Old Hong Kong Photos & The Tales They Tell
A talk by David Bellis
Everyone interested in the history of Hong Kong is welcome to attend.
David Bellis, B.E.M., who runs the popular website www.gwulo.com, will visit Exeter to show some of his fascinating photos of old Hong Kong.
Dating from the early 20th century back to the 1880s, the photos show an old Hong Kong that has long since disappeared. They have been scanned at high resolution, enabling David to show us the photos' minutest details, and so reveal their hidden stories.
David was awarded the British Empire Medal for his services to Heritage Preservation in Hong Kong in this year's New Year’s Honours List.
- Date : Saturday, 8 November 2025
- Time : 2:00pm doors open. 2:30pm talk begins. (Talk lasts appx 1 hour, followed by Q&A, and time to chat with fellow guests.)
- Theme : Extracts from his first book of photos and stories of old Hong Kong
- Venue : Exeter Library (Rougemont room), Castle Street, Exeter EX4 3PQ [Map]
- Pre-Booking is required : To order your ticket(s), please email grace@gwulo.com
- Lecture cost :
- Standard ticket : £10 / person
- Full time student : £5 / person
(Grace will share the booking payment BACS details on receipt of your booking email)
The speaker : David has recently returned to the UK after more than thirty years in Hong Kong. He started the Gwulo website in 2009 giving a unique space for people to learn about Hong Kong’s history and share their experience. With over 50,000 pages, including over 30,000 pictures, it is a marvellous resource for those interested. As well as his recent British Empire Medal, David received the SCMP’s Spirit of Hong Kong award for Heritage Preservation for his work on Gwulo in 2014.
David is a regular speaker, using photos from his collection to introduce Hong Kong’s history in a way that is easy for audiences to enjoy. He has also published a series of five illustrated books, Volumes 1 – 5 of Old Hong Kong Photos and The Tales They Tell. The Chinese translation of Volume 1 was published this year. The books will be available to buy at a discounted price, either in person at the event, or by pre-order when you buy your tickets.