Tribute to Mr. Chen Qiao, the leader of Hong Kong photojournalism | Ron Hui | June 7th riots

Mr. Chen Qiao passed away (1927-2024). Former colleagues of the South China Morning Post, photojournalists and old friends in the journalism industry organized a group to send wreaths to say goodbye. The wreaths sent by commentators, photojournalists, and the “Lost Files” team were inscribed with the inscription “In deep memory of Mr. Chen Qiao, the master of Hong Kong photojournalism.” He worked for the South China Morning Post for 28 years and shot 40,000 rolls of film. Uncle Qiao, who is remembered by Hong Kong people for his superb skills, bravery and sensitivity, left important video records of various important moments in Hong Kong history, such as the Great Escape, The images of the June 7th riots and the ravages of natural disasters also record various aspects of Hong Kong society from the 1960s through photos. Chen Qiao’s news photo collection “History Through the Lens” (published by the Vancouver Overseas Chinese Mutual Aid Association in 2006) selected 280 pictures to leave an eternal mark on history.

The author began to produce the documentary “The Lost Files” in the autumn of 2012, interviewing people who experienced the June 7th riots, listening to testimonies, and then checking them at the Hong Kong Government Archives Office and the Historical Archives. After entering hundreds of keywords, I was shocked to find that the historical archives stored only 21 seconds of left-wing riot footage, which was hidden in nine DVD discs. The contents were all images of left-wing demonstrators chanting slogans during a march in Central in May 1967. The Government Information Service, led by the then Director of External Affairs Peter Moss, had lost all the images of the riots taken day and night.

What about text files? Most of the documents exchanged and reported by the British Hong Kong government to the United Kingdom on the development of the situation have disappeared. Only a few pages of yellowed paper remain in the thick folder, and trivial details can be found, such as a street meter (slot machine) that was burned by rioters, and the document mentions the replacement cost. If you enter a prisoner or prisoners, you can see the leave records of each cell supervisor, the crime process of a certain South Asian murderer, the family investigation and plea letter of a certain murderer, etc. Ironically, this information has nothing to do with the June 7th riots, which only occurred in 1967.

Escape to Hong Kong to witness life and death, hold back tears and complete the mission

In the summer of 1987, the author interned at the South China Morning Post and met Mr. Chen Qiao, the director of photography at the time. The senior entered the industry in 1956 and joined the South China Morning Post three years later. When I met Uncle Qiao, he had already experienced hundreds of battles. He deployed manpower every day and gave orders. He was kind and friendly to us yellow-haired girls and answered all our questions. During the great exodus from Hong Kong in 1962, thousands of mainland refugees emerged. Uncle Qiao photographed a couple crying and leaving. In the picture, Mr. Ye lives and works in Hong Kong. His wife brought her two children to reunite with her, but she was immediately arrested and released. The image of “crying for farewell” marked the times and was later made into a poster posted outside the entrance of the Hong Kong Museum of History on Chatham Road.

The great exodus to Hong Kong, known as the “smuggling wave” in Hong Kong, has occurred four times since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Among them, the three-year famine in 1962 was the most serious, with more than two million people from Guangdong Province influxing into the country. The Chinese Communist Party also referred to the Great Famine as the “Three Years of Difficulty Period” or the “Three Years of Natural Disasters” to excuse the tens of millions of victims who died from famine. In order to get a bite of food, people turned into “river crossing soldiers” one after another, using the spirit of burning the cauldron and sinking the boat to get through.

Chen Qiao came from a humble background and was very sympathetic to the refugees. After submitting enough news photos to fill the page, he once threw away the negatives of refugee hideouts he took in the woods rather than handing them over to the newspaper. “I think they are very miserable, and I have violated professional ethics (not handing the photos to the newspaper). But in that situation, people are kind-hearted, and there was nothing that the stowaways could do if they were caught by the police. Sometimes the police will sympathize with them and let them leave if they can’t catch them.”

Interview: He was in danger several times during the June 7th riots and continued filming without fear of risks after recovering from injuries

In May 2013, I flew from Hong Kong to Vancouver to interview Mr. Chen Qiao. Before setting off, do some calculations: Uncle Qiao is 86 years old. Is his thinking clear? Can you still remember the details of the June 7th riots? I was overjoyed that Uncle Qiao could tell me everything from interview experience, shooting experience, growth marks, etc.

Chen Qiao interviewed the entire process of the leftist riots. He described that the frontline interview was full of landmines, and there were often people in the crowd inciting: “Hit the reporters!” The riots lasted for eight months, and evolved from strikes, demonstrations, and strikes to homemade pineapples all over the streets ( That is, real and fake bombs), the lives of citizens are threatened, and journalists are even targeted. “I always shoot according to the situation. I take two pictures and leave immediately. I can’t stay without warning. It was too dangerous at that time.”

The Zuobao reporter, who had a good relationship with Uncle Qiao, became strangers during those days. Chen Qiao works for the South China Morning Post and is regarded as the mouthpiece of the British Hong Kong government. Chinese people are called “yellow-skinned dogs” and foreign colleagues are called “white-skinned pigs”. The risk factor of interviews is higher.

Once, Chen Qiao and his foreign colleagues went out in an interview car and were stopped on Nathan Road. When leftists saw foreigners, they immediately shouted and beat them up. Chen Qiao insisted that his colleagues were Chinese and asked to be let go. There was a little space on the road between the entanglement, and the driver hurriedly stepped on the accelerator to rush out of the encirclement, allowing them to avoid disaster.

