Coronation Hong Kong 1937

Street carnivals and military processions – a home movie record of Hong Kong’s celebrations as George VI is crowned

This home movie captures the vivacity of the celebrations in Hong Kong of George VI’s crowning, as street carnivals snake down Government Hill into the city, and all the pomp of a military tattoo comes to Happy Valley. There are some delightful scenes of the festivities, with acrobats, dragon dancers, floats and musicians accompanying the processions of lanterns, flags and giant animal models.

The opening shots of the film show the British aircraft carrier HMS Eagle at anchor in Victoria Harbour. The Royal Navy ship was sunk by German U-Boot torpedoes in the Mediterranean Sea, in 1942. This film is part of a collection of films from the late 1930s made by amateur filmmaker A. J. Hall.