Advertisement

TOPIC

From our archives

Related Topics:

From our archives

How the South China Morning Post covered occasions, news, happenings and events big and small since its founding in 1903

Elton John pictured at The Peninsula Hong Kong in 1983. Photo: SCMP Archives

When Elton John made his 1984 Hong Kong debut

High-priced tickets sold out for the rock superstar’s 2 shows at the city’s Coliseum, but organisers dismissed complaints.

28 Mar 2025 - 6:00AM

On This Day | ‘Good luck’: Google moves search service out of mainland China – SCMP archive

21 Mar 2025 - 3:30PM

Architecture and design

When Hong Kong announced the city’s first open-air theatre

27 Mar 2025 - 3:44PM

Catholic Church

When John Baptist Wu was first HK bishop to visit communist China

His historic trip marked a significant step in dialogue, but he was barred from seeing jailed ‘counter-revolutionary’ Bishop Kong in Shanghai.

14 Mar 2025 - 6:00PM

The Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong, the Most Rev John Baptist Wu (centre), heading a delegation to China, at a press conference in Kai Tak Airport in March 1985. Photo: P.Y. Tang

When a man was tortured and murdered over a HK$6,700 debt in 2004

A security guard with a mild mental handicap was subjected to brutality by a group that included former friends – and a 15-year-old girl.

28 Feb 2025 - 5:00PM

When Hong Kong built its first wind turbine, on Lamma Island

Despite initial concerns about noise pollution, the 71-metre turbine proved successful, prompting Hongkong Electric to consider further wind farm development.

15 Feb 2025 - 6:15AM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

In pictures: Spring Lantern Festival in Hong Kong, through the years

To mark the end of Chinese New Year, Hong Kong comes alive with colourful lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month – here’s a look back at celebrations from the 1980s to 2024.

12 Feb 2025 - 7:15PM

Visitors trying to solve lantern riddles during the Spring Lantern Festival in Tiger Balm Gardens in Tai Hang, Hong Kong, in 1988. Photo: David Wong

Recap | The most memorable celeb visits to Hong Kong? From the Pope to Janet Jackson

Discover the stories behind historic visits to Hong Kong by Pope Paul VI, then Prince Charles, Steve McQueen, Janet Jackson, and the cast of hit movie Lord Jim, each leaving their mark on the city.

12 Feb 2025 - 6:15PM

Crime in Hong Kong

Recap | Hong Kong triad attacks see firebombings, murders and gang wars from Kowloon to Macau

Discover gripping stories of Hong Kong’s dark history of triad violence down the years, highlighting the city’s struggles with organised crime.

10 Feb 2025 - 6:15PM

Health & Fitness

When Hong Kong asked for men to be birth-control-pill guinea pigs

‘A male pill would also promote male responsibility for contraception,’ the Family Planning Association said when calling for trial volunteers in 1977.

6 Feb 2025 - 12:15PM

Hong Kong Family Planning Association put out a plea in 1977 for men to test a new male contraceptive pill. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong racing

Recap | Hong Kong horse racing, including Bill Benter’s billion-dollar bet

The history of Hong Kong horse racing, from the 1971 professional launch at Happy Valley to the rise of Sha Tin Racecourse, and the impact of Bill Benter’s stunning betting system.

5 Feb 2025 - 4:15PM

Hong Kong introduced professional horse racing at Happy Valley in 1971, improving the quality of riders and racing. Photo: SCMP Archives

Recap | How Hong Kong built its luxury hotel empires

Explore the rich history and global impact of Hong Kong’s luxury hotel industry, including iconic chains like The Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, and visit colonial gems across Asia.

4 Feb 2025 - 1:41PM

When the ‘charred body’ of a millionaire was found in Hong Kong

Bill Crum, who had ‘many enemies’, died alone in his home in Sai Kung in 1977 after ‘a lifetime made rich from the spoils of America’s wars in Asia’.

3 Feb 2025 - 1:00AM

Hong Kong aviation

Recap | Hong Kong aviation milestones, including the first ever night flight

Revisit key moments in Hong Kong’s evolution to becoming Asia’s major global aviation hub, from Concorde’s 1976 debut and Cathay Pacific’s first Boeing 747 to the first night flights, and more.

27 Jan 2025 - 3:15PM

The Concorde at Kai Tak airport in 1976. Photo: SCMP

Crime in Hong Kong

In 1977, a local teacher murdered his wife in a brutal hacking in Hong Kong

The couple were married in China in 1944, but fell out of touch when the husband moved to Hong Kong in 1949 and remarried – when they reconnected in 1962, the situation became untenable.

