Historic Hong Kong

History & Heritage
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Throughout its history, Hong Kong has been a place of ever-changing contours and skylines as well as home to a great variety of people. Here we present columns, photo galleries and stories about people who've lived in and helped shape Hong Kong, buildings preserved and long vanished, historical events, the city's changing culture and how the past shapes the present.

Latest News
News
Passions
Yau Yiu-wai, owner of Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store in Hong Kong, which he plans to close after five generations. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Passions
A fifth-gen shop owner on closing the business despite his umbrella obsession
The 73-year-old owner of Sun Nga Shing Umbrella Store in Sham Shui Po recently announced that he would be closing the family business, which dates back to the Qing dynasty.
Christmas decorations in Landmark in Central, Hong Kong, in 1988. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: Hong Kong’s Christmas festivities, from the 1970s to 90s
In the late 20th century, Hong Kong transformed into a hub of festive cheer with bright lights, seasonal decor and plenty of Christmas treats.
On a cold winter night in 1984, people tuck into a hotpot meal at a street-side food stall in Hong Kong, locally called a “dai pai dong”. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: a taste for winter warming fare, Hong Kong style
How Hongkongers keep warm in the winter, from steaming hotpot and snake soup to roasted chestnuts and bowls of crispy claypot rice.
Hong Kong debutantes pose for the press in 1959. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
Cheongsams, mohair pants and a bridal finale at Hong Kong’s 1959 debutante show
In 1959, the Diocesan Girls’ School debutante ball made headlines in the Post, revealing glamour, gowns – and a very different era.
Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s artwork Can’t Help Myself (2016) features on the cover of this week’s print edition. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Culture
This week in PostMag: tech-inspired art, a sex tape and fading neon signs
AI and tech meets the world of art, another of Hong Kong’s neon signs is taken down, we delve into Indonesia’s forgotten nutmeg history, and two more artists display their sex tape.
Hungry tourists at one of Tai Tat Tei’s lively open-air restaurants in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, in 1986. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: Sheung Wan’s Tai Tat Tei, or ‘Poor Man’s Nightclub’
Before Sheung Wan’s Tai Tat Tei was cleared for reclamation, it was where fortune-tellers, opera singers and hawkers gathered nightly.
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The Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui’s rooftop swimming pool. Photo: courtesy Kimpton Hong Kong
Culture
Long Read|In 2023, the Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui burned down. Now it’s risen from the ashes
The opening of the Tsim Sha Tsui venue is just the next chapter in a surprising, sea-bound story going back 164 years.
A worker at the loom of a one-room factory in the basement of a tenement building in Hong Kong during the 1960s. Photo: Getty Images
Culture
When Hong Kong impressed business visitors at a trade fair in Germany
The quality and range of Hong Kong-made products on show reportedly brought in numerous queries about imports and manufacture.
Interview with Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ops) of Hong Kong Police Force’s Department Operations Wing, David Jordan at Police HQ in Wan Chai. Photo: Karma Lo
Law and Crime
On the beat with Hong Kong’s highest-ranking colonial-era expatriate officer
Assistant Commissioner David Jordan reflects on bridging cultures, balancing tradition, protests and progress throughout his 30-year career.
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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Society
Keeping light shining on dark days of Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a key target for the Japanese, but guerilla forces played a crucial role in undermining the invaders as well as aiding in the Allied war effort.
A girl receives an anti-cholera injection at a government clinic in Hong Kong, in 1961. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
When 15 people died from a cholera outbreak in Hong Kong
In 1961, 2 suspected cholera cases led to an extensive vaccination campaign and the confiscation of produce in Hong Kong’s markets.
Former Hong Kong governor David Wilson tries a bowl of Chinese herbal tea during his visit to Mei Foo Sun Chuen. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: the enduring appeal of Hong Kong’s herbal tea shops
Chinese herbal teas may be bitter, but they are said to have health benefits – even Chris Patten drank them.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Hong Kong Opinion
Opinion|How Hong Kong can become a cauldron of culinary ingenuity once again
Instead of relying on imported labour, the city must take a proactive approach to reclaim its status as a food and drink industry pioneer.
