What's on?

What's on? A bunch of things if you like Hong Kong history...

1. See a cemetery, support Operation Santa

This Saturday and next (11th & 18th Dec) Paul Harrison (he of the RTHK history show) is giving guided tours of the HK Protestant Cemetery in Happy Valley.

Cost is $100 per person, all of which goes to the Operation Santa charity fund raiser. Each tour starts at 10am, lasts 2-3 hours, and will include the Parsee & Jewish cemeteries if there's time.

Contact Paul at phoenixconservation@gmail.com to book a place, or ask any questions.

2. Coastal Defence Museum

I know..., this is open year-round. But there's lots to see outside, and this is the perfect weather for exploring the whole area without getting too cold or too sweaty. Map & opening hours.

Plus if you visit now you'll see:

3. Spy pictures from WW2 Hong Kong

We're not talking James Bond and his miniature camera. These  pictures were hand-drawn by local agents, and sent out through the Japanese lines to the British Army Aid Group.

The drawings were produced at great personal risk, and were one of the tools the allied air-force used to determine targets on their bombing raids. Very interesting - I'll talk about these again another time.

On show at the museum's upper gallery until 16th March. Details and sample pictures.

4. Escape from Hong Kong

It describes the group that escaped from Hong Kong by Motor Torpedo Boat, just as Hong Kong was surrendering to the Japanese. A good mix of personal recollections, interviews with the group's descendants, and items from the escape.

There's no end date specified, so this may well become part of the permanent exhibition. Details.

5. Photos of Hong Kong from 1860s to 1890s.

100 photos, showing a very different Hong Kong!

Free exhibition, At the old Central Police Station til 27 Dec. HK Magazine has sample photos and more details.

Finally, a couple of exhibitions about TST:

6. Tsim Sha Tsui Bus Terminal, Historic Photo Exhibition

Old photos of that area, on display at the Conservancy Association's Centre in Sai Ying Pun. Exhibition runs til Jan 15th - more details.

It's a small exhibition, and many of the photos we've seen before here on Gwulo.com. Worth a look if you're in the area, but I wouldn't make a special journey to see it.

7. The Hidden History of Hung Hom and TST

I haven't seen this yet, as it doesn't open until 13th Dec. It will be held at the 1881 development, the old Marine Police HQ, and runs til 12th Feb. More details.

What else deserves a mention?

Regards, David