THE
ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY - HONG KONG
presents
“Maritime
History of Hong Kong”
by
Dr
Stephen Davies
on
Monday,
28 January 2008
The
Jardine Penthouse, 48/F Jardine House, One Connaught Place
Penthouse
opens 6.30 pm; Lecture 7.30 pm
We
are delighted to welcome to speak to the Society, Dr Stephen Davies,
Museum Director of Hong Kong Maritime Museum, lecturing on the
Maritime History of Hong Kong.
The
history of Hong Kong shipping is a vast topic, since it’s fair
to say that at least since the 19th century it has been in
microcosm the history of world shipping. Even if many of the epochal
moments in history of shipping had their origin elsewhere,,
not
long after their appearance they feature in Hong Kong’s
maritime story one way or another.
Dr
Davies first considers Hong Kong’s maritime historical role
from the earliest days until the 18th century, minor apart
from the perennial pirate problem. Dr Davies believes that the usual
Hong Kong shipping story tends to leave out a lot, ships not being
boats and boats not being ships, but junks being both. Dr Davies
tells the real story of the soul of Hong Kong shipping, the junk
trade.
Dr
Davies then illustrates the birth and modest colonial heyday of the
Hong Kong shipping industry, 1840-1941, including how the steam ship
arrived, though slowly, and eventually as the motor ship triumphed.
The
Great Transformation of the Hong Kong shipping industry was
1945-2000, a period of enormous expansion. The Hong Kong shipping
story opened a whole new chapter and everything changed forever. The
world of Hong Kong shipping today is a great, mature port needing
great maritime museums. Dr Davies’ lecture is richly
illustrated from the fine collections of the Hong Kong Maritime
Museum.
Dr
Stephen Davies was educated at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and
the London School of Economics. Following service in the Royal Navy
and as a mountaineering and sailing instructor he became a lecturer
in political theory and philosophy at the University of Hong Kong
from 1973 to 1989. Dr Davies then became a voyager and freelance
writer, penning yachting pilots to the Red Sea and Southeast Asia and
more than 1,000 articles on maritime topics mainly focused on East
and SE Asia. In the process of gathering material, Dr Davies sailed
an 11.5m sloop two-handed some 50,000 miles. Dr Davies is now an
Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Hong Kong’s
Centre of Asian Studies, and was appointed Museum Director of Hong
Kong’s new maritime museum in April 2005. Dr Davies specialist
interest is in all aspects of the Maritime History of Hong Kong. Dr
Davies most recent publications have dealt with resource management
and the law of the sea, the Second World War marine defenses of Hong
Kong, the authenticity of replica museum ship models, technical
questions in the size and design of the Treasure Ships of Zhenghe,
and the Coasian economics of lighthouse provision.
This
lecture is being held in the fine surroundings of the Jardine
Penthouse. Members and their guests are most welcome to attend at
HK$50 for Members, HK$100 for Members' guests and $200 for others.
The Society regrets that on this occasion we are unable to provide a
drinks reception prior to the lecture.
Royal Geographical Society (IBG) - Hong
Kong