The Hong Kong History Podcast

Shanghai and Hong Kong have been the starting point for more ‘sail a Chinese built junk across the seas’ than anywhere else. Hans van Tillburg has identified sixteen 19th century junks reported arriving on the west coast of North America. I’ve tallied thirty three reported on from around 1900 to c.1990. In Hong Kong the story starts with the Keying in 1846 and ends – maybe – with the Taiping Princess/Taiping Gongzhu in 2008. On the way would be the ill-fated voyages of Richard Halliburton’s Sea Dragon and Aussie J. Peterson’s Pang Jin. The botanical expedition followed by the wartime service of the whopping Cheng Ho – the only junk ever to serve in the US Navy. The first solo crossing of the North Pacific under sail in the High Tea. The Rubia that sailed to Barcelona…and the Golden Lotus that made it to Auckland. The ill-fated Tai Ki. There was the 1950s Hong Kong Junk Racing Club, with more modest local ambitions. The Chuen Hing Shipyard in Shaukeiwan that built at least four modified junks for export to the USA. There was a lot of cross-cultural fertilization going on too – the junks for export were designed by Ronald Clegg, Butterfield and Swire’s Radio Supervisor!

There are various ways of choosing to look at the past. Some of them are not very intuitive and can seem almost arbitrary. You wouldn’t imagine it, for example, but looking at all the known ships that have had ‘Hong Kong’ in their names (about 127 of them) offers interesting perspectives on Hong Kong’s maritime story. Who called their ships after our home city? Not the big local colonial shipowners like Jardine’s or Butterfield & Swire is one answer. The ship names with Hong Kong in them are revelatory not just of Hong Kong’s story either. Looking at the kinds of ships and when they were in business tells us a lot about the development of the technical worlds of ships and cargo carrying in general. Developments on which the fortunes of Hong Kong were built and that are still important today.

Imperialist Britain spread modern-style, rules governed, organized sport – very much the creation of a newly leisured, comparatively affluent early Victorian world – all over the world. One of those sports, though never up there in popularity and participation like football and cricket, was sailing. Hong Kong was a home for recreational sailing almost as soon as the British grabbed it in 1841. It also became a home of local Chinese boatbuilders who learned to build – and often improve – Western designs. Via a fellow Hong Kong sailor, a few years ago I was given access to a late 19th century yacht’s logbook from Xiamen. It opened up the world of 19th century expats in China, of the building of western style boats in 19th century Hong Kong…and revealed how Waglan lighthouse was built by a relation of Charles Rolls of Rolls Royce, who also designed a royal palace in Seoul, South Korea.

The English historian Edward Thomson once wrote of the “enormous condescension of posterity” towards those of us – overwhelmingly most of us – who are not movers and shakers. Yet it is those lives, humdrum and invisible though they often are, that actually make moving and shaking possible. In being moved and shaken, it’s we nobodies who actually do the moving and shaking. Chance can sometimes reveal one of the moved and shaken caught up in larger historical patterns…and through their personal stories lead to undermining received assumptions. In 2015 a small brass label was discovered under five metres of mud in Victoria Harbour. It belonged to a Royal Marine called Edgar Goodman. His story reveals that HMS Tamar was not always Hong Kong’s 20th century naval base…and that there were Hong Kongers at Gallipoli.

Almost wherever you are there will be streets named after town worthies, or national eminences, or significant entities and events. Sometimes, particularly in larger towns, the names can reveal additional historical detail. What the main trades were and where they concentrated, for example. In Hong Kong over one hundred street names reveal details of Hong Kong’s maritime story, particularly in its early decades. One of them, long lost – or perhaps mislaid – I have recently rediscovered. The streets – there were two – were named after a major early Chinese shipowner, mover and shaker. Kwok Acheong may not now be much celebrated, but he was one of the founders of the Tung Wah Hospital and at one time Hong Kong’s biggest taxpayer. 

