Small Stories & Secret Stories Archives

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 Comments1545 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...

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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 Comments2244 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....

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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 Comments5469 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 Comments5065 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 Comments952 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 Comments1176 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 Comments22105 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 Comments1776 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....

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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. ...

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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 Comments2109 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....

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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 Comments1695 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....

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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 Comments1861 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 Comments5543 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 Comments3186 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 Comments3384 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....

HeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments3508 views 025 min read

Ding Ding Stories: Who is Riding Hong Kong’s Trams?

Zolima CityMagSeptember 3, 2018

Hong Kong's oldest form of transport may not be its fastest, but its daily commuters value it for something else. ...

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Island Stories, Part III: Hong Kong’s Outcast Islands

Ryan KilpatrickAugust 15, 2018

Islands have always been a dumping ground for society's unwanted people and objects – and Hong Kong is no exception....

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The Cryptozoology of Hong Kong, Part II: How Dancing Lions Came to Be

Billy PottsAugust 14, 2018

How Hong Kong's famous lions — and lion dances — came to be....

CultureHeritageSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments1149 views 08 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: Treasures Between the Concrete Blocks of Kwun Tong

Janice ChenJuly 25, 2018

An industrial neighbourhood with a surprisingly long pedigree, Kwun Tong is a mix of new creative ventures and family-run businesses....

A Little BreakArtDesignFoodInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesStreet ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2601 views 126 min read

Island Stories, Part II: Hong Kong’s Disappearing Islands

Ryan KilpatrickJuly 25, 2018

Hong Kong is made up of 263 islands – but that number is smaller than it once was, and it may shrink even more in the future....

HeritageHistoryNatureSmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments11365 views 08 min read

The Cryptozoology of Hong Kong, Part I: Qilins

Billy PottsJuly 17, 2018

How much do you know about qilins, one of the most common of Hong Kong's mythical creatures?...

CultureHeritageSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments897 views 07 min read

Island Stories, Part I – On the Far Edge of Hong Kong, Unexpectedly Thriving Coral Reefs

Ryan KilpatrickJuly 4, 2018

Tung Ping Chau is Hong Kong's most remote island, with only five inhabitants and no electricity. But its spectacular natural environment is worth the journey....

A Little BreakInspring ItinerariesNatureSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1992 views 18 min read

A Rural Escape Just Steps from One of Hong Kong’s Busiest MTR Stations

Christopher DewolfJune 27, 2018

In Pai Tau Village, historic stone houses, Buddhist temples and one of the city's best bee farms overlook the high-rises of modern Hong Kong....

A Little BreakInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments5000 views 18 min read

Hong Kong’s Vanished Beaches

Christopher DewolfJune 20, 2018

Some of Hong Kong's most popular beaches were once located in the heart of the city....

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No Mixed Blood, No Mixed Bones: The Ongoing Saga of Hong Kong’s Eurasian Cemetery

Ryan KilpatrickJune 7, 2018

Discrimination against Eurasians in Hong Kong once extended to the afterlife. Now the heritage of a cemetery dedicated to this once-marginalised group is under threat. ...

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments9484 views 07 min read

Hong Kong’s War Ruins, Hidden in Plain Sight

Christopher DewolfMay 11, 2018

The last remnants of Hong Kong’s bloodiest day of fighting are now hidden behind an Esso station on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road. Walk past the fuel dispensers and the mini-mart and you’ll notice a weather-worn path leading up to a group of concrete bunkers tucked into the thick vegetation of the hillside. When Japanese […]...

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An Artistic Journey into Chuen Lung, Hong Kong’s Misty Mountainside Village

Sarah KaracsApril 26, 2018

A group of artists reflect on the history and culture of a centuries-old village perched on the slopes of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong's tallest peak....

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Hong Kong’s Lighthouses and Their Eurasian Sentries

Ryan KilpatrickApril 18, 2018

For much of its history, Hong Kong's lighthouse keepers were a band of Eurasians who were at home in neither British nor Chinese society. ...

A Little BreakHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments3356 views 08 min read

The Jamia Mosque, an Unexpected Oasis in Central Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfApril 18, 2018

Inside the lush historic compound that is home to Hong Kong's oldest mosque – and a surprising community of squatters. ...

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How the Blue House is Keeping Hong Kong’s Heritage Alive

Christopher DewolfMarch 7, 2018

After years of renovations, a landmark tenement building in Wan Chai is once again home to a close-knit community. ...

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Hong Kong’s Skyline Gets Dressed Up for Christmas

Christopher DewolfDecember 20, 2017

Thousands of people once flocked to Tsim Sha Tsui East to see the Christmas lights. While the crowds have thinned, the displays still shine....

CultureSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments992 views 05 min read

A Plague, a Cure and Some Art: the Museum of Medical Sciences

Christopher DewolfNovember 30, 2017

Founded as a laboratory to prevent disease, the Museum of Medical Sciences is now dedicated to the history of medicine in Hong Kong – with some surprising art exhibitions on the side, including a new show by artist Daphné Mandel....

ArtHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanismVisual Art0 Comments675 views 07 min read