What happened to the ornate mansions, villas and townhouses built by Hong Kong's elite from the 1850s to the early 20th century?
Journalist Christopher DeWolf delves into the history of the grandiose residences that once dotted the Mid-Levels and the influential people who built them. From the grandmother of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the tycoons that shaped Hong Kong — including Sir Robert Ho Tung, Sir Catchick Paul Chater, Hormusjee Naorojee Mody and Eu Tong Sen — these long-gone mansions tell the story of Hong Kong’s early years as a crossroads of commerce and culture.
The Speaker
Christopher DeWolf is a journalist who has lived in Hong Kong since 2008. He was drawn by the contrasts of the city's street life: quiet lanes filled with stray cats and potted plants; sleek glass-and-steel footbridges; frenetic markets where rainbow umbrellas shelter fresh vegetables and flopping fish. He is the managing editor of Zolima CityMag and his work on urbanism, architecture, design, art and culture has appeared in the South China Morning Post, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, TIME and many other publications.
Christopher’s book on Hong Kong's grassroots urban culture, Borrowed Spaces: Life Between the Cracks of Modern Hong Kong, was published by Penguin in 2017, and he is the co-author of the first Zolima Culture Guide, Henry Steiner's Hong Kong, which was published in 2024.as a crossroads of commerce and culture.
Programme
Time: 7:00 - 8:00 pm, Hong Kong Time
(Reception starts at 6:30 pm)
Admission: $175 for members, $220 for guests/non-members
Registration:
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