Colonial Journalism in 19th Century Macau and Hong Kong

This article has been revised and updated due to errors in the print version. It’s about how Macanese writers and journalists in the 19th century navigated around old ideas and traditional boundaries to “re-imagine” their own cultural identities, and formed vibrant communities across southeast Asia. I think it provides a model for content creators in the 21st century on how new technologies and information can help connect dispersed communities around the world. Please leave any comments below.

The article begins with the public reaction to Jose’ Pedro Braga’s 1895 pamphlet “The Rights of Aliens in Hongkong”. Braga was a twenty-four year old journalist writing his first article on working conditions and racial bias. It was published in the colony’s three major newspapers, and several other journals in Macau, Shanghai, Singapore, and other Asian port cities, just as the global impact of the “China Trade” was reaching its peak. (Read more via this link).