Public Success, Private Sorrow

Public Success, Private Sorrow PDF Author: Isidore Cyril Cannon
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9622099610
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
The story of an Englishman who lived through the last years of the Qing dynasty, was trapped in the British Legation during the Boxer uprising and went on to occupy a number of senior positions in the Imperial Customs as Commissioner of Customs in various ports, Shanghai Postmaster and first Director of the important Customs College.

Public Success, Private Sorrow

Public Success, Private Sorrow PDF Author: Isidore Cyril Cannon
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9622099610
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
The story of an Englishman who lived through the last years of the Qing dynasty, was trapped in the British Legation during the Boxer uprising and went on to occupy a number of senior positions in the Imperial Customs as Commissioner of Customs in various ports, Shanghai Postmaster and first Director of the important Customs College.

Public Success, Private Sorrow: The Life and Times of Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor (1857-1938), China Customs Commissioner and Pioneer Translator (Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies Series)

Public Success, Private Sorrow: The Life and Times of Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor (1857-1938), China Customs Commissioner and Pioneer Translator (Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies Series) PDF Author: Isidore Cyril Cannon
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781282709324
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Governors, Politics and the Colonial Office

Governors, Politics and the Colonial Office PDF Author: Gavin Ure
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888083945
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
This book fleshes out the impact of political figures and how their actions, and inactions, affect various imperial or Hong Kong political and administrative affairs. The tendrils of Hong Kong's budding autonomy from the United Kingdom are identified and followed with attention paid to the various actors, including observing which actors fade in importance and which ones seize more of the stage.

Voyages, Migration, and the Maritime World

Voyages, Migration, and the Maritime World PDF Author: Clara Ho
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110585146
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 458

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Book Description
This is a multi-author volume resulted from an international conference focusing on topics related to our understanding of the role of China in the global history. Apart from introductory chapters exploring methodological issues and providing big pictures of framing China in the world in particular time zones, this volume also covers rich discussions on the following themes from the ancient period to the twentieth century: organized water transport, cultural interactions, navigators, port cities, smuggling activities, customs service, foreign relations, migration, and diasporas. Written by scholars of different generations who are based in diverse regions including Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK and the US, the chapters in this volume either address old questions from new perspectives, or table new topics that were largely ignored in previous scholarship. Some go further to brainstorm possible research directions in the future. This thought-provoking volume will be beneficial to readers who are interested in rethinking China's position in the global historical stage against the backdrop of Post-Orientalism.

Strong to Save: Maritime Mission in Hong Kong from Whampoa Reach to the Mariners' Club

Strong to Save: Maritime Mission in Hong Kong from Whampoa Reach to the Mariners' Club PDF Author: Stephen Davies
Publisher: City University of HK Press
ISBN: 962937305X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 672

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Book Description
Tracing its origins back to 1822 in Whampoa, the Mariners’ Club in Hong Kong was established to meet a specific need for an Anglo-Chinese society defined by that most dubious of activities, seafaring. Its creation was anything but straightforward, and in this can be seen the mutable and often tortuous relations between the various religious bodies, the local population, the transient sailors, the emerging captains of industry, and the growing regulatory reach of the colonial government. The club evolved through many embodiments and witnessed the growth of Hong Kong from a collection of mat-sheds on the foreshore, through colony to its current status. Throughout its turbulent past it has been occasionally marginalized but has always served as an important base for the key actors in the main commercial activity in Hong Kong: seafarers. This is a history of one of the most enduring institutions of Hong Kong, and the first of its kind. Using the Club’s own records as well as a wide range of sources both from within Hong Kong and from the seafaring world at large, this is a comprehensive account of the life of the Missions, the tenancy of the different chaplains, managers, and stewards, the changes in seafaring practices and shipping, and the transformation of Hong Kong itself.

Early China Coast Meteorology

Early China Coast Meteorology PDF Author: P. Kevin MacKeown
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888028855
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Numerous personality clashes and financial and other intrigues surrounded the early efforts to set up an Observatory in Hong Kong. Blending personalities, politics and practicalities of studying the weather, this entertaining book provides valuable and informative insights into the public and private controversies growing out of responses to and responsibilities involved in the protection of life and property. This portrait is set firmly in the context of the history of Hong Kong as British colony on the China Coast and its role as a burgeoning commercial port within the trading complex of the Empire. It brings to life many of the people and institutions in Hong Kong and elsewhere on the development of meteorology on the China Coast. Dr. William Doberck, who became the founding director of the new Observatory, played a crucial role in its development during most of forty years covered by this story. Doberck was an astronomer with little interest in meteorology and a penchant for not suffering gladly those whom he considered to be his inferiors -- a source of much of the dissension and adversarial positions that characterized his career. In the early years of Doberck's tenure, many trials and tribulations arose from conflicts between his views on his work and those of a less than enlightened but firmly entrenched Colonial Administration. Other key players added to the mix include the local print media, local businesses and the shipping fraternity, whose ongoing dissatisfaction stemmed from conflicting perceptions and expectations on all sides. In assessing the achievements of the Observatory in its early decades, the study of typhoons has central importance. In recounting Doberck's less than stellar contributions in this regard, he narrative follows many snippets of scandal concerning Doberck and his often cantankerous relationship with his employers and the other stakeholders in the Colony. In later chapters, the author explores the complex dynamics of the contentious interactions between Doberck and the Jesuits in charge of the Manila and Zikawei Observatories. The storms that rage in the narrative as well as the tragedy of the very real storm of 1906 illustrate the drama that played out both locally and internationally in terms of jealousies, rivalries, and many attendant charges and counter-charges animating the controversy. The depiction of Doberck's eventual departure and succession story offer insight into the largely uncredited contribution of his sister to the meteorological work of the Observatory for around 40 years. Under Doberck's successors, Figg and Claxton, the Observatory enjoyed a resurgence of influence in meteorology in the China coast region. P. Kevin MacKeownis retired professor of physics at the University of Hong Kong.

