David Bellis first presented this lecture to the RAS in 2016. We’ve asked him back for a repeat performance as he recently published a new book, Volume 3 of Old Hong Kong Photos and The Tales They Tell, that was based on this lecture.

He will use photos from his collection to show us Hong Kong’s famous harbour through the eyes of several very different groups. The Royal Navy, local fishermen, dragon boat racers, visiting tourists, swimmers, and sailors are just some of the people we’ll meet.

Most of the photos were taken in the early years of the 20th century and show a Hong Kong that has long since disappeared. They have been scanned at high-resolution and digitally restored, so David can zoom in to show us their details, and uncover their hidden stories.

The Speaker

David runs the popular local-history website, Gwulo.com. It hosts over 34,000 pages about old Hong Kong, including over 20,000 photos. In 2014 David won the SCMP's Spirit of Hong Kong award for Heritage Preservation, for his work on Gwulo.com. He has published three collections of old Hong Kong photos and their stories.

Time: Reception desk opens at 10:30am; talk starts at 11:00am.

Admission: RAS Members $100; Non-Members / Guests $150

Booking: Please email <membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk> in advance to reserve your place and pay at the door.