Exhibiting Hong Kong at the British Empire Exhibition in 1924-25

In 1924 and 1925, the British government organised the British Empire Exhibition in London to promote cooperation within the British Empire. Hong Kong took part, with its own exhibition area - the Hong Kong Section – to show this small colony to the British public. Two major general strikes, both of which involved major political parties from China, took place in Hong Kong before and during the exhibition. Yet, the Hong Kong Section did not provoke anticolonial sentiments but presented new images of Hong Kong rather successfully. During the talk, the speaker outlines the organising process of the Hong Kong Section, examines the representation of colonial Hong Kong at the Exhibition, examines how the Hong Kong Section exhibited Hong Kong, as well as reflects on the recent discussion about decolonisation.

About the Speaker
Gary Wong is a lecturer in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds. He received his PhD from the University of Birmingham. His book Two Exhibitions between Two Strikes (as author and designer) was awarded and shortlisted for the British Book and Design Awards, the Creative Communication Awards, the International Book Awards. He is an elected Fellow of the Higher Education Authority and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.