Hong Kong East Meets West

This intimate study of Hong Kong explores the life and landscape of the former British colony in exquisite detail.

This intimate study of life and landscape in Hong Kong casts a fascinating light on the collisions of Chinese and European culture in the former British colony. Its scope (especially for an amateur film) is astonishing – collecting and contrasting scenes of Chinese street and river life, festivals, games and sports, labour, cooking, inoculation, ivory carving, acrobatics, and Methodist church life.

The film features footage of the former Chinese Methodist Church (demolished in 1994) on the corners of Johnston Road and Hennessy Road in Wan Chai. Built in 1936, the church was a curious exponent of East-meets-West architecture, incorporating Chinese pyramidal roofs and Art Deco design.