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Uniview editor Trea Wiltshire has written more than a dozen illustrated history and travel books and her most recent – A Stroll Through Colonial Hong Kong – takes readers through the buildings and places, monuments and relics that reflect the history of the international city that was restored to China in 1997.Born in China, Trea began her career in journalism in the United Kingdom before going to Hong Kong to work for the South China Morning Post . She went on to edit in-flight magazines and write the first of several commissioned illustrated histories for Hong Kong’s leading publishing house, FormAsia.

“The year I arrived, 1967, was a year of living dangerously for Hong Kong as the Cultural Revolution spilled across the border,” Trea said. “There were street riots and marches by local Maoists calling for the overthrow of colonial ‘running dogs’, and bombs were planted across the city. But with much of its population having fled mainland Communism, there was little sympathy then for a return to China.”

“It was a fascinating introduction to an incredible city that has always fused the vision of Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs with the hard work of those who often worked for untold hours and meagre wages to make a better life for their children. In terms of journalism, in a single day I might cover a high society event at the Mandarin hotel and then interview a newly-arrived refugee building a corrugated iron hillside shack for his family.

“In a land-hungry city, many historic buildings have been lost but in recent years locals have become very protective of those that survive. A sombre bronze of Queen Victoria – that somehow survived being shipped off to Japan during World War II to be melted down for the war effort – still stands in a local park. You can stroll through colonial cemeteries where soldiers of many nationalities (including young Australians) are buried.

“The wonderful domed courthouse – symbol of the rule of law so highly valued by locals – survives in the very heart of the island city, along with the colonial cenotaph that became a rallying point for thousands of demonstrators following the Tiananmen Square massacre. June 4 is still marked by candlelit vigils now held annually in the park where Victoria’s bronze stands. And these days, mainlanders join with locals in remembering those who died for democracy.

“Government House (redesigned by a Japanese Governor with shoji screens and pine floors during the occupation) is today the home of Hong Kong’s Chief Executive. It overlooks the botanic gardens that early colonials planted and nearby is St John’s, the longest surviving Anglican cathedral in the Far East, a well-loved landmark that has witnessed much of Hong Kong’s colonial history.”

A Stroll Through Colonial Hong Kong contains archival and contemporary images. Trea is the author of Old Hong Kong, Echoes of Old China , and Encounters with China as well as books on Angkor Wat, Margaret River and Rottnest. For more information visit the FormAsia website.

Published in UWA News , 29 October 2012