Hong Kong Social Development since 1950s

Social Services

• With growing population, HK needed to increase her service on social services, housing and education.

• Education:• Expanded primary, secondary and tertiary

education; (building many primary schools, Chinese University of HK 1963)

• Building Teacher Training Colleges;• Provided 9-year free compulsory education up to

secondary three (1971, 6-year free primary education)

• Objectives:

• To give local people a better education; and

• To modernize HK with skilful labour.

• Housing:

• People grew rapidly, houses had to be built for the people.

• Most new HK comers lived in squatter huts with poor facilities and environment.

• There was a fire in Shek Kip Mei in 1953, about 65,000 became homeless.

• HK had to build houses for these people.

• HK began to build public housing after the fire.• Resettlement estates were built in 1954.• The Hong Kong Housing Society was set up in

1954 to plan public housing.• Low cost housing estates were built in the

1960s.• In the 1970s, government began to redevelop

resettlement estates under The Hong Kong Housing Authority 1973)

• In 1976, HK introduced the Home Ownership Scheme to help people to have their own home/ property with lower market price.

• Today, 40% living in public housing

• Social Welfare:

• HK government began to introduce social welfare by setting up the Social Welfare Office in 1948 (later the Department of Social Welfare in 1958).

• There are different kinds of services.

• The government also works with non-government bodies.

Improvement of livelihood:

• When HK began to develop as a better economy, people demanded to have a better standard of living as they earned more.

• Popular culture (pop songs, television & movies) was developed.

• Songs:• Pop music became popular with western

singers in 1950s.

• In the 1970s, people began to like Mandarin songs and later Cantonese songs.

• People liked to go to concerts.• Television:• TVB (the Television Broadcasts Limited) began

to broadcast in 1967 which is a free TV service.• It became a popular television as it is a free

entertainment and people knows more about the world.

• Movies:

• Films or movies began popular in the 1970s.

• Movie stars began popular such as Bruce Lee & Jackie Chan

• HK movies are well known today everywhere. She is the world’s third movie production in the world.