Everyday Life of Hong Kong in 1978 Through an American Traveler's Lens

Hong Kong is an autonomous territory on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in South China. It is the fourth-most densely populated region in the world.

Hong Kong in the 1970s underwent many changes that shaped its future, led for most of the decade by its longest-serving and reform-minded Governor, Murray MacLehose. Economically, it reinvented itself from a manufacturing base into a financial centre.

These color snapshots from David G. that documented everyday life of Hong Kong in 1978. “Although I was most excited during these trips to see the long-hidden Guangzhou, it turned out that Hong Kong was plenty interesting in and of itself.”

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63 Old Photos Document Everyday Life of Hong Kong from between the 1900s and 1910s

That's what Hong Kong looked like over 100 years ago.

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Wonderful Color Photos Document Street Scenes of Hong Kong in the 1950s

Hong Kong is an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of East Asia. Macau lies across the delta to the west, and the Chinese province of Guangdong borders the territory to the north. With a total land area of 1,106 square kilometres (427 sq mi) and a population various nationalities, it ranks as the world's fourth most densely populated sovereign state or territory.

After the First Opium War (1839–42), Hong Kong became a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island, followed by the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during World War II until British control resumed in 1945. In the early 1980s, negotiations between the United Kingdom and China resulted in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) with a high degree of autonomy.

Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which enables ready access by international cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with a very high density of skyscrapers; the territory boasts the second largest number of high rises of any city in the world.

Make a trip back to over 60 years ago to see what Hong Kong looked like in the 1950s.

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30 Interesting Color Photographs Capture Street Scenes of Hong Kong in the 1970s

Hong Kong in the 1970s underwent many changes that shaped its future, led for most of the decade by its longest-serving and reform-minded Governor, Murray MacLehose. These 30 interesting vintage photographs captured everyday life in Hong Kong during the 1970s.

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47 Beautiful Old Pictures Documented Street Scenes of Hong Kong in the 1960s

These are what everyday life in Hong Kong looked like in the 1960s.

Kowloon airview in the 1960s

Kowloon–Canton Railway on Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 1963

Kwun Tong view in 1969

Ladder Street, 1961

Ladder Street, 1967

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Kowloon: The Dragon City in Hong Kong – 23 Vintage Found Slides Captured Everyday Life of the City in the 1960s

Kowloon is an area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait to the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island to the west, a mountain range, including Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock to the north, and Victoria Harbour to the south.

The name Kowloon stems from the term Nine Dragons, which refers to eight mountains and a Chinese emperor: Kowloon Peak, Tung Shan, Tate's Cairn, Temple Hill, Unicorn Ridge, Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Crow's Nest and Emperor Bing of Song. Once a separate city, it was acquired by Britain in 1860 and returned to China with the rest of the colony in 1997. It’s now a shopping, arts and entertainment district.

Look back the 1960s to see how everyday life was here over 50 years ago.

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16 Interesting Photographs Capture Street Scenes of Hong Kong in 1984

These photographs were taken by Japanese photographer Doi Kuro, give us a glimpse into everyday life of Hong Kong in the early 1980s.

View of the market from the tram, 1984.

Street Chinese Opera, 1984.

Street hoarding, 1984.

 Sloping road, 1984.

amous people hand drawn portraits, 1984.

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Interesting Found Photos Show Everyday Life in Hong Kong in 1970

Amazing vintage photos were found by Mark Susina below showed a part of everyday life of Hong Kong in February 1970.

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The Beatles With Fangirls in Hong Kong, 1964

The Beatles gave two concerts at the Princess Theatre at 130 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, in the Kowloon region of Hong Kong on June 9th, 1964. The support act was The Maori Hi-Five.

The venue held 1,700 seats, although neither concert was a sell-out. Beatlemania had reached Hong Kong, but the promoter’s decision to charge HK $75 – the equivalent to an average week’s wage at the time – meant many of The Beatles’ fans were unable to see them perform.

The Beatles did no sightseeing during their stay in Hong Kong, believing the fans’ attentions may prove too dangerous. The following day they flew from Kai Tak airport to Sydney, Australia.

(Photos via the Beatle Photo Blog)

Early Photos of China and Hong Kong From 1868-1872

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Scottish photographer and travel writer John Thomson took four journeys across China. His photographs capture scenes and people from all walks of life—ministers, high officials, wealthy traders, street vendors, brides, boat women, monks, and soldiers—providing a lasting record of nineteenth-century China’s landscapes, architecture, communities, and customs.

A Foreign Settlement, (Shantou, Guangdong 1871)

A Cantonese Schoolboy, (Guangzhou, Guangdong, 1869–70)

A Manchu Bride, (Beijing 1871–72)

A Boatwoman, (Guangzhou, Guangdong 1869–70)

Sedan Chair, (Hong Kong 1868–71)

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Some Candid Photographs of John and Sean Lennon in Hong Kong, 1977

Here’s a small collection of rare and interesting photographs of John Lennon traveling in Hong Kong in May 1977 with Sean, who was about two years old, and was on his way to meet Yoko in Japan.

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