Small Stories & Secret Stories Archives

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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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. ...

A Little BreakHeritageInspring ItinerariesInterviewsPeopleSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments 08 min read

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....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments 08 min read

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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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 Comments 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....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments 05 min read

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 Comments 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 […]...

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments 111 min read