Understand the patterns of the past and the rest is history

As someone who ticked all the boxes for traits attributed to a "typical" Asian mother, I did not actively encourage my children to study history. Fortunately, this deficit was made up for by my husband's interest in it and our children learned to see the world in a historical context.

However, I was keen to understand why the study of history was important to my students and what they gain from it.

Francois Dremeaux, a history teacher from the French section of my school, believes that understanding the past and its patterns enhances one's ability to analyse the present and the future.

A specialist in the inter-war period between 1918 and 1939, he has documented the French presence in this city in his recently released book, Hong Kong French Connections: from the 19th century to the present day.

While the French community here has been relatively small, they have always had a strong and visible influence in areas such as food. Their other contributions to the city's development, however, were less well known.

One such contribution, I discover from Dremeaux's book, came from Alexandre Yersin. A doctor from Louis Pasteur's team, he came to colonial Hong Kong in 1894 to help combat the plague epidemic that was ravaging China. It was while conducting research in Kennedy Town that he discovered the bacteria which now bears his name, Yersinia pestis.

Dremeaux believes having an understanding of the contributions the French community made during Hong Kong's transformation into a global city is a way of acknowledging its cosmopolitan nature. Taking a break from the rapid pace of life today, an occasional journey back in time gives us a chance to discover little known aspects of our fascinating city.