Small Stories & Secret Stories Archives

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part XII: Fat Tat Tong, a Window Into Rural History

Christopher DewolfSeptember 8, 2021

Hidden in a seemingly unremarkable village, Fat Tat Tong is one of Hong Kong's few declared monuments...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1996 views 07 min read

Why Does Hong Kong Have Its Own Team at the Olympics?

Christopher DewolfAugust 10, 2021

After Hong Kong's success at the Tokyo Olympics, it's worth looking into the particular history of how this city ended up with its own national team. ...

CultureHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesSport0 Comments5277 views 17 min read

Amazing Images of Old Hong Kong – in Full Colour

Christopher DewolfJune 24, 2021

A group of academics is using its Instagram account, Old HK in Colour, to share an incredible collection of painstakingly enhanced and colourised photos from Hong Kong's past....

CultureHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments2286 views 06 min read

A Broken Chinese Seal Brings History to Life

Edith TerryJune 17, 2021

Sotheby’s Asia chairman Nicolas Chow explores the iconoclastic hand of history in a unique collection of imperial Chinese seals....

CultureDesignHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments518 views 014 min read

China’s First Punk Band

Liam FitzpatrickFebruary 19, 2021

40 years on, Liam Fitzpatrick reflects on being a privileged punk in colonial Hong Kong....

ArtHistoryMusicPeopleSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1414 views 127 min read

Why Nobody Knew About the Spectacular Bishop Hill Reservoir

Christopher DewolfJanuary 22, 2021

How a quirky hill became the latest flashpoint in Hong Kong's fight to save its heritage....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments3931 views 111 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: The Star Street Precinct, a Quietly Fashionable Enclave

Brian MokDecember 17, 2020

The stars, sun and moon align in a stylish, laid back corner just beyond the bustle of Wan Chai....

ArtBooksCultureDesignFashionFoodHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionVisual ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1993 views 022 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part IX: Kom Tong Hall, the Sun Yat-sen Museum

Christopher DewolfNovember 19, 2020

Sun Yat-sen never visited the building that houses a museum dedicated to him – but there are plenty of other reasons why this grand structure is worth a visit....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments859 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part VI: Green Hub, the Old Tai Po Police Station

Christopher DewolfJuly 22, 2020

Britain's first colonial outpost in the New Territories has become a venue that promotes eco-friendly living....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1288 views 06 min read

Queen's road central The Friend of China

No Friend of the Government: The Story of Hong Kong’s First Rabble-Rousing Newspaper

Christopher DewolfJuly 2, 2020

How William Tarrant turned The Friend of China into a weapon against government corruption and misdeeds....

CultureHeritageHistoryPeopleSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1370 views 09 min read

Seattle’s Chinatown-International District: Lion Dances, Bruce Lee and a Long History

Billy PottsApril 29, 2020

We take a journey through Seattle's historic Chinatown, where generations of Asian immigrants came together, including martial arts master Bruce Lee....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1092 views 013 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part II: An Explosive History at the Asia Society

Christopher DewolfFebruary 25, 2020

How a Victorian-era explosives magazine was transformed into a cultural centre....

ArchitectureArtDesignHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1869 views 010 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: Shek Tong Tsui is Full of Surprises

Zabrina LoFebruary 19, 2020

Often overlooked in favour of its more popular neighbours, the hilly streets of Shek Tong Tsui are packed with historical and cultural delights...

CultureDesignFoodHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments3186 views 024 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part I: The Ghost of Murray House

Christopher DewolfJanuary 30, 2020

The first in a new series on pre-World War II architecture looks at how one of Hong Kong's oldest colonial buildings became an example of how not to conserve heritage...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments7499 views 07 min read

Inside Dragon Garden, the Hidden Paradise That Captures Hong Kong’s Spirit

Christopher DewolfJanuary 9, 2020

How one man built up a unique cultural landscape that was narrowly saved from destruction....

A Little BreakHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments10264 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part VIII: The Ill Fate of Rennie’s Mill, AKA Little Taiwan

Christopher DewolfSeptember 4, 2019

The story of an unlucky Canadian who opened a flour mill – and how it eventually became a bastion of support for the Kuomintang...

Big StoriesHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1942 views 011 min read

Take a Hike in Plover Cove, Where Farmers Are Bringing Hakka Villages Back to Life

Viola GaskellJuly 17, 2019

A walk in the northeastern New Territories takes you past a haunted pool into formerly abandoned villages that are being reborn. ...

