[2 Mar 2023 Update: It has been decided to cancel the talk, as there will be a national rail strike on 1st April that means many of the people who wanted to attend won't be able to get to the venue. I look forward to seeing you on a future visit. Best regards, David.]
I'm very grateful to the Friends of RASHK for inviting me to give a talk and show a selection of my favourite photos. Non-members are very welcome, so I'm looking forward to meeting Gwulo's readers and contributors who are based in the UK. Booking is required, please see the details below.
Regards, David
Date: Saturday 1st April 2023
Venue: The Royal Asiatic Society, 14 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD (map)
Time: 2:00 pm
Speaker: David Bellis
Title: The Stories behind Old Hong Kong Photos, a.k.a. GWULO’S Greatest Hits
Optional lunch: 12:00 noon at Chutneys, 124 Drummond Street, London NW1 2PA (map)
Booking is required: Email to Florence at Florence.lkcan@gmail.com. When booking please say if you wish to join the lunch.
Lecture cost: £10 for members, £12 for guests to include refreshment after the talk
Additional information:
THE STORIES BEHIND OLD HONG KONG PHOTOS, a.k.a. GWULO’S GREATEST HITS
Join author and historian David Bellis as he explores Hong Kong through his favourite photos dating from the 1880s through to the 1960s, specially enlarged for the big screen so that hidden details are revealed.
With David’s guidance, discover clues that identify when and where the photos were taken, who and what they show, and ultimately the stories of the people and events that make up Hong Kong's remarkable history. Includes a Q&A session and a sneak peek at David’s newest book in his series. This talk was originally presented at the 2023 Hong Kong International Literary Festival.
David Bellis is the creator of the Hong Kong history website, Gwulo.com. He collects old photos of Hong Kong and has published his favourite photos in a series of books, Old Hong Kong Photos and The Tales They Tell.
Writing about history was never the plan – David left school with a firm dislike of both English and History, studied Computer Science then worked as a Software Engineer. But in 1992 a move to Hong Kong meant having to find a new job in a hurry and forced a switch from programming to sales. That lead to writing newsletters to keep customers updated, and as he found it was surprisingly satisfying, he also started writing a blog as a hobby. A new baby caused the next upheaval. David quit the sales job to spend less time travelling, expanded the blog into a website, and narrowed its focus to Hong Kong’s history. He still wrote newsletters though and found that sharing an old photo from his collection and inviting readers to explore its hidden details helped make the history easier to digest.
David’s talk will be held at the RAS HQ at Euston, details above, and will begin at 2:00 p.m. For this lecture we have an optional self-paying lunch beforehand at Chutneys, 124 Drummond Street, London NW1 2PA (corner of North Gower Street) starting at 12:00 noon. Tel: 020 7388 0604. This is an Asian vegetarian buffet, very reasonably priced and delicious. They have asked us to please arrive by 12 noon as it isn’t a large restaurant, so they can accommodate us all comfortably. Full details of cost and how to pay will follow in due course. As Chutneys is a short walk from the RAS HQ, we will begin David’s talk at 2:00 pm.