Hong Kong square 1920s.jpg

Chris HK
Sun, 02/22/2015 - 01:41
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Hong Kong square 1920s.jpg

Does anyone recognize this place?  I am assuming it is in Hong Kong and I can place it in the 1920s due to the movie posters.  It was taken about 1925.

Date picture taken
1920s
Tags
Hong Kong
1920s
Gallery
1920s Hong Kong
Shows place(s)
American Board Mission - Congregational Church [????-????]
Garden Lot 40 [????-????]
Chinese YMCA Student Hostel [1913-c.1960]

Comments

I can see scouts in the group, but I don't think that helps with the location!

On the back wall above the centre steps there is a sign with chinese characters that looks like it ends with "Do", the character for "Road". I can't read the other characters, but wonder if they give any clues?

Regards, David

The poster in the front is for the film Number Please? by Harold Lloyd.  It was screened in 1920.

http://www.threemoviebuffs.com/review/number-please.html

The the left of Harold Lloyd is a large poster with Chinese words.  When zoomed, it talks about a grand ball at a place called the "Japan Club" for 10th October, National Day for the Chinese Republic.  Do we have any link or record to a Japan Club or Japan Association Building? 

I have no idea where this field is.

breskvar

Hi There,

Allow me to describe:

  1. In the foreground, there seem to be a wire fence with flags being hung intermittedly.  Are those shipping signal flags?  The flags were on the left hand side too;
  2. The site appeared to be some sort of a playground.  The 'No Smoking in the playground' sign seemed to agree;
  3. There were boys in uniform.  Not just scouts.  There were those in white wearing white hats with dark brim;
  4. Lots of hats.  Fedoras, Panama Hats, Solar Topees;
  5. Quite a few suits with bowties, and ordinary neckties too.  Must be some sort of ceremony;
  6. Also in the foreground there was a billboard with Movie news.  Toby's Bow (Staring Tom Moore) and 'Number Please' (Staring Harold Lloyd);
  7. The same billboard has Harold Lloyd's Chinese nickname 神經六 on a poster, mentioning the 2 acts short file.  The same poster mentioned on the 9th and 11th of the month (don't know which) Harold Lloyd's film will show for two evenings;
  8. The Chinese name of 'Toby's Bow' was shown as 文字姻緣, 5 acts.
  9. I wonder if the playground would double as an open air cinema;
  10. On the left hand side of the billboard, there was a faded poster mentioning the celebration of the 10th October (without mentioning the year) with schedule of saluting the flag at 0800 hrs, a patriatic banquet at 1800 hrs, as well a members gala evening at 2000 hrs.  So this narrowed down to sometime after 10th October of some year;
  11. There was a photographer and a big camera on wooden tripod at the back.  Lookd like the stage was right behind the billboard;  Was it some school event?

For now.

Thanks & Best Regards,

T

 

This photo is taken from the roof of the Chinese YMCA building looking south. The street in the foreground is Bridges Street. The sloping street in the background is Rosario Street. At the very top of the photograph the balustrade for U Lam Terrace can be seen. This balustrade still exists today but the retaining wall has been covered in concrete panels. The building on the left hand side of the photo is the American Board Mission Congregational Church. The playground/open space is now the site of the Island Christian Academy. 

I wonder if it is possible to discover if the gathering of people was American mission or YMCA related? The children on the left seem to be wearing a uniform. Perhaps they are part of the mission school.

Thank-you so much for finding this location.  While I'm not sure if the event was related to the YMCA, I have a related picture of a public swimming pool which may have been part of the YMCA. I will try to post it if I haven't already.

I found this on-line: [From: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/common/ebook/Old-Town-Central_booklet_EN.pdf. p. 8]

"Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, Bridges Street Centre

Local architecture was greatly enriched when Western and Chinese influences came together during the colonial era. The Bridges Street Centre of the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong is a case in point. Completed in 1918, the centre is a six-storey blend of Chicago School architecture and Chinese roofing techniques. Founded in 1901, Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong was one of the city’s first youth centres for teenagers. The centre on Bridges Street is the first onein Hong Kong that has an indoor playground, swimming pool, a hall, a fitness centre, restaurants and a hostel. In the early 20th century, it was a major social centre for the Chinese community." p. 8

This extract is from a 1922 HK Map, the photograph was taken from the YMCA on Bridges Street with the people on the U Lam Terrace above in the background, with the square below.