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Have you ever imagined what the scenery of Hong Kong looked like in the 1840s? The Public Records Office (PRO) of the Government Records Service (GRS) is preserving more than 8,000 pictures of old Hong Kong, and some of these have already been uploaded to the website of the GRS.
"There is no need to go far to find out what Hong Kong looked like in the past. Most of the subjects of the pictures relating to Hong Kong from the 1840s to the 1970s released online by the National Archives of the United Kingdom are actually available at the PRO, and some 280 of the images at the two places are identical," a GRS spokesman said today (August 4).
"For example, a painting of Hong Kong Island by a British artist in 1837 can be found in the album on Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee ("Diamond Jubilee Pictures 1837 - 1897"). Members of the public may also be interested in photos in albums such as "Picturesque Hong Kong" and "Tai Pin Shan Resumed Area", as well as pictures of views of Central and Victoria Harbour in the 19th century, Vice Admiral Ruitaro Fujita signing the Surrender Document, and the fixing of the Boundary Mark and the taking over of the New Territories. There are also photos related to economic development, medical and health matters, the Bun Festival and more taken by the Information Services Department."
The PRO's photographic collection covers the period from the 1830s to the 1990s, with the earliest image dating from 1837. Subjects of these photos include Victoria Harbour; views of Central, Kowloon and the New Territories; portraits; customs and celebrations; transportation; the Shek Kip Mei fire; Kai Tak Airport; housing development; hygiene; education; and other topics.
These photos are valuable records for reviewing the history of Hong Kong as well as important educational resources for teaching and learning. Some of the digital photos have been uploaded to the PRO's online catalogue (www.grs.gov.hk/PRO/srch/english/sys_photos.jsp?language=english).
Members of the public can also browse different thematic photographic albums via the website of the GRS:
* Digitised holdings of the Educational Resources Portal, including photo albums about the construction of the MTR, photos of the Shek Kip Mei fire, James Hayes' photographic collection about the removal of Ha Kwai Chung Village and more (www.grs.gov.hk/ws/erp/en/digitized_holdings/index.html);
* Online exhibitions, including exhibitions on Victoria Harbour, Kai Tak Airport, light industries in the 1950s and the 1960s, and development in Wan Chai and Yau Ma Tei (www.grs.gov.hk/ws/erp/en/online_exhibition/index.html); and
* Resource Gallery, with selected photos grouped under 10 themes, such as historical buildings, education, commerce and industry, and Hong Kong and World War II (www.grs.gov.hk/ws/english/resource/index.html).
Those interested in viewing these historical photos are welcome to visit the PRO (address: 1/F, Hong Kong Public Records Building, 13 Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon). For enquiries, please call 2195 7700.
Ends/Sunday, August 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:30
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