Owned and operated by ratp dev transdev asia, the tramway runs on hong kong island between kennedy town and shau kei wan, with a branch circulating through happy valley. Hong kong history project rethinking a citys history. The return of hong kong to chinese sovereignty on july 1, 1997 was a seminal juncture in recent chinese history. Best fiction and nonfiction books, novels and memoirs that take place primarily in the city of hong kong. A modern history of hong kong is clearly written and easily read.
Chan has retired and working as consultant for hkt. Discover the best hong kong history in best sellers. The book explores hong kong as a place with a unique identity, yet also a crossroads where chinese history, british colonial history, and world history intersect. Hong kong trams culture preservation society the purpose of the hong kong tram culture conservation society is to instill a correct and comprehensive history of the tram and promote the culture of the tram. The detailed history of this iconic system published in 1970 is included in this book, but substantially updated to cover the further 40plus years of change and. Take a 360degree flying tour through hong kong s history from possession to handover and beyond. The evolution of the book science fiction fantasy book. The project, hosted at the university of bristol, and funded by the hatton trust, aims to encourage and facilitate the study of the history of hong kong in the uk, and to build collaborations with partners in hong kong, specifically in terms of collaboration between the university of bristol and the university of hong kong, as well as. It is cool and wet in winter janmar, hot and rainy from spring through summer aprsep, and warm, sunny and dry in the autumn octdec.
Take a 360degree flying tour through hong kongs history from possession to handover and beyond. The longterm goal is to promote the establishment of a tram museum in hong kong so that tramloving friends can know the worlds. Owned and operated by ratp dev transdev asia, the tramway runs on hong kong island between kennedy town and shau kei wan, with a branch circulating through happy valley hong kongs tram system is one of the earliest forms of public transport in the metropolis, having opened in 1904 under british rule. It is located next to the hong kong science museum, in tsim sha tsui, kowloon, hong kong. However, the history of the more than 1,100 square kilometres that hong kong now occupies predates the events of the qing dynasty by more than a thousand years. Hong kong, ore more precisely the hong kong special administrative region hksar, is located at the south coast of china near the pearl river delta which helped make it become the center of business and center it is now. Historical hong kong this is a list of historical novels, memoirs and nonfiction books set primarily in hong kong throughout the centuries to present day. Discover hong kongs living history with the tramoramic tour. From a littleknown fishing community at the periphery of china, hong kong developed into one of the worlds most spectacular and cosmopolitan metropoles after a century and a half of british imperial rule. The timeline starts at the areas earliest recorded mention through to world war two, taking in the major moments in hong kong history.
Hong kong tramway books the industrial history of hong kong. Oct 11, 2014 the return of hong kong to chinese sovereignty on july 1, 1997 was a seminal juncture in recent chinese history. The collections of the museum encompass natural history, archaeology, ethnography and local history. Welcome to the website of the hong kong history project. A singledecker tram heads into queens road east in 1909 in this. In summer and early autumn, there is a frequent threat of typhoons. Putting hong kong in historical context the diplomat. It is one of a series of similar books the others are the great wall, dragons and silk and the terracotta army. Look in any good bookshop in hong kong and youll probably be surprised at the number of books on the shelves about the declared monuments, traditional culture and clan histories of hong kong. Nov 24, 2017 part of hong kong s history now sadly a tourist trap with mahoosive queues we visited this as part of the big bus co tour which included tickets or more importantly tickets that took you to the front of the queue however even with these be prepared to loose a number of hours of your life in a very slow queue.
This kind of tram was categorized as the thirdgeneration tram. This article was first posted on 28th november 2014. Tuen mun was a port of extreme importance by the song dynasty. Its been just over 105 years since the very first passenger train debuted in hong kong. Beyond 1997 217 chronology of key events 239 bibliography and further reading. The book early hong kong transport by cheng pohung english text. Familial loyalties set 1,500 years ago still prevail, and religious rituals to appease ghosts and deities still take place in the global city of hong kong. This book is about the history of hong kong, from the earliest time that hong kong apepeople were known to exist which is about 4000bc. Using research from both british and chinese sources, steve yuisang tsangs a modern history of hong kong charts the citys journey from its beginnings as a small fishing village under the sovereignty of the qin dynasty, through its 156 years under british rule and its return to china in 1997. It has been over 1 years since the peak tram opened in hong kong though, technically, it is not even a tram but a cablehauled funicular railway. When the british occupied the tiny island of hong kong during the first opium war, the chinese empire was well into its decline, while great britain was already in the second decade of its legendary imperial century. Fiction or nonfiction they should transport the reader to an era during hong kong s development to help us understand the islands fascinating history. The tramways of hong kong by peter waller takes readers on a colourful.
