Residents of Hong Kong 'cages' await handover
June 25, 1997
Web posted at: 4:37 p.m. EDT (2037 GMT)HONG KONG (CNN) -- As it prepares to return Hong Kong to Chinese rule, Britain says the territory is in excellent economic shape. Perhaps so, for most of Hong Kong's 6.4 million residents. But, for some, home is a literally a cage -- a cramped six-foot (2 meter) cube where four or more people may live because it's all they can afford.
And, like the rest of the territory, residents of the cages are unsure what the handover will bring.
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"I'm very happy about the handover," said one man who has lived in the cages for more than 30 years. "Finally all Chinese people will be back together."
Others are more skeptical of the pending transition. "It's hard to say," one woman said. "There's so much corruption in China -- maybe the British are better."
Tucked away in Kowloon district, far removed from Hong Kong landmarks, a handful of people occupy the crowded cages. Some cages sit atop rows of shops; others are scattered down tiny corridors. A toilet accommodates 30 people, or sometimes more.
One such resident, Michael Chan, pays the equivalent of a couple of U.S. dollars a day for an upper bunk, which he considers home. His construction job pays 10 times that amount, but he says he has a family to support. He welcomes reunification with China.
"I think this is a happy day for Chinese people," he said.
Another resident said she didn't care who was in charge as long as she can put food on her table.
With the July 1 handover only days away, residents of the cages express varying sentiments. But nearly all hope the conditions will not worsen.
Correspondent Richard Blystone contributed to this report.
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