Royal Asiatic Society

Lizzie and I are not members of the American Club, the China Club, the Hong Kong Club, Club Lusitano, The Foreign Correspondents Club or any of the hoity toity social clubs here in Hong Kong. However, we are card carrying members and also likely the youngest members of the HK branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. To quote a line from Swingers, "Guys like you and me, we got to kick it here, old school.....yes, this is old school..." Well, the organization dates back to 1823 and its charter aims to 'provide a forum for those who are interested in the history, languages, cultures and religions of Asia. There are frequent meetings and lectures from local and visiting scholars, most of which are pointed toward local topics of interest relating to HK's colorful history. Our attendance is spotty, but when we do go we are always very happy we did.

So on Saturday we went on a walking tour of Sai Ying Pun, a historic area that is slated for government 're-urbanization,' read: Goodbye charming neighborhood, hello Starbucks. Our guide was a visiting professor at HKU and he did a great job describing how government, greed and government greed can shape the real estate development in a small slice of HK. Why some buildings are left to rot in the shade of its neighboring high-end glass tower.

We thoroughly enjoyed it, but with an 8-month pregnant Lizzie, the walking aspect of the tour forced us to bow out at the 2 hour mark. But less was more in this case.