Over around a century and a half Hong Kong’s story has been told by professional and amateur historians. A few names became scores following the explosion in Hong Kong studies after the 1970s. Today there are as many and more netizens and bloggers. We don’t often know much detail about any of the handful of colonialist pioneers of the 1890-1960 period. They’re just authors’ names. Most of them are interesting though, and knowing about them helps one ‘read’ the histories they wrote. One of them, who wrote under the byline of ‘Colonial’ in the 1930s SCMP, and often seen as a sort of early begetter of the late 20th century Hong Kong Studies movement, illustrates the point well. Vincent Jarrett’s life is revelatory of the complex cultural reality and extended geographical links that have always been a signal feature of Hong Kong.

In this final episode of season two Stephen Davies talks about Hong Kong as a port. He takes us through its gradual rise from after the Second World War up until 2010 when it registered as the world's largest port, and then its slow decline after that. Along the way we talk about Chinese junks and the general modernization of ships in general operated from Hong Kong.

In this episode Stephen discusses the social unrest in Hong Kong during the 1960s & 70s and follows with a look at how the issues were resolved during the 1970s. The episode includes an eyewitness account from Stephen himself, and a mystery of why his visit at the time was never recorded.  As always Stephen has a number of stories to tell along the way including a discussion on police corruption.

In this episode Stephen talks through the ups and downs of the Hong Kong Fishing Industry. He also discusses the kids of boats that were being used and why many continued to use traditional boats well beyond their years. On land he talks about the development of the fish markets associations that ensured the fishermen received a proper price for their catch.

In episode eight Stephen explains how after the Second World War Hong Kong became a global powerhouse in ship breaking and then how that slowly transformed into one of the world largest container ports. We discuss how shipping changed during the period including a story of a concrete ship.

In the first episode of a new series Dr Stephen Davies discusses post war Hong Kong and the challenges it faced. With the population tripling in a short period, a damaged harbour and a changing view towards colonies, the city had much to figure out in a short period of time. You can find Stephen's books, Transport to another world: HMS Tamar and the sinews of empire https://www.amazon.com/Transport-Another-World-Sinews-Empire/dp/9629375931 STEAM - a revolution in maritime trade and warfare https://eddiewongyuichung.today/The-STEAM-of-Steam-A-Revolution-in-Maritime-Trade-and-Warfare Strong to save: Maritime mission in Hong Kong from Whampoa Reach to the Mariners’ Club https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strong-Save-Maritime-Mission-Mariners/dp/962937305X East sails west: the voyage of the Keying, 1846-1855 https://www.amazon.co.uk/East-Sails-West-Voyage-1846-1855/dp/9888208209 Coasting Past: The last South China coastal trading junks photographed by William Heering https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coasting-Past-South-Coastal-Trading/dp/9881823331 Transport to Another World: HMS Tamar and the Sinews of Empire https://www.cityu.edu.hk/upress/transport-to-another-world Political dictionary for Hong Kong https://www.amazon.com/Political-dictionary-Hong-Stephen-Davies/dp/9620305280 You can subscribe to the podcast on, Google Podcasts - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaG9uZ2tvbmdoaXN0b3J5cG9kY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/id1539113844 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b3e15d99-5698-4a10-abb3-56435289cdd7/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NSk1tBqNEwMbV1bkrzyZb Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hong-kong-history-podcast--896HU0QY5X/ Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/History-Podcasts/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast-p1381280/ iHeartRADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-hong-kong-history-podc-74308435/ Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/PC:52142?part=PC:52142&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC52142:podcast_organic_external_site 

In this episode Stephen takes us through the days before the Japanese invasion to a detailed account of the invasion itself and then onto a short discussion about the war days in Hong Kong. The podcast finishes with an account of the Royal Navy sailing into Hong Kong to accept the Japanese surrender. You can subscribe to the podcast on, Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaG9uZ2tvbmdoaXN0b3J5cG9kY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/id1539113844 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b3e15d99-5698-4a10-abb3-56435289cdd7/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NSk1tBqNEwMbV1bkrzyZb Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hong-kong-history-podcast--896HU0QY5X/ Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/History-Podcasts/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast-p1381280/ iHeartRADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-hong-kong-history-podc-74308435/ Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/PC:52142?part=PC:52142&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC52142:podcast_organic_external_site

In this episode Stephen and DJ discuss the period leading up to the First World War, what happened in Hong Hong during the war and the period after. They compare Shanghai with Hong Kong at the time and talk about the advantages Hong Kong had leading up to the Second World War. You can subscribe to the podcast on, Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaG9uZ2tvbmdoaXN0b3J5cG9kY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/id1539113844 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b3e15d99-5698-4a10-abb3-56435289cdd7/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NSk1tBqNEwMbV1bkrzyZb Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hong-kong-history-podcast--896HU0QY5X/ Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/History-Podcasts/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast-p1381280/ iHeartRADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-hong-kong-history-podc-74308435/ Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/PC:52142?part=PC:52142&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC52142:podcast_organic_external_site

In the fourth episode Stephen takes us through the turn of the 20th century up until World War 1. We discuss the rapid change in shipping during the period, defending the island as well as the typhoons that would sweep through the territory. You can subscribe to the podcast on, Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaG9uZ2tvbmdoaXN0b3J5cG9kY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/id1539113844 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b3e15d99-5698-4a10-abb3-56435289cdd7/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NSk1tBqNEwMbV1bkrzyZb Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hong-kong-history-podcast--896HU0QY5X/ Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/History-Podcasts/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast-p1381280/ iHeartRADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-hong-kong-history-podc-74308435/ Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/PC:52142?part=PC:52142&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC52142:podcast_organic_external_site  

Hong Kong gets over its teething pains and begins to develop as a major international port city. The scourge of piracy is brought under some sort of control. Thanks to a huge emigrant movement from Guangdong Province, ferry and passenger traffic become big business. The port develops as a major shipbuilding and ship repair centre. And the perfidious Brits, seizing on yet another moment of Qing Dynasty weakness, expand the area of the territory ten times over by leasing the New Territories…thereby causing a short, sharp six day war which killed around 500 New Territories villagers at the cost of two wounded Brits. Lamma Island becomes British.   You can subscribe to the podcast on, Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaG9uZ2tvbmdoaXN0b3J5cG9kY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/id1539113844 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b3e15d99-5698-4a10-abb3-56435289cdd7/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NSk1tBqNEwMbV1bkrzyZb Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hong-kong-history-podcast--896HU0QY5X/ Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/History-Podcasts/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast-p1381280/ iHeartRADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-hong-kong-history-podc-74308435/ Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/PC:52142?part=PC:52142&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC52142:podcast_organic_external_site  

The story wanders on through Hong Kong’s patchy early years, when clever drafting by the Chinese side in the 1843 Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue, left the newly founded port of Hong Kong looking at thin pickings. To get Hong Kong on a roll needed another war, for which a handy if quite bogus pretext was found…and which featured a small, walk-on part, the great Italian liberator Giuseppe Garibaldi and a locally built replica of the schooner America, of America’s Cup fame. At last the British controlled both sides of the central harbour area. You can subscribe to the podcast on, Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaG9uZ2tvbmdoaXN0b3J5cG9kY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/id1539113844 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b3e15d99-5698-4a10-abb3-56435289cdd7/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NSk1tBqNEwMbV1bkrzyZb Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hong-kong-history-podcast--896HU0QY5X/ Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/History-Podcasts/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast-p1381280/ iHeartRADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-hong-kong-history-podc-74308435/ Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/PC:52142?part=PC:52142&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC52142:podcast_organic_external_site  

We make a stab at answering ‘how come Hong Kong’, paying close if occasionally erratic attention to modern Hong Kong’s origins in British trade with China, a chance discovery of a good haven by an American sea otter fur and sandalwood trading ship’s captain, the secret machinations of the hydrographic surveyors of the Bombay Marine, and the need for any port in a storm when the anti-opium trade hurricane of Lin Zexu blew in. You can subscribe to the podcast on, Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlaG9uZ2tvbmdoaXN0b3J5cG9kY2FzdC5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/id1539113844 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/b3e15d99-5698-4a10-abb3-56435289cdd7/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1NSk1tBqNEwMbV1bkrzyZb Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hong-kong-history-podcast--896HU0QY5X/ Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/History-Podcasts/The-Hong-Kong-History-Podcast-p1381280/ iHeartRADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-hong-kong-history-podc-74308435/ Pandora https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-hong-kong-history-podcast/PC:52142?part=PC:52142&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC52142:podcast_organic_external_site