Hong kong was destabilized by the cultural revolution in china. Chinese people and british rule in hong kong, 18411880 echoes. History in the very long scale of history, hong kong as we know it today has existed for a mere blink of an eye. About hong kong tweet find out all you need to know about this city of seven million people on the south china sea coast its colourful history, diverse culture and eastmeetswest character. Hong kong, of course, is unique in that 150 years of colonial rule has influenced its culture as a superficial overlay on the traditional pillars of chinese rituals and beliefs. To explain the situation in hong kong in great detailits history with china, what provoked hong kong people, and what comes nextive curated a list of five books that go deep and beyond about the topic a note on diversity. They look neat, sure, but they are not our focus here. Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port and eventually a major international financial centre the qing dynasty ceded hong kong to the british empire in 1842. Its a good and cheap way to have a brief idea of hong kongs history. Hong kong, where history has become a battleground for beijing. The book was published in 1998 by pacific century publishers ltd. Rather apologetic on the british side, but if youve read plenty of other books condemning the opium wars, this is an impressive, thorough history that provides a bit of balance but read with a pinch of salt. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
After deng xiaoping took over and assigned hong kong an importent role as a gate to the west, hong kong started booming. The evolution of hong kong history from colony to powerhouse. For many tramway enthusiasts, hong kong holds a special. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule, the consequences of hong kongs reintegration with china, and significant developments and challenges since 1997. If you are looking for a complete history of the colonization of hong kong with details in areas like economic development, external policy, social development, from 1841 to 1997, then this book is a must read. Hong kong tramways held a ceremony at the whitty street depot, celebrating the launch of the tramoramic tour on 15 january 2016.
The hong kong tramways website has a good history of the service on their. Hong kongs first elections under chinese rule, in 1998, allowed for onethird of the 60member legislature to be elected by direct popular vote, with the democrats hong kongs largest party winning the most seats although full suffrage, with a fully elected legislature and chief executive, is declared a goal in the basic law, it has no. Definitive 1970 hong kong tramways book updated and. History of hong kongimperial yearssong and yuan wikibooks. Learn more about hong kongs iconic tram, or ding ding as its nicknamed. Edited and produced by the hong kong museum of history, published in december 1983, 140 pp. From this collision of empires arose a city that continues to intrigue observers. The 1st book on hk trams published in 1970, hongkong tramways. Melding chinese and western influences, hong kong has long defied easy categorization. Hong kong simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Peter waller has been involved in transport publishing and writing for more than 30 years. The approach seems balanced, and it is obvious when in a few places tsang takes positions which he realises are disputed. As hong kong is located nearly at the centre of the eurasian plate, there are. Hong kong is in a tropical area, and has monsoon winds. Apr 16, 2018 steven chan, senior engineering manager for hong kong tramways, praised the outcome of the new edition. Fiction or nonfiction they should transport the reader to an era during hong kongs development to help us understand the islands fascinating history. Seven districts with seven stories to tell mtr passengers can now enjoy a stirring, narrative of the history of seven hong kong districts through displays of old photographs put up today 10 december 2009 at one mtr station in each district plus an exhibition in the miniart. While it marked a final end of empire for britain, the occasion was a moment. Hong kong, where history has become a battleground for. Hong kong s first elections under chinese rule, in 1998, allowed for onethird of the 60member legislature to be elected by direct popular vote, with the democrats hong kong s largest party winning the most seats although full suffrage, with a fully elected legislature and chief executive, is declared a goal in the basic law, it has no. The return to china formally, no treaty forced the british to also return hong kong island and kowloon in 1997. The rival jewish dynasties that helped create modern china.
Hong kong tramway books november 28, 2014 hugh farmer articles, hong kong companies, transport cm fung, idj and hf have compiled a list of books which contain information about the history of trams in hong kong. Part of hong kongs history now sadly a tourist trap with mahoosive queues we visited this as part of the big bus co tour which included tickets or more importantly tickets that took you to the front of the queue however even with these be prepared to loose a. This history of hong kong from its occupation by the british in 1841 to its return to chinese sovereignty in 1997 includes the foundation of modern hong kong. Pages in category novels set in hong kong the following 26 pages are in this category, out of 26 total. Protestors in hong kong demonstrated against a new extradition law proposed by the government of mainland china.
