Kaiping Diaolou and the Emigrant Builders: A Second Talk

Description

Back by popular demand, the Royal Geographical Society Hong Kong presents a second talk on Kaiping’s Watchtowers & The Emigrants Who Built Them. The multi‑storey defensive village houses, known as diaolou, were built by Chinese emigrants returning from South Asia, Australasia and North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 2007, the diaolou were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Through a richly illustrated presentation, Dede Huang and Peter Stuckey examine the architecture of the watchtowers and the lives entwined with them. Huang reflects on her family’s journey from Kaiping to San Diego in the 1880s, tracing a wider narrative of migration and adaptation, while Stuckey shares insights from more than 15 years of research and his ongoing work on a diaolou rehabilitation project in Kaiping, which received a UNESCO Award of Merit for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The two speakers will also discuss the recent restoration of several diaolou to their former glory and how guests can visit them from Hong Kong.

Complimentary drinks will be served from 18:45, with the talk beginning at 19:30.