What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

Gwulo's talks

• On Tuesday next week (26 Mar) I'll give a new talk, using old photos to investigate Hong Kong's military history. The venue is a perfect fit for the topic, as we'll be at the United Services Recreation Club (USRC) in Jordan - the club opened in 1911 to offer recreational facilities to the British armed services. The talk is hosted by the local branch of the Orders & Medals Research Society: you'll find full details of the talk on their website.

  If you'd like to attend please click here to contact their Hon. Secretary, Martin Heyes, by e-mail <martin.heyes@gmail.com> and make your reservation (and also to make sure that seats are still available).
   

• Last week's talk, Who in these 1880s-1950s photos called Hong Kong 'home'?, was recorded and can be viewed online at Youtube or Facebook (skip ahead to 1:05 to go to the start of the talk).
  

  Thank you to Gary at the Vibe book and music shop in Silvermine Bay for hosting the event, and to Phil Whelan for managing the multiple microphones and video streams to produce the recording shown above.

  I'd also given that talk a few days earlier, to members and guests of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong. The last few attendees arrived soon after I took this photo, so we had a full house:

  

   

• Looking further ahead, I'll be giving another new talk in May, first on the 8th, then again on the 22nd. It'll take us through the last 18 years of running a Hong Kong history website, showing some of my favourite photos and finds, and also sharing my favourite stories - both stories of Hong Kong's history, and some of the moving personal stories we've heard. 

  The talks in May will be a bit different as we've booked the venues ourselves for the first time. Both venues have large screens and theatre-style seating, perfect for showing high-resolution photos at their best!

  Booking details will follow in early April, but please keep the dates free as I'd love to see you there.
   

General

• Memories of:
  • Growing up in Osborn Barracks
     
  • Shrimp paste on Ma Wan Island
     
  • The old Peak Tram, kept for maintenance use
     

• Dan Ip took listeners to RTHK's 清晨爽利 on a guided trip through several of the photos in my latest book, Volume 5 of Old Hong Kong Photos and The tales They tell. The recording (in Cantonese) is now online, and starts at 05:40 in Part 2.

• The next video interview from Bristol University's Hong Kong History Centre is online, Video #4: Professor Ching May Bo.

  • Professor Ching shares her experiences of researching history in Guangzhou and in Hong Kong: Which has the better resources? What about restrictions and taboo areas for research? Are mainland researchers interested in Hong Kong history? 

    The interview also explores her book about the history of the Tai Ping Theatre, and how the Theatre was not just a cinema but was also an important catalyst for change in local Chinese opera. Finally, she looks at Hong Kong's development, and some of the reasons for its success.

• Readers ask:
  • How to distinguish between Japanese wartime tunnels and mining tunnels?
     
  • HK$104,400.00 in 1918 - what is it worth in today's money?
     

People

Overseas readers, here's your chance to see a Gwulo talk live.

And for local readers, if you couldn't get tickets to last night's talk, there's another chance to see it tomorrow at VIBE on Lantau.

See you there!

The talk begins at 2:30 PM on Saturday 16th March, Hong Kong time (see the time in your timezone).

In person:

• No registration required, just come along to the Vibe Book and Music Shop at: 

  Shop E, Silver Centre, Silvermine Bay, Lantau Island. (Map)

Online:

• Open Vibe's Facebook Live page in your web browser a few minutes before the talk begins, then when the broadcast starts a pop-up window will appear that shows the live video.

What's new and updated on the Gwulo website:
 

General

• Last week's newsletter, Who were the family in these photos?, had some great responses: Gwulo's readers identified the family and the buildings in the photos, then to round it off we heard from a descendant of the family who has added extra information. You can read them all in the comments to the newsletter.
   
• The RAS is now taking bookings for my talk on Thursday 14 March, where I'll show photos of Hong Kong's people taken in the 1880s-1950s, and tell their stories.
  It'll be held at the Visual Arts Centre on Kennedy Road, which is an excellent venue for viewing old photos - it has a large screen, the projector gives a sharp image, plus it has theatre-style seating so everyone can see the screen clearly. The RAS website has details of the talk and how to book.
   
• The jurors lists for 1870, 1871, and 1872 are now online, thanks to volunteer wingcli2015's work to type them up. If you can spare 30 minutes to type up a page and help put another year's list online, please follow these instructions.
   
• The next video interview from Bristol University's Hong Kong History Centre is online, Video #3: Dr Katon Lee.
  • Growing up with several family members who worked in the clothing and tailoring businesses led Katon to study the history of fashion in Hong Kong, in particular the western men's suit. He discusses the reasons local people wore them, and the success of Hong Kong tailoring with international customers - especially with American soldiers who were here during the Vietnam War.
     
• If you have friends who live or grew up near Ping Shan, I wonder if they can recognise this young man - though he will be in his 70s now!
  

  

   

• Readers are looking for:
  • any information readers can add to the brief details Jill knows about her great-grandmother, Yau OLSON (née KUM) [????-????]
     
  • prices of common items in Hong Kong, 1910s-1950s
     
• The special offer on the five-volume set of Gwulo's books has proved popular - just over half the orders received in January and February (14 out of 25) have been for the set. As a reminder, if you order the 5-volume set you get 15% off the normal price, and free shipping worldwide. 
   

People