Author Tim Luard, former Beijing correspondent for the BBC World Service, discusses the amazing true life adventure tale of the dramatic escape of more than 60 Chinese, British and Danish intelligence, naval and marine personnel on December 25th, 1941, the day of Hong Kong’s surrender to the Japanese. Led by Admiral Chan Chak – the Chinese government’s chief agent in Hong Kong  – this group escaped the invading Japanese army, traveling on five small motor torpedo boats and walking for four days through enemy lines to Huizhou, before flying to Chongqing or going over land to Burma. This gripping account of the escape sheds new light on the role played by the Chinese in the defense of Hong Kong, on the diplomacy behind the escape, and on the guerillas who carried the Admiral in a sedan chair as they led his party over the rivers and mountains of enemy-occupied China.

Tim’s book Escape from Hong Kong will be available at the Bookworm (or here in hardback, or here in Kindle)

This event is brought to you by the Royal Asiatic Society.