Rare diaries and Marco Polo travelogue reveal hidden histories of China at Hong Kong fair
At Firsts Hong Kong, several rare book exhibits gave visitors the chance to peruse first-hand accounts of China’s complex past
History often revolves around grand, overarching narratives focusing on wars and treaties. What can get lost is the everyday texture – the street-level hustle, the business deals and the cultural nuances that truly shaped an era.
At Firsts Hong Kong, a rare book fair held from December 5-7 at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum that featured 25 exhibitors from around the globe, granular descriptions of history were showcased through books and photographs such as two rarely seen diaries of Samuel Rawson.
“Official records are valuable for writing down a broad sweep of history, but diaries such as those of Rawson preserve information otherwise lost to time,” says Matthew Wills, an Asia specialist cataloguer for Peter Harrington.
The journals include details ranging from business deals with big-name traders to day-to-day tensions on the streets as the Taiping rebels grew increasingly restless.
What surprised Wills was that by Rawson’s account, the popular image of 19th-century treaty ports as wealthy, secure enclaves for Western expatriates was far from the truth.