24 Jan 2025 - 12:15PM

Policemen drive to Hing Wah Estate with a murder suspect as part of their investigation into the murder of Tsang Yuen-wan. Photo: SCMP/Yau Tin-kwai

Accidents and personal safety

Recap | Hong Kong building disasters, from an inferno to construction site tragedies

These were some of Hong Kong’s most tragic construction disasters, from the 1918 Happy Valley racecourse inferno to deadly lift crashes, highlighting the critical need for improved safety standards.

24 Jan 2025 - 3:15AM

When China put a journalist under house arrest in retaliation for jailings

Anthony Grey was caught in the crossfire when Hong Kong jailed a Chinese news agency correspondent over anti-British demonstrations in 1967.

19 Jan 2025 - 3:15PM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Recap | Quirky tales from old Hong Kong, from exorcised ghosts to nudists

Explore quirky stories from PostMag’s archives, featuring a woman waking up at her own funeral and a bank’s very costly blunder, to supernatural goings-on and naturists letting it all hang out.

16 Jan 2025 - 4:15PM

One of the branches of Hong Kong bakery chain Maria’s that were under siege for three days in 1984 after rumours spread that it was going out of business. Holders of vouchers for its cakes rushed to cash them in. Some 400 bakers worked to keep up with demand. Photo: Sunny Lee

Fame and celebrity

When Madonna and Sean Penn were in Hong Kong to shoot Shanghai Surprise

The Queen of Pop was in town in early 1986 to shoot scenes for her latest film and had managed to give media the slip, until a Post photographer spotted them dining at a restaurant in Central.

16 Jan 2025 - 6:15AM

Recap | Hong Kong’s star-studded past, from The Beatles to Muhammad Ali

Discover the fascinating stories of some of the biggest ever names from the worlds of music and sport during their memorable visits to the city.

8 Jan 2025 - 8:15AM

Recap | David Bowie, Whitney Houston, Duran Duran – when legends played Hong Kong

Relive iconic visits and concerts by music superstars Bowie, Houston, Duran Duran, Sammy Davis Jr and Pat Boone when they came to Hong Kong.

7 Jan 2025 - 10:00AM

David Bowie arriving at Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, in 1983. Photo: Sam Chan

When Hong Kong lost Cantopop superstar Anita Mui

Mui, an award-winning singer and actress who had dominated the city’s show business scene, announced her cancer diagnosis to a shocked world in September 2003.

6 Jan 2025 - 11:00AM

Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress Anita Mui wore a wedding gown at one of her last concerts in Hong Kong in November 2003. She died the following month on December 30. Photo: Reuters

When MTR tunnelling caused a collapse and 140 were evacuated on New Year’s Day

A 20-metre deep hole appeared in the road and residents were left too scared to return to their homes after work on the MTR Island line caused massive subsidence at ground level.

4 Jan 2025 - 2:15PM

Hong Kong cinema

Recap | Sammo Hung honoured, Bruce Lee’s legacy, Jackie Chan’s breakthrough and more

Explore the legacies of martial arts legends Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and their impact on Hollywood and Hong Kong cinema.

2 Jan 2025 - 9:15AM

Our most-read PostMag stories of 2024, from Donald Trump to Sammo Hung

What were the most popular stories with our online readers this year? Donald Trump was the winner, as a look back at his attempt to sell his yacht in Hong Kong was No 1 on our charts ….

31 Dec 2024 - 8:15AM

Taylor Swift, here performing during her Eras Tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, in December, has been compared to famous ancient Chinese singer Yongxin in one of PostMag’s top five best-read stories of 2024. Photo: AP

Fame and celebrity

Recap | Stephen Hawking, Serena Williams, Queen Elizabeth ... and more Hong Kong star visitors

Explore the moments when icons like Stephen Hawking, Rudolf Nureyev, Clark Gable, Queen Elizabeth and Serena Williams made memorable visits to Hong Kong.

30 Dec 2024 - 5:15AM

When Stephen Hawking visited Hong Kong to give a lecture in 2006, he was mobbed at Hong Kong International Airport like a rock star. Photo: SCMP

Hong Kong society

On This Day | Hong Kong unveils Tian Tan ‘Big Buddha’ in 1993 – SCMP archive

Hong Kong inaugurated the giant statue on December 29, 1993, although plans were first announced in 1969.

29 Dec 2024 - 12:15PM

Recap | Hong Kong’s deadliest disasters, from landslides to shark attacks to floods

Explore Hong Kong’s tragic history of natural disasters, from deadly landslides and flash floods to shark attacks and explosions, all of which have shaped the city’s safety protocols.

27 Dec 2024 - 11:00AM

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement