Author Jason Wordie will give a talk on Sai Kung history at The Hive next week (15 March). Some highlights:
- From the 1660s Hakkas from the East River moved into Sai Kung, establishing villages whose ruins we can see today. The stone-cutting industry became important to them.
- European connections began long before the signing of the 1898 British lease after the Opium War. Italian missionaries helped settlers start Catholic villages, the most well-known of which is Yim Tin Tsai.
- World War II in the Pacific saw Sai Kung become a hotbed of resistance (mainly by Communists) against the Japanese. Remote and island-studded, Sai Kung was a major route for clandestine travel into Free China. Leftist links were established that continue to this day.
Jason’s talk, beginning at 7pm, will cost $300 for non-members of Friends of Sai Kung and $250 for members. The Hive is the business centre in the old factory building on Po Tung Road opposite the police station.
I’d love to hear Mr. Wordie’ s speech. Will it cover the part that Eurasians played in the history of Hong Kong?