Post-Imperialism: The Postage Stamps and Postal History of Hong Kong, 1842-1997 GILBERT, Adam Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/24586/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/24586/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. Post-Imperialism: The Postage Stamps and Postal History of Hong Kong, 1842-1997 Adam Richard Gilbert A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2018 Abstract This thesis explores the intricate relationship between postage stamps and the British representation of Hong Kong on a domestic and international level between 1840 and 1997. It examines a variety of underutilised sources through an interdisciplinary methodology influenced by scholars of visual culture, British imperialism, nationalism, and Hong Kong. Through a close reading of published accounts and postal stationery, key imagery and narratives are highlighted and scrutinised. A chronological comparison between the written accounts of visitors between 1840 and 1940, and the postage stamps produced after 1945 emphasises how key themes and icons were used across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to represent the British Colony across time. Details and narratives prominent in early newspapers provide a contextual basis to analyse the state-sanctioned postal stationery up until the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. In approaching this topic, this thesis will examine how Hong Kong was represented in early published accounts and postage stamps; study to what extent local and global social and political changes influenced philatelic designs; and analyse how changes in Post Office policy affected the visualisation of Hong Kong on its postal stationery. Ultimately, this work identifies how British officials represented Hong Kong on a domestic and international level using the seemingly banal medium of postage stamps. Contents Introduction: Hong Kong, Newspapers, and Stamps 1 Chapter One: Representing Hong Kong Through Published Accounts, 1840-1945 26 Chapter Two: Hong Kong in the Post-War Years, 1945 to 1970 57 Chapter Three: Showcasing Hong Kong in the 1970s 84 Chapter Four: Exploring Hong Kong Through Time and Space, 1980-1989 118 Chapter Five: Promoting Individuality and Preparing for the Handover, 1990- 152 1997 Conclusion 180 Bibliography 188 Appendix Introduction: Hong Kong, Newspapers, and Stamps Almost immediately after Britain formally took possession of Hong Kong in 1841, a mail route was established to connect the colony to London and the Treaty Ports on China's eastern coast. The system was inefficient, unreliable, and neither the Hong Kong Administration nor the British government wished to pay to maintain such a service. Yet by the 1997 handover, the Hong Kong Post Office was an established, important, and integrated institution for the colony's government and population. Crucially, it remained a British institution up until the handover. The Post Office enabled the transportation of information about Hong Kong to be spread throughout the world. Initially, accounts produced by British visitors, and published in newspapers, provided the public with an image of the new colonial possession. After 1945, when Britain regained control of Hong Kong from Japanese forces, the Post Office played a more central role in visualising the territory. Postage stamps were designed and moderated by the British Administration; they dispensed an image of Hong Kong to a domestic and international audience. The aim of this thesis is to highlight the ways in which Hong Kong was represented between 1842 and 1997, through British publications and the British Administration's postage stamps. In addition to this, this study will highlight how key changes in the Post Office impacted on these depictions (particularly in the postage stamp chapters). The emphasis of the overall argument is to highlight how Hong Kong was communicated to the outside world by Britain. The themes prevalent in accounts published in newspapers became foundational subjects for state-sanctioned postage stamps. Depictions of Hong Kong often reflected contemporary stereotypes; they also mirrored societal and political changes. This thesis begins in 1842 because it addresses British perceptions, but Hong Kong has a rich past extending well beyond the presence of imperial forces. This study draws attention to themes of colonial encounters, international linkages, exoticism, tradition and progress, and representation. A variety of secondary literature will provide a methodological framework from which to approach the subject of the British portrayal of Hong Kong through both written and visual sources. Overall, this thesis will examine and contextualise a multitude of textual 1 and visual messages produced and moderated by British citizens and officials which sold an image of Hong Kong domestically and internationally. This thesis is divided into two sections. The first chapter examines the period between 1840 and 1945 through a close examination of accounts of East Asia published in British newspapers and periodicals. The second section comprises the remaining four chapters. These chapters identify how postal stationery can be used to chart the social and cultural changes which occurred in Hong Kong between 1945 and 1997. Furthermore, they highlight how Hong Kong was presented to a domestic and international audience by the British Administration through the Hong Kong Post Office. The vast majority of Hong Kong's postage stamps were produced after 1945. However, in order to fully showcase the British representation of Hong Kong, it is essential to analyse the hundred-year period beforehand. Thus, the decision to include a contextualising chapter examining the visualisation of Hong Kong by British actors through an alternative source was taken. Published accounts and letters provide a rich, textual example of how East Asia was presented by, and to, the British. By utilising this material and combining it with a close reading of Hong Kong's postage stamps, this thesis provides a thorough analysis of the representation of Hong Kong by Britain between 1842 and 1997. The ultimate aim of this thesis is to answer three key research questions. First, how was Hong Kong represented in published accounts, and what role do these sources play in the wider visualisation of Hong Kong after 1945? Secondly, with particular regards to postal stationery, to what extent did social and political changes, in both Hong Kong and on a global level, influence the representation of Hong Kong? Finally, how did developments in Post Office policy affect the philatelic portrayal of the colony? In answering these questions, this thesis will highlight the ways in which Britain visualised Hong Kong to a domestic and global audience. Published Accounts The first chapter of this thesis will analyse accounts of Hong Kong published in newspapers. It serves to provide a contextual underpinning for the following chapters' analysis of postage stamps and highlight how Hong Kong was represented in British 2 minds. Accounts and letters were published in newspapers. They originated from a number of sources: personal letters, articles produced by foreign correspondents sent to report on China, and diary extracts. Importantly, these accounts were selected through keyword searches in various online databases and archives identified in the bibliography. With this research method came a number of difficulties - first, selecting keywords. Not only were terms such as 'China' and 'Hong Kong' used, but also different variations of place names such as 'Hongkong' or 'Hong-kong'. Often 'Canton' was used as a substitute for the whole of China, particularly in the early nineteenth century when British forces were concentrated in this area. Additionally, the ambitious time period covered in this thesis raises issues when studying newspaper accounts. Clearly the specific keywords selected bring to light a limited amount of the accounts of China and Hong Kong published between 1840 and 1940. Moreover, unless discovered in archives, non-digitised newspapers were less likely to be studied. Also, as the Canton example highlights, the contemporary experience and presence of British imperialists influenced how China was interpreted. Likewise, key events shaped how frequently East Asia was discussed and represented. As this thesis will indicate, the Opium Wars played a significant role in providing content relating to China and Hong Kong as well as influencing their depiction in newspapers. Other variables should be considered when interpreting accounts in newspapers. Whilst publications have been selected from around the world, including newspapers from China and Hong Kong alongside regional publications throughout Britain, national variations play an important part in the analysis of newspaper articles. Circulation figures and audiences varied significantly between publications. The Daily Mail, the first mass-circulated daily newspaper, would have had a larger readership