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| 25 APR 2025 | ISSUE 17 | ||
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| 4. New Acquisitions | |
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This is a rare album of watercolours of Hong Kong’s coastline in 1881. Comprising 29 watercolour and pencil sketches over 12 leaves and bound in attractive modern quarter blue Morocco and paper covered boards; some of which include observations of Hong Kong and all drawings are titled and dated. In 1881, the artist William Russell accompanied the delegation from the British government's Committee for Imperial Defence to inspect sites for additional gun batteries deemed necessary for the defence of Hong Kong. The port city was of great and ever-growing importance for British shipping and trade to China, Japan, and Australia. These maritime sketches are regarded as a unique and invaluable visual record of Hong Kong during this period.
 .png){kind=small} Ying Ü Tsap Ts’ün [The Chinese and English Instructor], T’ong Ting-Kü [Tang Tingsha], Guangzhou: s.n., Tongzhi yuan nian [1862]This six-volume set is presented in its original glazed blue paper covers, sewn with silk thread, and features original upper and lower wooden covers laced and secured with cotton tape. Each volume exceeds 200 pages. The author, Tang Tingsha (1832–1892), was born in Canton and educated in mission schools. He became Canton’s most prominent comprador, acting as an agent for both Jardine Matheson and Swire, primarily dealing in tea, raw silk, and cotton.
The phrasebook was chiefly designed to assist individuals with engagements in transactions or interactions with foreigners. Each entry begins with the Chinese word, followed by its pronunciation written in English, then its English translation, and finally the pronunciation of the English word rendered in Chinese. This innovative structure makes the book a valuable resource for both Chinese speakers learning English and foreigners seeking to learn Chinese.
   New Electronic Resources
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