意，很快就成為了吉士笠街的大地主。吳亞嬌不是弱女子，更是硬貨，她曾有一批鴉片被香港最強大海盜十五仔扣留，她竟一人走上十五仔的船談判，更成功了，自此吳亞嬌聞名全港。她在吉士笠街收留了不少單身弱女子，同時很多西洋妓女都住在吉士笠街，因頭髮顏色的關係，華人愛稱洋人為紅毛鬼，而在吉士笠街的吳亞嬌就被他們稱為紅毛嬌，而吉士笠街就被稱為紅毛嬌街。1878年，紅毛嬌投資失敗破產，在當初安德葛留給她的一座小樓房渡過餘生。

Cochrane Street 閣麟街, 1890 (photo from hk01.com)

Cochrane Street 閣麟街, 2018

Today, the Cochrane Street and Gutzlaff Street is under renewal and recall this old history. A community group found an old house in the construction site and after researches, they believe the old house is the house where Ong lived. It is also the only house of the Victoria era that still left in HK. They proposed to retain the house but the Government said it’s just a building before the WWII and there is no value to retain.

今天，閣麟街及吉士笠街重建，竟讓這段歷史重現世人眼前，一班社會人士，以多種證據，相信今天閣麟街地盤內的一座殘破樓房就是當年吳亞嬌居住的地方，且是香港唯一留下的維多利亞時代建築物，並多次上書政府要求保留，不過政府只表示此為戰前建築物，沒有保留價值。

The Gutzlaff Street had been blocked 吉士笠街的入口已被封了

I tried to take a photo of Gutzlaff Street 嘗試拍攝吉士笠街

The stone house in the middle of the photo is believed to be the house where Ong lived
相片中間那座石屋就是當年吳亞嬌極可能居住的樓房了

Another angle 另一角度看看

The community group posted a lot of banners of the houses just outside the construction site.
社會關注團體在地盤外掛上了很多關於這些樓房價值的橫額

The location of the old houses 幾座樓房當年的位置
(photo from appledaily)

They searched the old record and found the old landlord of the house was Ong
他們翻查舊紀錄，查到了當年的業主正是吳亞嬌
(photo from thestandnews)

The walls of the houses still left in the site
當年樓房的舊牆仍在
(photo from appledaily)

The fight of them keeps going and we still don’t know if the house can be retained.
抗爭仍然繼續，卻不知這座小樓是否能夠保留了。

!steemitworldmap 22.2829948 lat 114.1521828 long d3scr

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Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going!
謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！