Forgotten Souls: The Stories Behind the Stones
VIEW EVENT DETAILSEvening Presentation by Patricia Lim, Author, Forgotten Souls: A Social History of the Hong Kong Cemetery
"Meticulous in its research, far-reaching in its scope and beautifully evocative in its descriptions, Forgotten Souls is a wonderful addition to the history of Hong Kong. It will be read with relish by anyone interested in what made Hong Kong the place it is today."
— Rob Gifford, NPR Shanghai Correspondent and author of China Road
"A highly novel approach to Hong Kong's history, impressively researched and filled with fascinating characters and insights into the territory's history."
— Jonathan Fenby, author of The Penguin History of Modern China
Cemeteries are fascinating places, none more so than Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley. It contains close on 9,000 graves dating from 1842 to the present. Patricia Lim, author of Forgotten Souls: A Social History of the Hong Kong Cemetery will explain how she came to map and record all the graves in the cemetery. As she researched these long-forgotten men and women, she uncovered a multitude of stories. Taken as a whole these stories show how this cemetery can be viewed as a cradle of history as well as an oasis of peace and tranquility in the busy heart of Hong Kong.
Mrs. Lim has lived in Hong Kong for more than 30 years. She studied history at Cambridge University and had a long and happy teaching career in England, Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong. She is also the author of Discovering Hong Kong's Cultural Heritage, a series of books on heritage walks in Hong Kong and the New Territories.