The Canton-Hong Kong strike (省港大罷工) was a strike and boycott in that took place between Hong Kong and Guangdong, China from June 1925 to October 1926.[1][2] It started out as a response to the May 30 Movement shooting incidents in which Chinese protesters were massacred by the British.
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On May 30, 1925 Sikh police under British command opened fire on a crowd of Chinese demonstrators at the Shanghai International Settlement. At least 9 demonstrators were killed, and many others wounded.[1] To further escalate the incident, on June 23, 1925 a heated demonstration in Shamian took place as part of the Shakee massacre.[2] Troops under foreign command killed more than 50 Chinese protesters and wounded almost 120 more.[1]
Guangdong called for a strike especially in Hong Kong where British imperialism was apparent. The Kuomintang leaders and Soviet advisors even considered attacking the International Settlement in Shamian.[1] Anti-British pamphlets were passed around in HK. Rumors also spread that the Colonial government planned to poison the colony's water supplies.[1] Guangdong offered free train passage to HK. In the first week or protest, more than 50,000 Chinese left HK. Food prices soared. The colony was a ghost town by July. By the end of July, some 250,000 Chinese left for Guangdong.[1] The worse of the strike was over by 1926.[1]
The British government had to provide a trade loan of 3 million pounds to prevent the economy from collapsing. An anti-British goods boycott continued for several more months.[1] The economy was paralyzed and HK's total trade fell by 50%, shipping diminished by 40%, rents decreased by 60%.[2]
The Canton-Hong Kong strike plays a prominent part in André Malraux's first novel, The Conquerors (1928).