# THE STUDY OF LOCAL HISTORY IN HONG KONG: A REVIEW -
ELIZABETH SINN
147
For the past few years, local history in Hong Kong has been enjoying a popularity which is quite unprecedented. Hong Kong's main historical museum, the Hong Kong Museum of History which attracted 224,756 visitors in 1995, will be replaced in 1997 by a new museum with an exhibition area three times its present size. In the New Territories, a brand new Heritage Museum devoted to Hong Kong's history, is scheduled to open in 1998, and it will be even larger. A recent school heritage festival, designed to heighten students' awareness of historical monuments and their conservation, created great enthusiasm. Local history is now often the theme of radio and television programmes and everywhere one turns, one sees books on Hong Kong history in both English and Chinese. On the academic front, Hong Kong history courses are offered at four universities and the number of postgraduate students working on the subject has also been growing.
This paper seeks to trace the history of the study of local history in Hong Kong, to see how from very humble beginnings it has reached the stage of maturity today. It will examine the changes in approach, method and focus over time, and survey the various groups of practitioners in the field in the past 50 years. Lastly, it will look at some of the problems.
## Defining Local History in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, not being a sovereign state, and being geographically very small - its total area is only a little over 1,000 sq km - it might be justified to some extent to categorize all historical studies about the territory as 'local history'. However, despite its smallness, Hong Kong is actually a very compact place. Its high population density and the richness and diversity of its historical experience make it possible to study its history on a macro-level as well as a micro-level. In this paper on local history, I shall only be referring to studies done on a sub-territorial and micro-level. Admittedly, the boundaries are hard to define, and it is not always possible to classify works as macro-level or micro-level studies in any clear-cut way.
THE STUDY OF LOCAL HISTORY IN HONG KONG: A REVIEW -
ELIZABETH SINN
147
For the past few years, local history in Hong Kong has been enjoying a populanty which is quite unprecedented Hong Kong's main historical museum, the Hong Kong Museum of History which attracted 224,756 visitors in 1995, will be replaced in 1997 by a new museum with an exhibition area three times its present size. In the New Territones, a brand new Hentage Museum devoted to Hong Kong's history, is scheduled to open in 1998, and it will be even larger A recent school hentage festival, designed to heighten students' awareness of historical monuments and then conservation, created great enthusiasm. Local history is now often the theme of radio and television programmes and everywhere one turns, one sees books on Hong Kong history in both English and Chinese On the academie front, Hong Kong history courses are offered at four universities and the number of postgraduate students working on the subject has also been growing
This paper seeks to trace the history of the study of local history in Hong Kong, to see how from very humble beginnings it has reached the stage of maturity today. It will examine the changes in approach, method and focus over time, and survey the various groups of practitioners in the field in the past 50 years. Lastly, it will look at some of the problems.
Defining Local History in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, not being a sovereign state, and being geographically very small its total area is only a little over 1,000 sq kin it might be justified to some extent to categorize all historical studies about the territory as 'local history'. However, despite its smallness, Hong Kong is actually a very compact place. Its high population density and the richness and diversity of its historical experience make it possible to study its history on a macro-level as well as a nucio-level. In this paper on local history I shall only be referring to studies done on a sub-territorial and micro-level Admittedly the boundaries are hard to define, and it is not always possible to classify works as macro-level or micro-level studies in any clear-cut
way.
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