“This photo was taken in Tung Tau Estate, San Po Kong. The angle was not good from behind the police. Chen Hui of Sing Tao Daily and I walked to a position far away from the police to take a good photo. But we retreated. I was surrounded and beaten all over. They robbed me of all my films and watches, and I almost wanted to cry for help. Fortunately, a young man in white clothes, probably a clerk, came out of the bank and rescued me.”

Uncle Qiao was still frightened when talking about the photo indicating where he stood at that time. Remembering that all the photos he had taken earlier were lost, Chen Qiao endured the pain and returned to the police rear. He and his colleagues took the film and took another photo, leaving behind this photo. “At that time, the police did not dare to provoke them. They only pointed fingers and cursed…The police were very restrained. Later, when the situation became serious, the police issued warning signs. If you come here again, I will use tear gas bombs, and the result will be bang bang bang bang bang.” There were a lot of tear bombs, and I was shooting from behind, and those people ran away.”

The “Committee of All walks of life in Hong Kong and Kowloon Against the Struggle against British Persecution in Hong Kong” was established on May 16. Yang Guang, chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions, serves as director, and Fei Yimin, president of Ta Kung Pao, serves as vice president. The Struggle Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Working Committee called on all fronts to take turns protesting outside the Hong Kong Governor’s Office. From May 18 to 21, more than a thousand people gathered outside the Hong Kong Governor’s Office every day. The crowd sang red songs and forced the adjutant on guard to listen to them recite Mao’s quotations.

Being beaten during the interview in Dongtou Village did not dampen Chen Qiao’s determination to record history. On May 21, outside the Hong Kong Government House, he and other foreign media reporters were once again criticized and attacked. “This photo was taken three days after I was injured and I went to the Government House to take a photo. This group of leftists held red pouches (i.e. “Quotations from Chairman Mao”) and put up posters to protest at the Government House. This was the first time in the history of Hong Kong At that time, the Hong Kong government was very tolerant. They went to protest every day, and TV stations and even overseas TV stations came to film… At this time, they objected and started arguing here. “

Kitty, the personal assistant of the Governor of Hong Kong, Mr. Dai, holds a regular meeting with Mr. Dai at 8 o’clock every morning to discuss the latest situation. Jida said that leftist leaders had promised him that demonstrators would protest peacefully and not cause trouble. “We even allowed them to shake the gates and post things. Of course, if someone sticks their hand in the eye of a police officer, that’s a problem.”

The leftists’ actions continued to escalate, demanding a meeting with David Tai and shouting his name outside the Hong Kong Governor’s House. Left-wing newspapers used slogans such as “Hang Dai Linzhi” and “The British Emperor’s Executioner”, which greatly increased the pressure on Dai Linzhi. The suffering lasted until the end of June, when Dai Linzhi returned to the UK for vacation on health grounds.

The June 7th riots triggered the first wave of immigration

The June 7th riots caused social turmoil, and citizens with stronger economic strength sold their assets to immigrate. This was the first wave of immigration in Hong Kong. Chen Qiao was a witness to the leftist riots. He recalled that there was a period when trams, buses and even roads stopped running, and citizens had to take trucks to work, and there were many complaints. Uncle Qiao’s experience and the photos he took are rare witnesses to this period of Hong Kong’s history.

The status of the leader is worthy of his name.

Uncle Qiao has six children, and the burden of providing books and teaching is very heavy. He loves news photography and Hong Kong even more. He served as the chief photography director of the South China Morning Post until his retirement. Uncle Qiao believes that photojournalists need to have strong interest, great courage, extraordinary boldness, agility and a high degree of photographic acumen. Taking news pictures requires precise judgment, mental preparation before work, and knowing how to capture people’s movements and expressions.

Mr. Chan Kiu (1927-2024) accompanied the people of Hong Kong through the turbulent years, with superb skills and empathy. He has won more than 30 Hong Kong and international awards. In 1985, he was awarded the Queen’s Medal of Honor. He is the only Chinese photojournalist to receive this honor. In his last years, Uncle Qiao received treatment at Richmond Hospital several times and received careful care from medical staff. The family hopes that Uncle Qiao’s old friends will donate the money to the Richmond Hospital Foundation to benefit the community. His passing was saddened, and the media circles across the country were friendly. His former colleagues at the South China Morning Post sent wreaths to express their condolences. The team of the florist Proline Floral & Décor produced the most brilliant flowers for us to set off Uncle Qiao’s dazzling life.

My dear Uncle Qiao was laid to rest at Parkview PH3#1806, Cosland Cemetery, Burnaby City on April 19, 2024. All walks of life are welcome to leave messages on Mr. Chen Qiao’s memorial page. His family sincerely expresses his sincere gratitude. The pictures used in this article are all classic photos of Uncle Qiao. People went to take photos and were authorized by the South China Morning Post to see off the seniors.

1. Mr. Chen Qiao’s memorial page (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/burnaby-bc/kiu-chan-11758998)
2. Richmond Hospital Foundation (https://www.richmondhospitalfoundation.com/)
3. Florist PROLINE Trading International (https://www.prolineevent.ca/)

Introduction to the author of this article, Ron Hui:

Ron Hui: Investigative journalist and documentary director. He has successively filmed news documentaries in the news department of “Radio Television Hong Kong” and “Asia Television” “Current Affairs”, Vancouver’s “New Era TV” and “TVB” “Sunday Files”. The previous work “The Lost Files” (2017) restored the forgotten history of the June 7th riots in Hong Kong.

Note: This article was submitted to The Epoch Times by director Ron Hui and does not represent the position of The Epoch Times.

Editor in charge: Wang Hongsheng