This book fills the long-standing void in the existing scholarship by constructing an empirical study of colonial governance and political culture in Hong Kong from 1966 to 1997.Using under-exploited archival and unofficial data in London and Hong Kong, it overcomes the limitations in the existing literature which has been written mainly by political scientists and sociologists, and has been primarily theoretically driven. It addresses a highly contested and timely agenda, one in which colonial historians have made major interventions: the nature of colonial governance and autonomy of the colonial polity. This book focusing on colonialism and the Chinese society in Hong Kong in a pivotal period will generate meaningful discussions and heated debates on comparisons between ‘colonialism’ in different space and time: between Hong Kong and other former British colonies; and between colonial and post-colonial Hong Kong.
In Wu Ting-fang’s 1914 travelogue “America, Through the Spectacles of an Oriental Diplomat” – the latest on The China Project’s Ultimate China Bookshelf – the former Qing diplomat observes American society while asking big questions, many of which are still relevant. Click here to read…
BTW: the book is available to buy here or read on Project Gutenberg here.
I found myself browsing through GRG Worcester’s memoir of his years as a Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Officer, The Junkman Smiles. Published in 1959 it is about the first half of the twentieth century, or just before WW1, concluding with the author and his wife being interned by the Japanese in China. If you have a particularl interest in junks, traditional Chinese sailing craft of the intricasies of the customs then this might be the book for you, otherwise it is, I fear, a little dull.
But it does have a great frontpiece map…and among a few other little idiosyncracies it also identifies Botel Tobago, which you don’t see on many maps.
Botel Tobago is an island off the southern coast of Taiwan more often referred to in English as Orchid Island (Tao as Ma’ataw, Irala and Tabako are other alternative names). The Chinese knew it as “Redhead Island” (Hung-t’ou Yü). Botel Tobago is the original name used for the island by the Philippines and was formerly the mostly common attributed name by English language sources. There is also a smaller island off the southern coast of Botel Tobago known as Little Botel Tobago.
Not much goes on on Botel Tobago – mostly fishing and a Taipower nuclear waste facility. When a 7-Eleven opened on the island in 2014 it was big news. There’s a small airport and a ferry from Houbihu port in Kenting.
A pair of Chinese silver smokers stands, circa 1900, stamped ‘C.J. Co, Sterling’. Each with a dragon decorated matchbox holder on a circular ashtray with three cigarette holders, height 10.5cm, diameter 11.5cm, weight 144 and 162 grams. (2) ‘C.J.Co’ were the China Jewellery Company who were active in Shanghai between 1875 and 1920.
An illustration of houseboats, singsong girls and foreign sailors in Canton, set in the 1860s. Drawn by artist, folk singer and “Last Working Shantyman” Stan Hugill for his book Sailortown (1967). Hugill apparently visited Canton, Hong Kong and Macao during his career in the pre-WW2 era as a merchant seaman.
The old Shanghai Rowing Club (which ran the annual Hen-lee regatta on Suzhou Creek – geddit!) was at the junction of the Huangpu and Suzhou Creek and the old boathouse did survive till quite late – until the bollixing up of the area with the fire at the old Union Church, the bourgeoisification of the old British Consulate and the imposed mass of faux American-style art-deco that is the Peninsula Hotel on the Bund. Anyway, some memorabilia recently popped up for auction….
two silver trophies made by Tuck Chang, silversmiths of Shanghai
Thomas “TG” Purvis (1861-1933) was a ship’s captain turned maritime artist. He sailed around the world to just about everywhere, ran a photographic studio for a time, took some time off and studied art in London at the Camberwell School of Art in 1904. In 1915 he left his family in London, moved to Hong Kong, and worked on ships again until about 1925. Though he loved and had long worked on sail ships he lamented their decline while having to work on steamships. He never went home. The picture below – Junks off Hong Kong – was painted while in Hong Kong in 1926. He died in Hong Kong in 1933. Several of his five children became noted artists too.
