Show notes
The connections between Hong Kong and Japan began much earlier than most would imagine. Yet, it is only now that the historic Japanese community in Hong Kong is receiving the profound attention it deserves, thanks to a captivating new book: Meiji Graves in Happy Valley: Stories of Early Japanese Residents in Hong Kong (Hong Kong UP, 2024). Its authors, Dr. Yoshiko Nakano and Georgina Challen, take us on a journey into the Meiji era, unrolling a historical scroll woven entirely from the lives of ordinary people. The book even features encounters with literary giants like Mori Ōgai and Natsume Sōseki, whose enduring fame makes their historical connections to the city impossible to ignore.
During our interview, Yoshiko discussed her intention to frame this research within a unique historical matrix connecting East and West, a cross-cultural dynamic that is beautifully mirrored in her own collaborative partnership with Georgina.
Perhaps the most moving element for readers is the authors' deep compassion toward Kiya Saki, a karayuki-san (sex worker) from Nagasaki who migrated to Hong Kong, only for her life to end in tragedy and suicide. The way Yoshiko and Georgina spoke during our interview about discovering her story was incredibly touching. Like Saki, both authors understand the experience of living miles away from home, working hard to build a life as a sojourner. Saki’s tragic end stirred deep emotions at the bottom of their hearts, serving as the ultimate inspiration for them to look deeper into the lives of early Japanese residents by meticulously investigating the 470 graves in Happy Valley.
However, looking past individual tragedies reveals that the identity of this diaspora before the early 20th century was fraught with an intense internal dilemma. While the Meiji state desperately sought to project a polished, civilized image of a rising global power, the raw social reality on the ground in Hong Kong was split into a "community of two halves." The elite corporate circles—such as prominent managers of Mitsubishi—and the marginalized underclass of karayuki-san and boarding house runners existed in a state of profound social tension.
Yet, out of this very dilemma arose a powerful story of collective survival and mutual responsibility. Over time, these two disparate halves found ways to support one another through the establishment of crucial community institutions, such as the Japanese Benevolent Society and the Hong Kong Japanese Club. Driven by a deep-seated need for solidarity in a foreign colonial port, the wealthy merchant class actively funded these organizations to provide healthcare, financial relief, and dignified burials for the most vulnerable members of their diaspora. In doing so, they transformed a fractured group of sojourners into a highly organized, resilient community.
This complex social dynamic aligns perfectly with Michel Foucault’s concept of the Heterotopia, which frames the cemetery as a singular counter-site where people are brought together regardless of class, gender, or status. This democratic spatial reality is vividly reflected among the Meiji graves. A co-dependent reality that the living community often tried to obscure in life is permanently exposed in death; the marginalized karayuki-san have their graves closely laid out alongside those belonging to the highest echelons of the upper circle. This postmortem link provides a permanent window into a history shaped by colonization, human trafficking, global trade, and the geopolitical transformation of Japan from a small island nation into a global power.
Beautifully narrated and enriched with vivid archival details, Meiji Graves in Happy Valley represents a vital piece of scholarship that bridges a critical gap in the histories of both Hong Kong and Japan. Through its pages, readers are invited to witness the parallel development of these two distinct spaces, reflected entirely through the intimate, recovered stories of Hong Kong's early Japanese residents.
Yoshiko Nakano is a professor in the Department of International Design Management at Tokyo University of Science. She previously taught Japanese studies at the University of Hong Kong.
Georgina Challen holds an MA in literary and cultural studies from the University of Hong Kong. Born in England, she grew up in Switzerland and has called Hong Kong home since 1990.
Bing Wang receives her PhD at the University of Leeds in 2020. Her research interests include the exploration of overseas Chinese cultural identity and critical heritage studies. She is also a freelance translator.
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