Forgotten Souls

Forgotten Souls PDF Author: Patricia Lim
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9622099904
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 625

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Book Description
The author has recorded the inscriptions on all 8000 graves in the HK Cemetery. These by the way will be available in due course as an on-line database through the Hong Kong Memory project. She has selected, from the graves she has recorded, a wide range of people whose lives shed light on the nature of society in Hong Kong. Inevitably as this was the 'Colonial' cemetery, they are predominantly Europeans, although there are numerous Chinese and a surprising number of Japanese too. She has then sought out information on these people from contemporary newspapers, land records, court records etc to provide a rich description of life in Hong Kong during the first 100 years approximately from its colonization and a wonderful series of anecdotes. Patricia Limhas lived in Hong Kong for more than thirty years and is married to a Chinese. She studied at Cambridge University and had a long and happy career teaching English, History and Latin in various schools and bringing up a family of three daughters. On her retirement from teaching she decided to try to bring the often hard to find heritage of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories to the attention of a wider public by publishing two books of walks. This book followed on from the second book. When gathering material for a walk round the cemeteries of Happy Valley, the old, silent, granite monuments and headstones sparked a keen interest in the lives of the forgotten people who lay buried in Hong Kong Cemetery. "Patricia Lim turns a tour of the Cemetery into a tantalizing historical journey, rediscovering the many individuals whose lives - even the most fleeting and obscure - reflect significant developments and provide a nuanced understanding of Hong Kong's past. A solid database and a riveting good read - a winning combination!" -- Elizabeth Sinn, University of Hong Kong

A Stormy Petrel: The Life and Times of John Pope Hennessy

A Stormy Petrel: The Life and Times of John Pope Hennessy PDF Author: P. Kevin MacKeown
Publisher: City University of HK Press
ISBN: 9629373777
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description
Many words have been used to describe John Pope Hennessy, the former governor of Hong Kong. “Controversial” is perhaps the briefest way to outline his character. Yet we may be guilty of ascribing modern ideas to our understanding of characters of the past. An Irish Catholic raised during the age of empire and rising nationalism, a devout Tory and Disraeli follower, a believer in both the benefits of empire and a patron of local talent in his postings, it is easy to view Pope Hennessy as a man of contradictions. This volume traces Pope Hennessy’s history from his early beginnings in famine Ireland to his attempts to rise through the ranks in London. It goes on to cover his early postings to Labuan, West Africa, and, of course, Hong Kong, as well as his final days with his family. His actions and his personality are laid bare for readers fo form their own opinions of one of Hong Kong’s most enigmatic governors. “As to Sir J. P. Hennessy, the less said the better. His acts speak powerfully enough. The centre of his world was he himself. But with all the crowd of dark and bright powers that were wrestling within him, he could not help doing some good…” - Dr Ernst Johann Eitel, Missionary, sinologist, and John Pope Hennessy’s private secretary

Empire careers

Empire careers PDF Author: Catherine Ladds
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 152611822X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 251

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Book Description
This is the first book-length study of the 11,000 foreign nationals who worked for the Chinese Customs Service between 1854 and1949, exploring how their lives and careers were shaped by imperial ideologies, networks and structures. In doing so it highlights the vast range of people – British and non-British, elite and non-elite – for whom the empire world spoke of opportunity. Empire careers considers the professional triumphs and tribulations of the foreign staff, their social activities, their private and family lives, and how all of these factors were influenced by the changing political context in China and abroad. Contrary to the common assumption that China was merely an ‘outpost’ of empire, exploration of the Customs’ cosmopolitan personnel encourages us to see China as a place where multiple imperial trajectories converged, overlapped and competed. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of imperial history and the political history of modern China.

Betrayed Ally

Betrayed Ally PDF Author: Frances Wood
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 147387503X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
The Great War helped China emerge from humiliation and obscurity and take its first tentative steps as a full member of the global community.In 1912 the Qing Dynasty had ended. President Yuan Shikai, who seized power in 1914, offered the British 50,000 troops to recover the German colony in Shandong but this was refused. In 1916 China sent a vast army of labourers to Europe. In 1917 she declared war on Germany despite this effectively making the real enemy Japan an ally.The betrayal came when Japan was awarded the former German colony. This inspired the rise of Chinese nationalism and communism, enflamed by Russia. The scene was set for Japans incursions into China and thirty years of bloodshed.One hundred years on, the time is right for this accessible and authoritative account of Chinas role in The Great War and assessment of its national and international significance