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Gwulo

@gwulo.bsky.social
49 followers 1 following 40 posts

Hong Kong history website www.gwulo.com

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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In October I'll give talks in Cheltenham and Exeter, showing a selection of rare photos of old Hong Kong and telling their stories. I hope to see you there! Details & booking… - Cheltenham : www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1880s-1940... - Exeter : www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1880s-1940...
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Details & booking … - York: gwulo.com/node/62632 - Edinburgh: gwulo.com/node/62640 In September I'll give talks in York and Edinburgh, showing a selection of rare photos of old Hong Kong and telling their stories. I hope to see you there!
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
20 colour slides of 1960-61 Hong Kong: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd1s... A box of slides found in a UK charity shop takes us from Kai Tak Airport to the neon lights of Mong Kok, the bustling Star Ferry, and more. Visual clues, old maps, and movie releases unlock the scenes. #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
1920s travel in Tsim Sha Tsui: youtu.be/Qr62Qdqp6L8 From competing bus companies hustling for passengers to massive Dollar Line luxury ocean liners, we’ll map out seven different ways you could leave TST. Plus, a surprise archive photo tells us when the photo was taken! #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
UK readers – I’m giving a new talk in London on Saturday 25 April, and it’ll be great to see you there. Details & booking: gwulo.com/node/62072
gwulo.com
London Friends of East Asia talk by David Bellis of Gwulo | Gwulo
Date : Saturday 25th April 2026
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Hong Kong treasures at UK's largest postcard fair: youtu.be/Mh9V6aC0Kr8 A look at recent purchases, with topics ranging from Typhoon Wanda to the Royal Navy in fancy dress, earwax removal to steam trains in Wanchai, and lots more besides. #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
1980 "Sun Sun" street map of Hong Kong island: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKhb... Introducing the newest addition to Gwulo’s maps. #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Early Brownies, Cubs, and Scouts in Hong Kong: youtu.be/VL91kwpGGJc Join me on the hunt for the clues that will show us when and where this photo was really taken. #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
1945 flight over wartime Hong Kong: youtu.be/lYLmB2N-rkE Explore Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation, via aerial photos taken by an American aircraft on 1 Feb 1945. #gwulo #hongkonghistory #ww2
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
84 years ago, Japanese troops were preparing to attack Hong Kong. Subscribe to follow the battle via daily extracts from diaries written by the people who took part. Subscribe: gwulo.com/node/61820 Sample email: gwulo.com/84-years-ago... The project: gwulo.com/wartime-diar... #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
1920s Hong Kong photos, including the 1926 rainstorm, when over 500mm rain fell in just 12 hours! youtu.be/whfJu7qeAHU #gwulo #hongkonghistory #rainstorm
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Preview of my talks in Glasgow (1 Nov) and Exeter (8 Nov). Links to details and how to book: - Glasgow - gwulo.com/node/61694 - Exeter - gwulo.com/node/61695 #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory @exeterlibrary.bsky.social
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
If you're in the UK, it'd be great to see you at one of my talks next month. I'll be in Glasgow on 1st November, and in Exeter on the 8th. Details and booking: - Glasgow 1 Nov - gwulo.com/node/61694 - Exeter 8 Nov - gwulo.com/node/61695
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
If you’ve ever struggled to work out when an old Hong Kong photo was taken, Gwulo’s new map tool can help: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WZb... In the video I show the map in action, working out which year an old photo postcard was taken. #gwulo #hongkonghistory #GIS
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
1930s Hong Kong from the harbour: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Ii... Join me to explore the 1930s seafront, what’s special about that Star Ferry, and what happened in Statue Square in WW2. #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
How to convert handwritten / typed / printed pages into text for free with AI: gwulo.com/node/61673 #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Three Vintage Photos from 1902 Reveal Hong Kong's Hidden History: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnXw... Join me to explore three historical photos of Hong Kong, visiting Central, Wanchai, Tsim Sha Tsui, the bustling harbour, and more! #gwulo #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Sewers & sanitation, dwellings & disease in 1880s Hong Kong. Plus colourful maps and sketches, and rare views inside Hong Kong’s early tenement housing, all in the latest Gwulo video: youtu.be/vdOGaijApFg #gwulo #hongkonghistory @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy‬
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
To celebrate the launch of 老照港古:香江華洋舊事相中尋, you can save 20% and get the new book for just HK$126.40. The offer is available: - in person (16-22 July 2025) from publisher 非凡出版 on stand 1D-C02 at the Hong Kong Book Fair, or ... - online (14-31 July 2025) on the 一本 My Book One website.
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Gwulo goes NICAM ! The first copies of the Chinese Volume 1 arrived today. I rushed to see how the photos look. The paper, printing, and binding work really well together, so I’m very happy with how they’ve turned out. And a bonus: today’s my birthday, so this was the perfect birthday present!
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
First photos of the finished book show how its binding lets it open flat on the table. The double-page photos look great displayed this way. I’ll have to wait another 1-2 weeks for my copies to arrive here in the UK – can’t wait to see them!
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Here’s the cover for the Chinese translation of my first book. I like that publisher 非凡出版 made the cover photo much larger than I did for the English book. This cover is more eye-catching, especially when seen on a small screen. It will launch at the Hong Kong Book Fair on 16 July. 15 days to go!
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
