Many indigenous inhabitants led a tough life during the Japanese occupation of 1941 to 1945 and were forced to sell their houses very cheaply in exchange for a few catties of rice in a struggle to survive. By the 1950s, not many indigenous inhabitants were left in Nga Tsin Wai. As a result, most houses were leased out to outsiders, many of them employees at the airport. Moving into Nga Tsin Wai made commuting to nearby work convenient. Some of these non-indigenous residents were mainland refugees. Among them were six or seven Shanghainese families who had lived in the village for many years. Law and order in Nga Tsin Wai was good in those days, with a night watch patrol sounding the hour from every evening until dawn. This night watch system still existed as late as the 1980s! Residents recall one very funny story that happened on an evening when there was no night watchman on duty. Ng Hung On’s uncle had fallen asleep outside the door of his home while his eyes were still wide open. A thief who saw him while burglarising someone’s home was scared out of his mind! Hiding and shivering under Ng Hung On’s uncle’s bed, the thief woke him up and was beaten for his trouble.