Welcome

Gwulo.com is for everyone that is interested in old Hong Kong.

If it's your first visit, you might like to start with one of the popular articles listed on the right, or just scroll down to browse through recent articles.

I hope you'll join in too, and ask a question or share your knowledge. Most pages let you leave a comment, and there's always the Forum where you can post a new message.

Enjoy the site,

David

PS 'Gwu lo' is roughly how '古老' sounds in Cantonese. It means 'ancient' or 'old-fashioned'.

Traffic-Police Pagodas

Submitted by moddsey on Wed, 2012-01-25 13:51
in

Thanks to regular contributor Moddsey for this compilation of photos showing the old Traffic-Police Pagodas through the years.

The first photo is from the 1920s. It shows the corner of Pedder Street and Queen's Road Central, with Wyndham (Flower St) on the left. Note the Chinese policeman with the black and white traffic stave (2 1/2 feet long). Traffic police were armed with traffic staves for the first time on 21 November 1922 for the pupose of signalling traffic to halt at busy road junctions. (Source: HK Daily Press 22 November 1922). Read more »

70 years ago

Submitted by David on Sun, 2012-01-22 06:09

Seventy years ago, Hong Kong had recently surrendered to the Japanese, and the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong had begun.

A new project on Gwulo.com gives you a daily summary of news from 70 years ago, compiled from diaries and newspapers of the time. Here are some recent examples: Read more »

c.1910 Ship's crew at Hong Kong

Submitted by David on Wed, 2012-01-11 21:43
in

The seller didn't include much detail for this photo, so we'll have to make do with a bit of guesswork. If you can add anything to the story, please let us know in the comments below.

Who: Certainly not a bunch of tourists, they're Read more »

Gwulo in 2012

Submitted by Admin on Thu, 2012-01-05 18:55

Here's how we did in 2011, plans for 2012, and some ideas if you'd like to help. Read more »

29 Dec 1941. Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reports "Ceremonial entry into Hong Kong by Imperial Japanese Army and Navy"

Submitted by David on Thu, 2011-12-29 23:28
Book / Document: 
Asahi Shimbun
Date of events described: 
Mon, 1941-12-29

I bought this Japanese newspaper on eBay a couple of years ago. It is seventy years old today.

I can't read any Japanese, but the seller included this description:

The main headline is:

"Ceremonial entry into Hong Kong by Imperial Japanese Army and Navy "

Some articles and pictures: Read more »

Merry Christmas, 1927-style

Submitted by David on Thu, 2011-12-22 14:00
in

What: If last week's photo was an odd choice for a postcard, this is an even stranger choice for a Christmas card!

But it originally appeared in a 1927 Christmas card, no doubt meant to give an interesting view of foreign life for the folk back home.

It's a pretty card. Here's how it looks as it comes out of the envelope: Read more »

c.1930 Tourist magnet

Submitted by David on Fri, 2011-12-16 16:00
in

What: Forget Disneyland and Ocean Park, for many years this view was a top choice for postcards. But why would you want to send a postcard of the Albany filter beds?

They seem plain now, but listen to this description from 1893: Read more »

8 Dec 1941: Hong Kong at War

Submitted by David on Thu, 2011-12-08 08:00

Seventy years ago today, Japanese bombers attacked Kai Tak airfield and the Hong Kong public realised war had arrived. Here are Mabel Redwood's recollections of those days.

I was a young 18 when the Japs attacked Hong Kong, living with my mother and two elder sisters Olive and Barbara in a flat in Gap Road, Happy Valley.

The flats on Gap Road where Mabel lived

I was working as a shorthand typist at Army HQ, though my real ambition was to train as a nurse. My mother had made enquiries about this training two years earlier, but it seemed that no facilities were available in Hong Kong for girls of my age to start this. I had a boyfriend Sid Hale who was the pianist and clarinetist in the Royal Scots Band.

Something's up

Sid and I had gone to lunch at the Dairy Farm shop in Central on Sunday 7th December 1941, and we had just about finished eating when somebody came in, called for silence, and said  Read more »

Christmas gift ideas

Submitted by David on Tue, 2011-12-06 11:56

If your friend likes old Hong Kong, here are a few ideas for gifts you can order online at Gwulo.com. We deliver worldwide:

Photos of old Hong Kong

These are high-quality prints of photos from my collection, ready for framing. They date from the 1880s to the 1970s, and show some aspect of Hong Kong life that caught my eye.

Click here to browse the catalogue of photos.

Coffee-table book of old Hong Kong photos

If you'd rather have a collection of photos, I recommend this lovely big book from FormAsia.

The largest photos are printed across two pages and measure 71cm x 27cm (that's 2' 4" x 10.5" in old money), so there's lots of detail to see.

Click here for my review, then click here to order your copy.

1935-7 James McAndrew's photos

Submitted by David on Mon, 2011-11-28 10:00

I'm always pleased to see new collections of old photos, but this came at an even better time than usual. We moved house last week, and between packing, unpacking and cleaning, there hasn't been any time to get a new photo ready.

So I was very pleased to hear from Alan, who said he'd recently scanned in several photos from his father-in-law's album, was visiting Hong kong, and would I like to see them.

Yes please!

Here's a sample, the Bank of East Asia building decorated for King George VI's coronation on 12 May 1937: Read more »

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