Welcome to Gwulo

Here you'll find over 50,000 pages about old Hong Kong to explore, including over 30,000 photos. The content is added by a friendly community of people who enjoy sharing what we know about Hong Kong's history, and you are very welcome to join us.

Kind regards, David

P.S. To receive more old Hong Kong photos and stories, please sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

New on Gwulo: 2023, week 16

Submitted by Admin on Sat, 04/22/2023 - 12:06

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

Next Thursday evening, 27 April, I'm giving a talk to the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. We'll see a selection of photos from my collection, but also look at what goes on behind the scenes:

  • Where to find old photos
  • Tips for buying, and scams to watch out for
  • Potential causes of damage and how to keep your photos safe
  • Using the computer to enhance the photos
  • Uncovering the photos’ stories
  • Photos in print vs. photos on screen
  • The latest artificial-intelligence tools, how they can improve a photo’s appearance, but also their limitations

Guests and non-members are welcome, so it will be great to see you there if you're free. The talk will be held at the Visual Arts Centre on Kennedy Road, and starts at 7pm. Click for details & booking.
 


 

General

Essays on Hong Kong's military structures from the colonial era, by Davies, Lai, Tan, and Weir

Submitted by lawrencelai on Sun, 04/16/2023 - 16:19

This week's newsletter is a team-effort guest post. It introduces a bumper crop of essays about wartime Hong Kong and the military structures whose ruins can still be seen around the Hong Kong countryside.

  1. The Battle of Hong Kong: a Note on the Literature and Effectiveness of the Defence
    [View online via JSTOR or in print at the HK Public Library]
    • Lai, L.W.C. (1999{2001})
    • Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 39, pp.115-136. [Publisher: Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society; ISSN: 0085-5774]
       
  2. Survey of the Devil’s Peak Redoubt and Gough Battery
    [View online via JSTOR or in print at the HK Public Library]
    • Lai, L.W.C., Ho. D.C.W., and Leung, H.F. (2003)
    • Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 42, pp. 101-137. [Publisher: Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society; ISSN: 0085-5774] 
    • Related pages on Gwulo.com: 
  3. Survey of the Pottinger Battery

New on Gwulo: 2023, week 14

Submitted by Admin on Sun, 04/09/2023 - 01:00

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General

Old Hong Kong in the UK

Submitted by David on Sun, 04/02/2023 - 22:00

Greetings from springtime London. I'm at the end of a visit to the UK, mostly spent visiting family and friends, but I also took the chance to find some new photos and maps of old Hong Kong.

Festival of Cards

When I'm planning a trip to the UK I'll check the Postcard Traders Association's calendar to see if any postcard fairs will be on. Luckily the start of this visit coincided with the Festival of Cards, advertised as Britain's largest postcard fair.

The Postcard fairs aren't as good sources of Hong Kong cards as they used to be - most dealers in the UK who get any Hong Kong postcards now post them straight to eBay, knowing there is always a good demand for them there. Still, at an event as large as this there should still be some interesting finds.

Festival of Cards, 2023

Down among the stalls I run through a standard routine, starting with the obvious question, "Do you have any Hong Kong cards?" Many will answer no, but if I'm lucky I'll be pointed to a box like this.

New on Gwulo: 2023, week 12

Submitted by David on Sat, 03/25/2023 - 21:58

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General