Athletes are often at the forefront of societal change and it was no different in the late Ching and Republican eras. Drawing on items from these eras in his collection, Roy Delbyck will discuss how athletes and athletics generally embodied modernity and other social change, whether in a photo of Chung Mun Yew (a Chinese Educational Mission student) at the helm of the 1880 Yale Rowing Team or in a program of the 1936 soccer friendly, post-Berlin Olympics, played at Crystal Palace’s grounds in London between the UK and China teams (China's team had a number of Hong Kong players) or in a WWI era scrapbook of Wing Lok Wei, the greatest tennis player in Hong Kong history when Wimbledon success is taken into account. And items featuring “ordinary” Chinese athletes participating in baseball, wrestling, fencing and other sports, in China and abroad, will also be featured.

The Speaker

Roy is a long-time Hong Kong resident, who when not madly collecting memorabilia related to China, practices law with his own firm. Roy spoke to the RAS about his collection in late 2015, and in 2016 was kind enough to host several groups of RAS members at his office for an in-depth look at his collection.

Reception opens 6:30 pm, talk starts 7:00 pm

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