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Step back in time and explore the hidden stories of pre-war Hong Kong with our Then & Now columnist Jason Wordie, from a vintage guidebook recommending sedan chair rides for tourists to Allied spies on Stonecutters Island and a tolerance for same-sex relationships that some may argue is not so prevalent today.
1. Unearth 1930s Hong Kong charm as Nationalist government guidebook offers pre-war tourists sedan chair rides, shopping for ivory and trips to Canton
A vintage guidebook allows us to journey into the past to discover what Hong Kong had to offer a tourist in the 1930s. Tourist’s Guide: The Colony of Hong Kong And Vicinity, produced by the Nationalist government’s Publicity and Information Bureau, highlights unique shopping experiences, sedan chair rides and recommended side trips into southern China
2. Adrian Paterson, the Oxford graduate who became Hong Kong University’s idol in the 1930s with his eccentric style before his tragic death in Egypt
Discover the captivating story of the unconventional English teacher who inspired students with his love for Chinese clothing, culture and literature. The charismatic Patterson bridged the eastern and western worlds, and was said to have been an idol to his students before his tragic death in a freak accident in 1939.

3. Acceptance of same-sex relationship in pre-war Hong Kong shows city’s surprising historical tolerance to LGBTQ community
The love story of Li Shiu-tong and Magnus Hirschfeld in 1930s Hong Kong challenges contemporary views on Chinese attitudes towards LGBTQ relationships. Discover how Li’s romance with pioneering German scholar Hirschfeld defied norms and was supported by Li’s father, a wealthy businessman.
4. The spies of Stonecutters Island – how Japanese linguist Cyril Wild and Anglo-Irish poet Arthur Cooper ran Hong Kong’s pre-war listening post
Discover the intriguing lives of eccentric boffins Wild and Cooper, who played a pivotal role in Hong Kong’s pre-war signals intelligence operations on Stonecutters Island. The pair monitored the airwaves throughout the Pacific in the lead-up to World War II and made an invaluable contribution to the Allied strategy against Japan.
Part of this article was produced with the assistance of generative AI.


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A US sailor sits in a sedan chair in Hong Kong in the 1930s. Such rides were recommended to tourists in the Chinese Nationalist government’s publication ‘Tourists Guide: The Colony of Hong Kong and Vicinity’ from the era. Photo: Getty Images


The relationship between German scholar Magnus Hirschfeld and his partner Li Shiu-tong was accepted in 1930s Hong Kong. Photo: Handout.

PostMag

Culture

PostMag writer Jason Wordie explores 1930s Hong Kong and discovers vintage guidebooks, LGBTQ acceptance and a tragic death in four Then & Now columns


PostMag writer Jason Wordie explores 1930s Hong Kong and discovers vintage guidebooks, LGBTQ acceptance and a tragic death in four Then & Now columns.


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1. .css-jfmysa{display:inline;word-break:break-word;}.css-1ankfgb{cursor:pointer;display:inline;word-break:break-word;}Unearth 1930s Hong Kong charm as Nationalist government guidebook offers pre-war tourists sedan chair rides, shopping for ivory and trips to Canton

PostMag writer Jason Wordie explores 1930s Hong Kong and discovers vintage guidebooks, LGBTQ acceptance and a tragic death in four Then & Now columns

1. Unearth 1930s Hong Kong charm as Nationalist government guidebook offers pre-war tourists sedan chair rides, shopping for ivory and trips to Canton