See fascinating photos of old Hong Kong, and discover their stories.

Dating from the early 20th century right back to the 1880s, the photos show an old Hong Kong that has long since disappeared. They have been scanned at high resolution, enabling David to show us the photos’ minutest details. Plague-ridden rats, flapper hats, Japanese chocolates – these are just a few of the surprising clues you’ll see. David helps you piece the clues together and so uncover the photos’ hidden stories.

• Date : Saturday, 8 November 2025
• Time : 2:00pm doors open. 2:30pm talk begins. (Talk lasts appx 1 hour, followed by Q&A, and time to chat with fellow guests.)
• Theme : Extracts from his first book of photos and stories of old Hong Kong
• Venue : Exeter Library (Rougemont room), Castle Street, Exeter EX4 3PQ
• Booking : To order your ticket(s), please email grace@gwulo.com (Grace will share the booking payment BACS details on receipt of your booking email)
• Lecture cost :
– Standard ticket : £10 / person
– Full time student : £5 / person

The speaker : David has recently returned to the UK after more than thirty years in Hong Kong. He started the Gwulo.com website in 2009 giving a unique space for people to learn about Hong Kong’s history and share their experience. It has grown to over 50,000 pages, including over 30,000 pictures, and has become a valuable resource.

David received the SCMP’s Spirit of Hong Kong award for Heritage Preservation for his work on Gwulo in 2014. More recently he was awarded the British Empire Medal for his services to Heritage Preservation in Hong Kong, in this year’s New Year’s Honours List.