It consists of hong kong island, originally ceded by china to. It was the largest protest in hong kong s history according to wikinews this law would allow mainland china to extradite people living or visiting hong kong who may be fugitives. Hong kong tramway books the industrial history of hong. History of hong kong lonely planet travel information. Why a tram ride is the best way to explore hong kong culture trip. The territory is thought to have come into the fold of the chinese. The first thing you will see when you walk into the hong kong museum of history is a few old rocks. Joss house bay was the only way for people to go to guangdong from fujian and zhejiang. This is because there arent a lot of women who have written books on the subject. The region of hong kong has been inhabited since the old stone age, later becoming part of the chinese empire with its loose incorporation into the qin dynasty 221206 bc. As books have now reached the 21st century with the creation of the increasingly popular ebook format, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at the long and involved history of the humble book.
Hong kong tramways hkt is a 3 ft 6 in 1,067 mm narrowgauge tram system in hong kong. Steven chan, senior engineering manager for hong kong tramways, praised the outcome of the new edition. Well, to be fair, the peak tram was actually the first mode of public. Tsang offers a mix of narrative and analysis, and covers social and economic history as well as politics. Carroll concludes by exploring the legacies of colonial rule, the consequences of hong kong s reintegration with china, and significant developments and challenges since 1997. But there was a lot going on in the region before that wintry morning in 1841 when a contingent of british marines clambered ashore and planted the union flag on the western part of hong kong island, claiming it for the british crown. Chan was an aircraft mechanic before joining the company in 1996, drew up the plans for electrical upgrades on trams, keep using diy equipment and homespun techniques. History of hong kongabout this book wikibooks, open books. It is a vibrant cultural and financial center of chinese society. The bookworms guide to hong kong the art worlds eyes are on the citystate for art basel hong kong but how is the former colony portrayed in literature. From the clay tablets to the ebook format, the book has enjoyed a remarkable evolution, presented here is a snapshot of that history.
Historical inscriptions of hong kong set of 3 in chinese edited and produced by the hong kong museum of history, published in march 1986, 892 pp, isbn 9789627039238. Classics of hong kong culture and history christopher munn 4. Hong kong time line chronological timetable of events. The following is a timeline of the history of hong kong. The detailed history of this iconic system published in 1970 is included in this. Theres the historical area in sheung wan, the business district in. History of hong kongabout this book wikibooks, open. David, i have a copy of a book called hong kong trams.
Book your tramoramic tour today and enjoy a unique visit through the city. The hong kong policy of the peoples republic of china, 19491997. Hong kong territory became mostly wasteland 1669 great clearance ban was lifted 1757 british east india company pursued monopoly on opium. Definitive 1970 hong kong tramways book updated and republished.
Save the incredibly long history of china and its varied religions is woven into the culture of the country in a way unfamiliar to most western visitors. Aug 15, 2007 this history of hong kong from its occupation by the british in 1841 to its return to chinese sovereignty in 1997 includes the foundation of modern hong kong. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. A history in pictures unique archives by peter waller isbn. Hong kong, special administrative region of china, located to the east of the pearl river estuary on the south coast of china. He is the author of a number of books on transport and, prior to going. A concise history of hong kong hong kong university press.
Ancient history remnants of burial grounds and early rock carvings show human life in hong kong as far back as the stone age. Britain, china, and the japanese occupation 2004 excerpt and text. The highlight of the tramoramic package is an amazing 1hour trip on board a unique 1920sstyle tram with an open top upper deck. The lams, who later settled in hong kong, entered the city through joss house bay.
These are part of hong kong s history, but as theyre already covered by a number of other sources, lets not put too much effort into those. The region is bordered by guangdong province to the north and the south china sea to the east, south, and west. Hong kong was a british possession for decades until it rejoined china in 1997. And as hong kong expands its network to the southside and introduces new highspeed rails to china, its only going to get more impressive. Two lams went to guangdong to trade, but were threw overboard and floated on a log, ending up on an island. And, as you explore the citys colourful heritage, youll discover stories of powerful clans, marauding pirates and european traders. Also examining the changing relationship between the chinese and expatriate communities and the.
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