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The well in Ho Sheung Heung, Sheung Shui, Hong Kong, in which four people were killed by poisonous gas in 1981. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
When 4 people were killed after a boy fell into a remote Hong Kong village well
In 1981, residents of a worm-farming community were left devastated after a 14-year-old fell into a well and 3 of his rescuers perished.
The liners Canberra (left) and Norwegian Sagafjord berthed at Ocean Terminal, in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1979. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: cruise ships in Hong Kong during the 1970s and 80s
Hong Kong has long been a popular port of call for leisure travellers.
Old Master Q – Rock ’n’ Roll (1964), by Alfonso Wong, was inspired by Elvis Presley films. Photo: Sotheby’s
Culture
Long Read|Turning back the comic book pages of Old Master Q
Alfonso Wong’s beloved comic strip still resonates with generations of Hongkongers nostalgic for a simpler time.
From left: chairman of the Kidney Foundation Lee Quo-wei, Hong Kong acting governor Sir Jack Cater, and director of medical and health services Thong Kah-leong at the opening ceremony of a new kidney dialysis centre run by the Hong Kong Kidney Foundation in 1981. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
When Hong Kong got its first kidney dialysis treatment centre in 1981
Millions were raised to fund the medical centre, with charitable donations from the likes of the Jockey Club and businessman Li Ka-shing, reported the Post at the time.
A street barber serves Western customers in Central, in 1994. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: in streets or salons, Hong Kong barbers make the cut
Whether it’s on the roadside or at a high-end hair salon, here’s how Hongkongers have been styling it out since the 1970s.
A ghost sign on the brick facade at Maykong Godown and Mayar Silk Mills in Tsuen Wan, in April 2024. Photo: Ben Marans
Culture
This week in PostMag: ghostly signs of Hong Kong and Old Master Q
Find echoes of bygone Hong Kong still legible on walls and shopfronts, look back at a comic strip icon, and take a trip to a former East German city.
Ghost Signs co-founders Billy Potts (left) and Ben Marans at the bridge near the old Mayar Silk Mills (HK) factory in Tsuen Wan. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Culture
Long Read|Ghost signs bring bygone Hong Kong back from the dead
The city’s fading past has become a passion project for a designer and photographer duo keen to share their otherworldly sightings.
A small grocery store at Jardine’s Bazaar in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, in 1989. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: Hong Kong’s family-run stores through the decades
Before Hong Kong became dominated by the likes of Wellcome and ParknShop, neighbourhoods were served by corner shops like these ones.
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Co-defendant Phoebe Wong Yim-ping is taken away in a prison van following her sentencing for her part in killing Elaine Luk Yee-ling in 1994. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
When a university student, drugged and sexually assaulted by her boss, ended up dead
In 1994 the Post reported how a 21-year-old died after being drugged and subjected to a sex attack by a property agent who filmed his crime.
A bottle of hoisin sauce at a shop in Vietnam. Photo: Shutterstock
Food & Drink
What is hoisin sauce? How the condiment spread from China to Trader Joe’s
Originating in southern China, hoisin sauce is now found in supermarkets from the US to Japan and is even used in cocktails and desserts.
Workers prepare chickens before the market opens in August 1998. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
In pictures: Central Market has been serving Hong Kong for almost almost 170 years
Originally established as a bazaar for locals, the market has evolved with the city around it.
A China Motor Bus double-decker ploughed into a huge crowd in North Point, killing four people and injuring 46. Pictured here are policemen taking statements at the accident site. Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
When 5 people were killed and 50 hurt by a runaway Hong Kong bus
A horror bus crash in 1979 saw a driver prosecuted, but later acquitted in court, after carnage at a bus stop, the South China Morning Post reported at the time.
The sun is setting on Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding just as the rest of the world is waking up to the material’s myriad qualities. Pictured is a building in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, encased in the iconic bamboo poles. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Design & Interiors
Long Read|The world is discovering bamboo scaffolding – as Hong Kong phases it out
Skyscrapers clad in bamboo poles have been an iconic part of the city’s landscape, earning the material a place at the Venice Biennale.
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Alleged Hong Kong drug queen Yeung Yin-hing (right) is taken into Taipei District Court handcuffed to her bodyguard Chen Kwan-po to face narcotics trafficking charges. Photo: Photo: SCMP Archives
Culture
When a Hong Kong drug queen escaped from a police station
Within an hour of being arrested over a HK$1 million heroin seizure, the suspect escaped from a police station, the Post reported.
Henry Chai (left) and artist Swing Lam at Wah Fu Estate. Photo: Dickson Lee
Society
Walk through history at soon-to-be-demolished Hong Kong sea-view public estate
Walking tours organiser wants to tell the stories of Wah Fu Estate and its residents before the site is demolished for redevelopment.
“The Dragon Within,” pictured here as a works in progress, is by Hong Kong artist Jerry Loo. It was inspired by Chinese mythology and symbolises inner strength and self-mastery.
Arts
Striking Hong Kong neon show honours ‘heroes’ and one family’s legacy
Neon master Wong Kin-wah and his grandson have teamed up for an exhibition that blends traditional neon craftsmanship with modern artistry.
Reach for the Stars by neon artist Jerry Loo. Photo: Neon Heroes
Culture
‘Neon Heroes’ shines light on Hong Kong’s illuminated heritage
A grandfather-grandson exhibition celebrates the former’s contribution to the Hong Kong cityscape’s neon-lit heydays.
Opinion
Then & Now|How Hong Kong became a souvenir hunter’s paradise
Long a magnet for tourists, the vast choice of ‘oriental’ curios on sale at visitor hotspots across Hong Kong have been a feature of the city since its urban beginnings.
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|When Indonesia was the Hongkonger’s summer destination of choice
Where did well-heeled Hongkongers escape the summer heat in the years preceding mass tourism?
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|Perils of Hong Kong summer could spell disaster for a winter wardrobe
The city’s cooler months require heavy warmer clothes, but how to care for these often luxury items during gruelling summers?
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|In Hong Kong, delivery apps once took on a different – more physical – form
Home deliveries are far from new – lowering a basket on a rope to hawkers selling everything from food to hardware was once typical.
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|It’s in the mail: how postal services shaped global communication
In the not-so-distant pre-digital age, poste restante services provided a vital lifeline to home for generations of travellers.
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|Pipe dreams: how Scottish settlers brought bagpipes to Hong Kong
As the enduring popularity of bagpipes proves, Hong Kong culture is as diverse as it is distinct.
Jason Wordie
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Then & Now|When sedan chairs and rickshaws dominated Hong Kong private transport
Taxis may be ubiquitous in Hong Kong today, but for much of the city’s urban history, human-powered transport was the only choice.
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|Hong Kong’s rich history of art clubs dates back to the 1850s
Art clubs and societies have helped shape the city’s vibrant and diverse cultural landscape, since the 19th century.
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|How Hong Kong’s English-medium schools evolved from the late 19th century
Demographics have shifted over the past century, with ethnic Chinese now the overwhelming majority of the student population in these schools.
Jason Wordie
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Then & Now|How Hong Kong led the way for women priests in the 1970s
Hong Kong was decades ahead of Britain when it came to the ordination of women priests, even though that might seem unlikely today.
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|How reverse migration turned pigeon into a culinary staple in Hong Kong
Often considered ‘rats of the sky’, pigeons became a popular choice for food in Hong Kong in the early 20th century because of their easy breeding.
Jason Wordie
Then & Now|Has Hong Kong ever truly been home to any famous writers?
In his 1959 book The Road, Austin Coates’ protagonist is a successful writer in Hong Kong who gives an explosively well-received lecture – but the reality was different, and still is.
Jason Wordie
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