By Ruy Barretto, Anthony Correa and Prof. Clifford Pereira, with acknowledgements to Henrique d'Assumpcao and Robert Leitao's invaluable online photographic contributions. In the first two parts of this seminal research piece, we set the scene for this penultimate Part III of our series on the Portuguese community's contribution to the defence of Hong Kong. Part I described the background and conditions in advance of the Japanese invasion, the Battle of Hong Kong, and the var

By Ruy Barretto SC, Anthony Correa and Prof Clifford Pereira Internment and Prisoners of War (POW). After the Invasion and fighting from 8th December 1941 to 25th December 1941 Hong Kong was occupied for 3 years and 8 months by the Japanese military. António da Silva gives some numbers of the POWs. Of the 800 Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC) prisoner of war (POW), 234 were Portuguese.[1] However the number changed with circumstances. As Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM

By Ruy Barretto SC, Anthony Correa and Prof Clifford Pereira I read that at least two Portuguese were implicated in and tried by a Japanese military court and that one of them was among the 33 executed on that terrible day of 29th October 1943. I had never heard anyone mention his name: William John White. The 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Hong Kong and a gathering at the marble memorial in front of Club de Recreio on the 30th August 2025 has contributed to the realiz

By Patrick A De Lemos Rozario I recently heard from the news that fewer people are drinking watercress syrup. Watercress honey (syrup), commonly known in Cantonese as “西洋菜蜜”, is made by simmering fresh watercress and blending the extract with sugar or honey. The reasons may be obvious enough; younger people no longer drink traditional concentrated syrups as much as before. Instead, they prefer bubble tea and the endless variety of trendy drinks sold in fashionable cafés and c

By Ken Chad Introduction: More Than Bricks and Mortar When the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation opened its new headquarters at 1 Queen’s Road Central on 10 October 1935, it was a statement of overwhelming confidence. Described as Hong Kong’s first skyscraper, the fourteen-storey, airconditioned behemoth dominated the colonial skyline, its entrance guarded by two famously snarling bronze lions. [15] For a century, the banks had been the powerhouse of the colony, and H