New @ Gwulo.com : - 1900s postcards - Baginton Fields Hostel near Coventry, where many ex-internees from Hong Kong stayed on arriving in the UK in 1945 - East Point industries - Army school, 1901-4? - Jimmy's Kitchen pre-WW2 + lots of old Hong Hong photos. Full details: gwulo.com/node/61521
gwulo.com
New on Gwulo: 2025, week 26 | Gwulo
What's new and updated on the Gwulo website: General Nicholas Kitto has uploaded a collection of postcards his great-grandfather mailed from Hong Kong and Canton in 1908. There's a sample below, and y...
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Printing the new book: 老照港古 香江華洋舊事相中尋 The photos were taken yesterday, so we’re on track to launch the Chinese translation of my first book at the Hong Kong Book Fair (16-22 July 2025). 22 days to go!
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Flogging was the harshest corporal punishment in colonial Hong Kong. Join me to explore letters from Governor Hennessy to London about this, along with details of prison life in 1870s Hong Kong: youtu.be/3fPpZGjhjNg #gwulo #hongkonghistory #Taikwun @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Learn to spot the little clues that help pin down a photo’s location, then see how we use them to show a century of changes along Pottinger Street: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5avz... #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory #Central #PottingerStreet #Taikwun #ThePottinger
1930s view down Pottinger Street
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
I’m giving a talk in London on Saturday 5 April, hope to see you there! We’ll explore a selection of my favourite old Hong Kong photos, look at how the Gwulo website came to be, and finish with some of the most touching stories we’ve been involved with. Details & booking: gwulo.com/node/60832
gwulo.com
Friends of East Asia talk - April 5th 2025 - Photos of old Hong Kong | Gwulo
The Friends of East Asia are delighted to welcome back David Bellis, B.E.M., of Gwulo, on Saturday 5th April 2025 who will talk to us on more of his fascinating photos of old Hong Kong.  David has rec...
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
This week's video visits 1960 Hong Kong via twenty colour slides. As always, lots of clues to explore, plus a mystery with the Furama Hotel. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Md1... #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory #Central #Aberdeen #RepulseBay #CausewayBay #ThePeak
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Thank you to Kate Whitehead for interviewing me about Gwulo and the BEM: hongkonger.world/2025/02/19/f...
hongkonger.world
Founder of Hong Kong history website honoured | The Hong Konger
History sleuth David Bellis to receive King’s award.
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
Something unusual about this rickshaw will help us work out When the photo was taken, and other clues will shed light on the photo’s Who, What, and Where: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLMT... #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory #sedanchair #rickshaw #pottingerstreet
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
I bought this photo as a cheap & cheerful view of Hong Kong’s old City Hall, but once it arrived and I could take a closer look it’s the fountain that’s the star of the scene. Full story at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKmN... #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Thanks to Bookazine for interviewing me about my books and recent award ... bookazine.com.hk/blogs/bookaz...
bookazine.com.hk
When A Deleted Email Turned Out To Be A Notification For A Major Award From King Charles III
While many might prefer to keep their age under wraps, I am proud to share that I made my way to Hong Kong back in 1979, and anything related to Hong Kong's history holds a very special place in my he...
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
UK readers: Gwulo's books are back in stock at Amazon UK, please see amzn.to/4h59wNa (This is an affiliate link - it doesn't affect the price you pay but Gwulo earns a small commission from Amazon if you buy via this link.)
amzn.to
David Bellis: books, biography, latest update
Follow David Bellis and explore their bibliography from Amazon's David Bellis Author Page.
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Reposted by Gwulo
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP @hongkongfp.com · 03/01/2025
David Bellis, a British national who spent over 30 years in Hong Kong and founded Gwulo, has been awarded a British Empire Medal. In full: buff.ly/4fL9mJT
buff.ly
Founder of HK online historical archive Gwulo recognised by UK gov't
David Bellis, a British national who spent over 30 years in Hong Kong and founded Gwulo, has been awarded a British Empire Medal.
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Revisit Hong Kong harbour in 1970 via this set of colour slides. It’ll be two more years before the first cross-harbour tunnel opens, so we’ll be travelling by sampan and ferry. youtu.be/uIVVyqSWFiA #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory #elephant
youtu.be
1970 Afloat on Hong Kong harbour
YouTube video by Gwulo
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
83 years ago, Japanese troops were getting ready to attack Hong Kong. Subscribe to follow the battle via daily extracts from diaries written in Hong Kong in December 1941. Subscribe: gwulo.com/node/60632 Sample: gwulo.com/83-years-ago Project info: gwulo.com/wartime-diar... #hongkonghistory
Page from Barbara Anslow's diary written on 8 December 1941
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
It’s a small photo, just 8cm / 3in wide, but there’s enough detail for us to investigate who and what we’re looking at, where and when the photo was taken. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qftx... #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory #elephant
youtube.com
When elephants came to Hong Kong
YouTube video by Gwulo
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
A second 1909 panorama, but this time taken in the opposite direction. It looks north from Hong Kong island and so gives us the chance to explore Kowloon in 1909: www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Ce... #gwulo #hongkong #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory #1900s #panorama
youtube.com
1909 Panorama of Kowloon, Victoria Harbour, and the North shore of Hong Kong Island
YouTube video by Gwulo
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Gwulo @gwulo.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Explore 1909 Hong Kong island in this high-resolution panorama: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MsH... #gwulo #oldhongkongphoto #oldhongkong #hongkonghistory #1900s #panorama
youtube.com
1909 Panorama of Hong Kong Island from the harbour
YouTube video by Gwulo
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