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Hong Kong Happenings Part 2

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

Amateur film 1937 9 mins Silent

Overview

A series of elegiac panning shots taken by an amateur filmmaker reveal the devastation wrought by a typhoon that swept across Hong Kong and nearby islands in September 1937. We are invited to contemplate the damage and admire the resilience of the residents as they clear the debris and start to rebuild their damaged homes.

Contemporary newspaper reports estimate that the disaster resulted in a death toll of around 400 people and that an aid appeal for £1000 was made in the UK to help towards the rebuilding programme.