Peak District Reservation Ordinance 1904

In 1894, the deadly Third Pandemic of Bubonic plague spread from China to Hong Kong, causing 100,000 deaths in Canton alone within two months [6] and subsequently the 1894 Hong Kong plague. Dr. Gomes da Silva, the Principal Medical Officer of Macao, in recording the sanitary condition of the Chinese population, observed that they usually threw house refuse into the street, where it accumulated until such time as the torrential summer rains and the overflow of the Pearl River cleared it away. A study by City University of Hong Kong also attributes the spread of plague to the hygiene and sanitary condition among local population at the time.[11] Governor of Hong Kong Sir William Robinson reported to the British Government that "the filthy habits of life amongst the 210,000 Chinese who reside here have rendered Hong Kong liable to the invasion and development of the germ of the bubonic plague".[12]

In the late 1890s, Europeans who resided in the City of Victoria gradually moved to places of higher altitude to evade such living conditions. But as the ethnic Chinese population continued to increase in the city, and the Europeans were reaching Victoria Peak thus could not move any higher, the Hong Kong Government decided to reserve the Peak for Europeans and other non-Chinese. In the 1904 Government Gazette explained that such reservation of the district was to address such concerns over the health of European people.[8] Between 1894 and 1929, the plague caused 24,000 case of infection in Hong Kong, of which 90% were fatal.[13] In 1929, the plague was eradicated and the law was repealed in 1930 by the Law Revision Ordinance 1930.[14]

20th century Journalist[15] Trea Wiltshire, in her book "Old Hong Kong", believes the Hill District Reservation Ordinance was a law based on social segregation as its goal. At the time one's social status was measured by the altitude of one's residence.[5] One incidental benefit that came with the law included the reservation of the Peak Tram at certain hours of the day.[5] From 8 to 10 am, the tram service was for top officials, first class passengers only, thus guaranteed good commute time.[5] The front seat of the tram was always reserved for the governor, who further accorded its desirable social status by building a summer retreat, the Mountain Lodge.[5] The Peak at the time was referred to by the British as "Little England".[16] Many of the upper-middle class household members would have a dozen to 20 Chinese servants.[16]