A Little BreakHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments4063 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part VII: The Rise and Fall of Local Milk

Christopher DewolfJuly 17, 2019

Hong Kong's dairy industry launched a multinational business empire – but don't try finding any local milk in the supermarket....

CultureFoodHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments5321 views 09 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: Tai Ping Shan, An Old Soul With a Trendy Heart

Zabrina LoJuly 9, 2019

A traditional neighbourhood is thriving thanks to an infusion of fresh energy....

ArtBig StoriesBooksCultureDesignFashionFoodHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesStreet ArtUrbanismUsual Suspects & LandmarksVisual ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments8036 views 032 min read

How Did the Bauhinia, a Sterile Flower, Become the Symbol of Hong Kong?

Zabrina LoJune 27, 2019

The Bauhinia blakeana needs human hands to be propagated. So just how did this unlikely specimen become Hong Kong’s official emblem after the handover?...

CultureHistoryNatureSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments12044 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part V: Incense

Christopher DewolfApril 10, 2019

The trees that gave Hong Kong its name fuelled local industry for centuries – but they are now at risk of disappearing....

CultureHeritageHistoryNatureSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1845 views 08 min read

Witnesses to History: Hong Kong’s Clock Towers

Haider KikabhoyApril 10, 2019

As the Garden bakery clock tower is set for demolition, a look back at the iconic towers that have stood watch over Hong Kong's cityscape....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments1947 views 011 min read

The Origin of Hong Kong’s Mexico Bun: A Story of Exile and Return

Christopher DewolfMarch 13, 2019

How exactly did the Mexico bun get its name? The answer is found across the Pacific at a time when Mexico banished its Chinese population....

CultureFoodHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments31444 views 311 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part IV: The Rock That Built Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfMarch 6, 2019

How generations of Hakka quarry workers and stonemasons provided the granite that built the city as we know it....

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments3004 views 011 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: The Underrated Charm of North Point

Christie LeeFebruary 27, 2019

Overshadowed by flashier Hong Kong neighbourhoods, North Point is filled with hidden treasures....

ArchitectureArtBooksCultureFoodHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments9713 views 020 min read

Ghana Must Go: The Surprising Global Journey of Hong Kong’s Red-White-Blue Bag

Christopher DewolfFebruary 21, 2019

A symbol of Hong Kong's grassroots spirits turns out to have a world of other meanings and associations. ...

DesignHistoryProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments3097 views 011 min read

Hong Kong’s Wartime Hike: Stage Two of the Wilson Trail

Viola GaskellFebruary 13, 2019

This underrated trail features spectacular natural scenery and a lesson in World War II history....

HistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments7949 views 07 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part III: Squatter Factories

Christopher DewolfFebruary 6, 2019

Hong Kong became an industrial powerhouse thanks in part to informal factories run out of shantytowns and residential flats....

CultureHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments2431 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part II: Mining

Christopher DewolfJanuary 2, 2019

Hong Kong was once home to dozens of mines. What happened to this overlooked part of its industrial history?...

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments2488 views 08 min read

The Last Remnant of Kai Tak: Inside the Half-Destroyed Airport Fire Station With HK Urbex

Christopher DewolfDecember 19, 2018

Zolima CityMag teams up with a crew of urban explorers to survey the last remnant of Kai Tak Airport before it is redeveloped....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments4065 views 09 min read

On the Hunt for Hong Kong’s Missing Bankers’ Lions

Justina Chong and Billy PottsDecember 11, 2018

Two Art Deco lions stood outside the main entrance to the Bank of China Building until they were banished without ceremony. What happened to them?...

ArchitectureCultureDesignHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments2194 views 111 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: Sham Shui Po is Hong Kong’s Most Quintessential Neighbourhood

Janice ChenNovember 7, 2018

Sham Shui Po captures Hong Kong's industrious spirit, both past and present. ...

CultureFoodHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments7875 views 030 min read

Hong Kong’s Train to China: A Brief History of the Kowloon-Canton Railway

Christopher DewolfNovember 7, 2018

As Hong Kong opens its new high-speed rail link to mainland China, we look back at its original cross-border railway....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments4937 views 113 min read

Inside the Famously Haunted Nam Koo Terrace With HK Urbex

Christopher DewolfOctober 25, 2018

A group of urban explorers seek out and document Hong Kong's abandoned buildings. ...

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments5567 views 17 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: A Sense of Community in To Kwa Wan

Janice ChenSeptember 6, 2018

To Kwa Wan has long been off the radar – but not for long. As the MTR builds a new line, we explore the nooks and crannies of this underrated corner of Kowloon....