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Ice at the Peak, January 2016
Yesterday I wrote there was a strong chance of frost during the current cold spell. The Observatory website showed the temperature at the Peak had already dropped below zero this morning, so off we...
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c.1946 View over HK harbour from May Road
When: A couple of clues say this photo was taken not long after the end of WW2. First there's the blotchy appearance of the Peninsula Hotel, still wearing the camouflage paint applied during the...
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Seventies-style Chinese New Year
Gung hei fat choy!Over to a couple of contributors for memories of Chinese New Year in the late 1970s. First a photo from Cliff, showing the old HSBC building, decorated for the occasion:Then Kirstin,...
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View of Hongkong island from TST
What: The old KCR Terminus and clocktower is in the foreground. It's the reason I bought the photo, to add this view to the clocktower project.Where: The photographer is somewhere high up. See those...
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Early photos of Hong Kong island
Thank you to Martyn Gregory for sharing these old photos of Hong Kong island with us. They date back to the late 1800s.You can click on any photo to visit its page. There you can zoom in to see more...
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1906-40: Warren Swire’s Hong Kong
In 1904, aged just 21, G. Warren Swire became a director of his father’s firm, John Swire & Sons Ltd. Two years later he was sailing east to visit the company’s operations in China. Fortunately for...
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Sharing maps
The next new feature for Gwulo's maps makes them easier to share. Take a look at the map below, then click these links to see how it changes. Let's start by zooming in to the area around Central Police...
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Barbara Anslow remembers old Hong Kong. Part 1: 1927-29
In February I visited Barbara Anslow for a chat about her memories of moving to Hong Kong in 1927, aged eight years old. Below the recording I've added photos and additional notes.(E-mail subscribers,...
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1953 Nathan Road
Where: We're looking south along Nathan Road. Over on the left, just behind that big tree, is the junction with Kimberley Road.What: What would you say is the main item in this photo? The photographer...
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Asking for help with Gwulo's running costs
If you enjoy the Gwulo website and newsletters, please consider making a small contribution towards the monthly running costs.The short version:Running Gwulo takes 20-30 hours of my time each week,...
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New map: 1956 Kowloon
I've just finished adding this 1956 map of Kowloon to our collection. (Show me) <= Click the 'Show me' to update the map, and show the 1956 overlay...What does it show us about Kowloon in the...
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Exploring the Japanese wartime sites at Tai Mo Shan
A couple of weekends ago I joined Thomas to explore the WW2 radar station [1] and anti-aircraft gun sites [2] that the Japanese built on Tai Mo Shan. We'd read Tymon Mellor's account of the Japanese...
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1920s Sheung Wan
Where: There's a shop sign for "Lee Jim Kee / 李占記" that shows the address:Although the text is a bit fuzzy, we can see it's a single digit address on Bonham Strand East. That's close to the junction...
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Barbara Anslow remembers old Hong Kong. Part 2: 1938-42
In part 1, Barbara talked about her first visit to Hong Kong as a young girl, living here from 1927 to 1929.In this part 2, Barbara tells us about returning to Hong Kong in 1938, then being evacuated...
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The changing faces of the Star Ferry pier off Ice House Street
Two rounds of reclamation ago, the Star Ferry pier was at the junction of Connaught Road and Ice House Street. Here's how it looked when it opened in 1912:It was a popular subject, so we've built up a...
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1911-12: Warren Swire’s second visit to Hong Kong
The highlight of his first visit was the construction of the new Taikoo dockyard [1] at Quarry Bay. On this next visit, four years later, he could show it as a going concern.He took several photos of...
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1866 Map of Hong Kong
The latest addition to our overlaid maps is this 1866 map of Hong Kong's north shore, originally printed in the 1867 edition of The Chronicle and Directory for China, Japan, & the Philippines.Thank...
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1950s View of Central from the harbour
Where: No problem identifying this one, we're looking at Central from the harbour, with the HSBC building in the centre. When: Down in the foreground there's reclamation underway, with piles poking out...
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Hong Kong's foundations
And in particular four of its foundation stones. This first one lives on a small island, 30+ miles southwest from Hong Kong:So not exactly Hong Kong, but it's definitely part of Hong Kong's history....
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Chinese photographers in 19th century Hong Kong
Terry Bennett has written a three-volume history of photography in China in the nineteenth century. He has very kindly allowed us to post the chapter about Chinese photographers in Hong Kong here on...
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