Old Hong Kong in Colour

Previous collections of photographs illustrating the lost world of Old Hong Kong have tended to focus exclusively on black-and-white images from before the Second World War. In this new collection of photographs from the period 1948-1969, Otto Lam has instead selected a dazzling array of images in glorious full colour, most of them taken by overseas visitors to Hong Kong, including some of the earliest surviving colour views of the city and its environs. These evocative images demonstrate what a vibrant place Hong Kong was during this crucial period in the colony''s rapid economic growth and modernisation. This volume, covering a wide range of images from daily life in post-war Hong Kong, comes at a time when a new generation of citizens is taking a greater interest in the rich and largely intangible heritage of their city.

Otto C.C. Lam pursued a career in the fashion industry after his graduation from a fashion college, but he started collecting rare books and photographs of Hong Kong and China after beginning to work for the UK fashion market in 1993. His study of the numismatic history of Hong Kong and China eventually resulted in a PhD in history from the University of Hong Kong. Although his main field of research is the early banking history of Hong Kong and China, he has taken a keen interest in the early colonial history of Hong Kong and missionary activity in China. Otto is a Museum Expert Adviser of Hong Kong; a member of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Archives & History Advisory Committee and a member of The Royal Numismatic Society. His latest publications include Hong Kong in the Early Banking of China (2016) and Beyond Black & White – Colour Snapshots of Hong Kong in the 50s & 60s (2018).

005 Introduction : Hong Kong – City of Colour

019 Acknowledgements

020 Chapter 1 The Appearance of Colour Photography in South China – Summer 1948

064 Chapter 2 The visitors

100 Chapter 3 City sights

178 Chapter 4 The Peak

202 Chapter 5 Junks, sampans and a typical fishing village – Aberdeen

242 Chapter 6 Holy Mother Church

260 Chapter 7 People and Life

324 Chapter 8 Resettlement

354 Chapter 9 Macau