Then & now: salute to Colonel Bard
The Siberian-born doctor, conductor and archaeologist was an exemplary member of Hong Kong's White Russian diaspora, writes Jason Wordie
China’s largely vanished White Russian diaspora, who escaped as refugees from the 1917 Bolshevik revolution to Harbin, Tientsin (Tianjin), Shanghai, Hong Kong and beyond, made outstanding contributions to the local art and music worlds, and general civic life, for more than half a century.
The community contained many remarkable individuals.
Creating a new life demanded deep self-reliance; while some refugees found the unequal struggle too much, others thrived on the challenge and lived inspirational and diverse lives.
Among the most impressive White Russians was Colonel Solomon Bard, who recently passed away in Sydney, Australia, aged 98.
Fondly known to friends as Solly, Bard’s death draws a final line under a multilayered life that connected the broader White Russian story to Hong Kong public life for half a century.