A CENTURY IN PHOTOGRAPHS

South China Morning Post photographers have raced to capture Hong Kong's defining moments since the newspaper hit the streets in 1903. In this, the publication's centenary year, our researchers are trawling the archives to illustrate a forthcoming book celebrating 100 years of history as seen through the camera lens. Post Magazine provides a preview of some of the most spectacular images.

CENTRAL, April 7, 1922: Miserable weather did nothing to wash out the festivities planned for the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King George V. The decorations festooning Jardine House, on the corner of Des Voeux Road and Pedder Street, indicate the lengths to which Hong Kong's 660,000 citizens went to welcome him to 'this little rock of ours', as the Post reporter put it next day.

When Edward arrived for his two-day visit, 'thick mist and drizzle' and 'a high wind that set the flags tugging and flapping bravely and brought the lanterns down like ripe fruit' were besetting the territory. Undeterred, 'dense crowds patiently waiting three hours' were rewarded by the 'thunder of guns and crash of fireworks, and a big white ship steaming through the fog'. The prince's appearance may have been little more than a stopover on his return to London from a trip to Japan, which itself came at the end of six months spent touring the British Empire, but to the people of Hong Kong it was 'a red letter day in history'.

The prince - who went on to be crowned King Edward VIII when George V died in 1936, but abdicated the following year to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, taking the title Duke of Windsor - visited servicemen, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. He also played polo, with the match between His Royal Highness' team and a Hong Kong select outfit described as a 'rattling good game'.