Hong Kong: bringing Taipingshan's history of plague to life | Contagious Cities
Channel: Wellcome
Date: 2019-02-01

Hong Kong is perhaps the most connected city on the planet: its airport serves over 150 destinations. Because of its location, it has a long history as a hub of international travel and contagious disease. 

Taipingshan was one of the earliest Chinese settlements in Hong Kong. In 1894, its population was seriously hit by bubonic plague during the third plague pandemic. A bacteriological institute was founded there in 1906 to monitor plague and other infectious diseases. This building was then transformed into Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (HKMMS) in 1996.

As a result of recent research, maps, plans, official records and images of plague scenes have been found in various archives in Hong Kong and the UK.

Using this new and exciting research, HKMMS:
• developed the Taipingshan Medical Heritage Trail, which links up important medical heritage sites within the district
• created a guided app that uses these uncovered materials to bring history to life – it’s available on the App Store and Google Play.

Special permission by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals for filming in the Kwong Fook Tsz and their Assembly Hall is gratefully acknowledged.

For more info visit: https://wellcome.ac.uk/contagiouscities 

Related links:
• The hidden medical history in Taipingshan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeuK1dmo-0A
• Taipingshan Medical Heritage Trail - http://www.hongkongextras.com/_taipingshan_medica_heritage_trail.html
• Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences - http://www.hkmms.org.hk/en/home/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wellcometrust
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellcometrust