Master Project Plan: 2019-2027
1. Mission & Vision
Hong Kong Chronicles Institute (HKCI) was established by Our Hong Kong Foundation (OHKF) on 27 August 2019. Through the community’s collective wisdom and efforts, HKCI was officially opened on 06 September 2019 to take up the unprecedent task of compiling the first-ever series of comprehensive, systematic and objective Hong Kong Chronicles as a treasure of cultural significance.
The compilation of local chronicles has been a time-honoured and unique cultural tradition of the Chinese people with more than 2,000 years of history. Hong Kong never had its own local chronicles. For over 200 years since the compilation of Chronicles of Xin’an County in 1819, no other Chinese local chronicles with reference to Hong Kong had been published.
By tracing, transcribing and preserving historical information, the Hong Kong Chronicles series serves as a record of progress over the past thousands of years and promotes a better understanding of Hong Kong’s history and culture, and of the shared background and long-standing ties with the Mainland.
2. Goals & Scope
Hong Kong Chronicles is a mega project with extensive coverage on the social, cultural and people history of Hong Kong. The first round of this project will comprise 23.54 million words and is scheduled for completion in eight years’ time (2019–2027) upon the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China.
HKCI launched the first volume Overview & Chronology with 520,000 words in December 2020 and then published Hong Kong’s Participation in National Reform and Opening-up with more than one million words in 2021. Hong Kong Chronicles: Nature comprises 5 books in 4 volumes, totalling 1.4 million words, was published in 2023. Editorial guidelines are with reference to the local chronicles of the Mainland but are also based on the unique characteristics of Hong Kong. The project was initiated by OHKF with government support and community participation under the editorship of scholars.
The time coverage of local chronicles generally extends from the earliest ancestral traces reflected in an archaeological site to the latest depending on the region. For the first round of Hong Kong Chronicles, with all factors in consideration, it covers a period from the ancient era about 7,000 years ago to the 20th anniversary of HKSAR on 01 July 2017.
3. Governance & Implementation
HKCI is a non-governmental organisation. It is non-profit making and governed by a Council with academic, business and community leaders, sector professionals and government representatives under the chairmanship of Mr. Bernard Charnwut Chan, with Mr. Tung Chee-hwa as the Honourary Chairman.
Operational functions are supported by three committees under an Executive Committee. The three committees are: Academic Review Committee chaired by Prof. Lee Chack-fan, Promotion Committee chaired by Prof. Wong Yuk-shan, and Audit Committee chaired by Mr. Leo Kung Lin-cheng.
4. Community Support
Community and government support is key to the publication of Hong Kong Chronicles. HKCI is honoured by the patronage of HKSAR Chief Executive Mr John LEE Ka-chiu and Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR Mr. Luo Huining.
HKCI is under the support of Chinese institutions and HKSAR government bureaus, including China’s Steering Group for Local Chronicles and provincial/municipal offices across the Mainland, through exchanges and access to historical information and photos.
With assistance from the HKSAR government, HKCI is graciously funded by donations from Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Charities Trust, business enterprises, community organisations and prospective sponsorship from Chinese companies. HKCI is indebted to its benefactors for their contribution in support of the project.
Editorial Plan
5.1 Contents
Hong Kong Chronicles consists of 10 content categories: Overview, Chronology, Nature, Economy, Culture, Society, Politics, Notable People, Place Names, and Appendices. It comprises 62 books in 49 volumes. In addition, there are three books of Special-topic Chronicles in four volumes. In total, there are 65 books in 53 volumes with 23.54 million words. Overview & Chronology and Hong Kong’s Participation in National Reform and Opening-up had been published in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Hong Kong Chronicles: Nature had been published in 2023. The publication of the entire series is scheduled for completion by 2027.
Following the publication of each volume of the Chinese edition, an English edition will be released. To ensure accuracy of translation and efficiency of editorial process, and to strive for the highest academic standards, the English Editorial Division is responsible for initial translation as well as editing, reviewing and proofreading the translated texts of the English edition. The first volume of the English edition was published in 2022, and the entire English series is scheduled for completion by 2032.
| Category | Book |
|---|---|
| Overview | Overview |
| Chronology | Chronology |
| Nature | Administrative Establishment |
| Population | |
| Natural Environment | |
| Natural Resources and Ecology | |
| Environmental Protection and Ecological Conservation | |
| Economy | Economy Overview |
| Traditional Industries | |
| Manufacturing | |
| Foreign Trade | |
| Commerce | |
| Finance I | |
| Finance II | |
| Land Policy and Planning | |
| Land Reclamation and Public Works | |
| Construction and Real Estate | |
| Shipping | |
| Aviation | |
| Urban transportation | |
| Postal and Telecommunications | |
| Professional Services | |
| Tourism | |
| Conglomerates | |
| Culture | Languages |
| Religions | |
| Folklore | |
| Archaeology and Cultural Relics | |
| Architecture and Landscape | |
| Literature | |
| Visual Arts | |
| Films | |
| Performing Arts | |
| Broadcast and Television | |
| Newspaper and Magazine | |
| Book, Publishing and Printing | |
| Cultural Institutions | |
| Society | Food Culture |
| Sports | |
| Leisure | |
| Ethnicity and Family | |
| Healthcare | |
| Education | |
| Scientific Research | |
| Social Welfare | |
| Charity | |
| Public Order | |
| Social Groups | |
| Overseas Chinese and Settlements | |
| Politics | British Occupation of Hong Kong |
| The Return of Hong Kong | |
| Policymaking and Legislation | |
| Administrative Management and Public Finance | |
| Anti-corruption Policy | |
| Law | |
| Judiciary | |
| Disciplined Services and Military Affairs | |
| Political Organisations and Social Movements | |
| Hong Kong-Guangdong-Macao Relations | |
| Notable People | Notable People |
| Place Names | Place Names |
| Appendices | Appendices |
Hong Kong’s Participation in National Reform and Opening-up, Hong Kong Jockey Club and Social Development and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are three sets of special-topic chronicles to be treated separately from Hong Kong Chronicles. Unlike local chronicles that deal with events taking place within set geographical boundaries, special-topic chronicles focus on recounting a particular subject matter, a person or a major event. Their contents are not limited to events in Hong Kong.
| Special-topic Chronicles | Hong Kong’s Participation in National Reform and Opening-up |
|---|---|
| Special-topic Chronicles | Hong Kong Jockey Club and Social Development |
| Special-topic Chronicles | Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area |
5.2 Arrangement
Local chronicles differ from history books in that chronicles only “recount”——and not “interpret”—historical information. They are comprehensive records rigorously compiled with hundreds of years of government and non-government information as well as oral history interviews. It is a challenge of unprecedented scale to publish Hong Kong’s first-ever series of local chronicles by a non-government entity.
An inclusive approach has been adopted for collaboration with historians, experts and professors. For quality assurance, each volume is under the supervision and editorship of one or more scholars and experts and is subject to review by a third party. It is estimated that about 500 professors and experts will have taken part in the editorial review process by the time of completion of the book series.
5.3 Process
Local chronicles are comprehensive, descriptive documents based on first-hand information from archives, newspapers, historical records, inscriptions, private writings, industrial/commercial materials, original images/photos, oral history, and field inspections, etc. Before any source materials are being used for compiling local chronicles, they are carefully examined and verified as to ensure truthfulness, accuracy and entirety according to the standards of local chronicles. Likewise, for Hong Kong Chronicles, multiple safeguards are in place.
5.4 Editorial & Review Procedures
To ensure the contents of Hong Kong Chronicles are accurate and comprehensive, the principle of “recounting of historical facts without interpretation” has been adopted. Moreover, an editorial procedure involving the following seven steps has been established: 1) collecting reliable sources, 2) writing drafts based on collected sources, 3) editing drafts to improve their structure and accuracy, 4) ensuring uniformity in style and word usage across chapters and sections, 5) reviewing overall contents, 6) cross-checking for inconsistencies, and 7) finalising the drafts. Then the final drafts go through both “internal review” by in-house duty editors and “external review” by experts, three rounds of editing and proofreading by the publisher, and final review and endorsement by HKCI Academic Review Committee and Council before publication.
6. Publishing & Distribution
Chung Hwa Book Company (Hong Kong) Limited, under Sino United Publishing (SUP), is responsible for publishing, distributing and marketing the Hong Kong Chronicles series. Published titles of the series are for sale in bookstores under SUP and are also available online via My Book One and Chung Hwa Book Company’s webpage.
The e-books of published titles of the Hong Kong Chronicles series are uploaded to HKCI website for viewing by the public free of charge. HKCI is developing a user registration system to allow participating history research institutions, students, teachers and researchers to obtain e-books for research and teaching purposes. Click here to learn more about the registration procedure and download application forms.
7. Communications & External Relations
Besides preserving history and providing reference for policymaking, an important function of local chronicles is to educate the people. HKCI is committed to bringing history to life, promoting the significance of Chinese culture, and fostering a greater sense of cultural pride and identity through community engagement with the public.
For educational purposes, initiatives will be implemented through 1) advocacy, 2) community engagement, 3) digital outreach, and 4) promotional activities.
To fully drive the initiatives in these four areas, a team of professionals are dedicated to public/media relations, external affairs, and digital communications.
8. Recounting of Historical Facts without Interpretation
Local chronicles are a unique cultural tradition of the Chinese people dating back thousands of years. They have played important roles in bringing people together, promoting cultural identity, and helping to keep the Chinese culture standing among all nations of the world.
Local chronicles are where history speaks for itself. To preserve history accurately, editors must diligently screen and verify any information and objectively and comprehensively describe all historical details.
Based on the guiding principle of “recounting of historical facts without interpretation,” HKCI is committed to inspiring the future by reflecting on the past through a comprehensive, systematic and objective series of Hong Kong Chronicles.
Updated as at March 2024