Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Welcome

Welcome to Gwulo.com, and over 30,000 pages about old Hong Kong.

If it's your first visit, you might like to use the search box at the top of the page to find what you're looking for, check out the latest old photos, or just scroll down to browse through recent articles.

I hope you'll join in too, and share your questions and knowledge with us. Most pages let you leave a comment, it's easy to upload a photo, and the Forum is waiting for you to post a new message.

Finally, if you're interested in Hong Kong history, please stay in touch by signing up for Gwulo's free weekly newsletter.

Kind regards,

David

PS 'Gwu lo' is roughly how '古老' sounds in Cantonese. It means 'ancient' or 'old-fashioned'.

Gwulo's 2013 Top Ten

Submitted by David on Wed, 2020-05-20 15:00

A look at the most popular pages that appeared on Gwulo in 2013.

 

#10 - Ferry Routes (11,740 views)

IDJ created this page to gather information about Hong Kong's disappearing ferry services. Old maps show the harbour criss-crossed with ferry routes, but the ferries have gone out of business as passengers and vehicles moved to the new tunnels.

1950s Praya Central & Vehicular Ferry pier
1950s Praya Central & Vehicular Ferry pier

 

Read about Hong Kong's Ferry Routes

 

#9 - Old Hong Kong Telephone Numbering System (11,776 views)

Do you remember 5-digit telephone numbers? This page shares memories of some of the quirks of the old telephone systems, eg that HK Telephone employees could choose telephone numbers that, with a bit of inside knowledge, would let them

New on Gwulo: 2020, week 20

Submitted by David on Sat, 2020-05-16 18:00

I've listed some of the recent highlights below, but you can visit the What's New page at any time to see the latest additions to the site.

 

General

  • Klaus looks at how Hong Kong's roads were made in the early 20th Century
  • C is gathering the history of the Kayamally fabric company.
  • The 1933 Jurors list has been typed up and is now online. If you can spare 30 minutes, please could you help us to type up a page of the 1934 list?
  • The Ah King Slipway [c.1891-2002], famous boatbuilders in Hong Kong for over 100 years.
  • Can anyone identify which of the Dollar Steamship Line ships is shown here:
    Star Ferry, Kowloon, 1920s
    Star Ferry, Kowloon, 1923, by HIstoryBuff6
  • If you were in Gun Club Hill School in 1961, can you help identify the people in this class photo?
    Gun Club Hill School, HK. July 1961.jpg
    Gun Club Hill School, HK. July 1961.jpg, by taffyroberts
  • Phil has identified the location of another still from Love is a many splendored thing. This one shows

Gwulo's 2012 Top Ten

Submitted by David on Wed, 2020-05-13 18:00

A look at the most popular pages that appeared on Gwulo in 2012.

 

#10 - Duncan George MACPHERSON [1912-1989] (11,896 views)

Duncan began life in a crofters cottage in the Highlands of Scotland, but we meet him much later when he was a policeman in Hong Kong. He spent the Japanese occupation interned in Stanley Camp, where this photo of his wedding was taken:

1920 Map of Kowloon

Submitted by David on Mon, 2020-05-11 11:00

A few weeks ago we looked at how the 1920 map of Kowloon was added to Gwulo. Today we'll take a closer look at the map itself, and see what stories it has to tell of early 20th-century Kowloon.

1920 map of Kowloon
1920 map of Kowloon

 

Tsim Sha Tsui (TST)

The start of the 20th century saw huge changes in TST. Here's how it had looked in 1896.

Gwulo's 2011 Top Ten

Submitted by David on Wed, 2020-05-06 18:00

A look at the most popular pages that appeared on Gwulo in 2011.

 

#10 - Inscriptions for cemetery sections 10-16 (25,169 views)

This is one of the longest pages on Gwulo, listing inscriptions that Patricia Lim and Cliff Atkins copied from gravestones in the Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley. It was part of Patricia's research for her excellent book, Forgotten Souls: A Social History of the Hong Kong Cemetery. After the book was published, Patricia generously allowed us to share her research material on Gwulo, so that it can be accessed by the public.

But why would a list of gravestone inscriptions get so many views?

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