Between 2016 and 2020, what physical remains existed from the era of Hong Kong Mean Time (7h 36m 41.86s ahead of Greenwich) – 1884-1904 – were discovered by a joint project involving three HK researchers: the presenter, Mr Shun Chi-ming (at the beginning of the project, Director of the Hong Kong Observatory), and Mr Willie Yip Tsan-pong of the Lands Department’s Survey and Mapping Office, our vital surveying expert, who pinpointed the remains we then found.

In the talk I’ll explain what Hong Kong Mean (or Local) Time was and why it was. Why knowing its value to within 1/100th of a second mattered, and how, technically, the trick was worked in an era before cheap and instant electronic communication. That explanation will bring in the Hong Kong Meridian - 1140 10’ 27”.79 E – and the five physical structures that marked it, all the remains of which we had discovered by late November 2020.

Few more than a score of the many, similar meridian marks that once dotted the globe and were vital to navigation, the expansion of world trade and the advancement of the science of time still exist. We believe Hong Kong’s to be unique in East and Southeast Asia. Happily, the Hong Kong Observatory is looking after them for now, though they have no official protection under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance and, as things are at present, are not very likely to get it.

The Speaker

Stephen Davies has been in Hong Kong on and off since 1947. His fascination with navigation and its history began with service in the Royal Navy in the early 1960s. Until his final retirement this year, he taught at the University of Hong Kong.

His history of seafarers’ welfare in Hong Kong, Strong to Save, Maritime Mission in Hong Kong from Whampoa Reach to the Mariners’ Club, was published by City University of Hong Kong Press in 2017. His new book, Transport to another world: HMS Tamar and the Sinews of Empire will be published by City University of Hong Kong Press at the end of 2021.

Time: 7.00pm - 8.00pm Hong Kong Time (desk reception opens at 6.30pm)

Venue: Cafe 8, above HK Maritime Museum

Admission: Cafe 8 HK$150 for RASHK Members, HK$200 for guests/non-Members. Numbers are limited. No charge for alternative Zoom

Booking: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk in advance to register your attendance for either Cafe 8 or Zoom