This film is part of Free

Title of error

See Help

Hong Kong Happenings

Striking snapshots of life in a colonial outpost in the 1930s.

Home movie 1938 13 mins Silent

Overview

This rare amateur footage conjures a vibrant and confident Hong Kong when it was still under British colonial rule in the 1930s. Many of the people featured would be forced to flee the region when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong a couple of years later in 1941. One of the more colourful events documented is a Romany Fair - look out for the ‘Curio Caravan’.

The newly reconstructed HSBC Bank, then known as the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Company Limited, shown at the beginning of the film, was regarded as an Art Deco masterpiece and a symbol of the city’s prosperity and modernity. The lion statues became the bank’s motif and were retained along with other architectural features when Norman Foster famously transformed the site into a minimalist glass skyscraper in 1985.

Genres

Home movie

Country

United Kingdom

Location

Hong KongSt Andrew's ChurchCenotaph

Language

No Dialogue with English subtitles

Subjects

Watch for free

Hong Kong East Meets West Hong Kong East Meets West

Documentary 1940 24 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

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

Watch for free

A Drive Round the Island of Hong Kong A Drive Round the Island of Hong Kong

Home movie 1935 18 mins Silent Location: Aberdeen

Join a group of ex-pats on a tour around Hong Kong, long before it became defined by its skyscraper skyline.

Watch for free

Around the New Territories - Hong Kong Around the New Territories - Hong Kong

Amateur film 1938 14 mins Silent Location: Tai Po Road

The famous island is only part of Hong Kong, as this intrepid amateur explorer-cum-filmmaker reveals in this intriguing travelogue.

Watch for free

Hong Kong Happenings Part 2 Hong Kong Happenings Part 2

Amateur film 1937 9 mins Silent Location: Lai Chi Kok

Scenes of typhoon-torn Hong Kong captured by a local resident.

Watch for free

The Streets of Hong Kong - Wintertime 1936 The Streets of Hong Kong - Wintertime 1936

Amateur film 1938 17 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

Christmas decorations jostle for attention among thousands of street signs in this amateur exploration of Hong Kong Island’s busy streets.

Watch for free

Typhoon Hong Kong September 1937 Typhoon Hong Kong September 1937

Amateur film 1937 8 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

Poignant amateur footage records the aftermath of one of the worst typhoons in Hong Kong's history.

Watch for free

Shantou, China c.1932 Shantou, China c.1932

Amateur film 1932 11 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

Home-movie snapshots of life and work in Shantou in Guangdong Province, South China.

Watch for free

Cine Snapshots - 1937 Cine Snapshots - 1937

Amateur film 1937 32 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

Vivid views of pre-war Hong Kong.

Watch for free

Hong Kong East Meets West Hong Kong East Meets West

Documentary 1940 24 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

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

Watch for free

A Gate of China A Gate of China

Documentary 1927 9 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

Staggering views of 1920s Hong Kong capture the contradictory cocktail of East meets West on this outpost island.

Watch for free

Kung Hei Fat Choy - A Happy New Year Kung Hei Fat Choy - A Happy New Year

Amateur film 1937 12 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

Excitement fills the air as Hong Kong steps out to party.

Watch for free

Hong Kong c.1938 Hong Kong c.1938

Amateur film 1938 17 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong

The daily grind for Hong Kong dockers and farmers, captured by an amateur filmmaker.

Watch for free

New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine

Short documentary 2025 4 mins

Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.

Watch for free

Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A

Inside Film 2025 30 mins

The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.