David Bellis first left Hong Kong in June 1990 after an eight-month stay. The Welsh computer programmer had intended to travel to Australia but found himself captivated by Hong Kong. When he arrived in Sydney, he missed Hong Kong so much that he enrolled in a Cantonese night class at Macquarie University. By early 1992, he was back in Hong Kong, where he eventually settled down, married a local woman named Grace, and had two daughters.
In 2009, Bellis founded Gwulo, a website dedicated to preserving memories of Hong Kong’s colonial past. The site has become a remarkable digital archive, particularly for expatriates. Now, at the age of 60, Bellis is preparing to leave Hong Kong once again. On July 21, he and Grace will move to Milford Haven in West Wales, where his 92-year-old mother still lives, joining their daughters who are already studying in England.
Bellis’s contributions to documenting Hong Kong’s history are significant, but he remains modest about his achievements. He explains that his work on Gwulo was driven by curiosity rather than a grand plan. “I do love Hong Kong, but all of this happens out of curiosity, a meandering here and there,” he says.
Bellis plans to continue managing Gwulo from Wales and may even create a similar project focused on Pembrokeshire if his curiosity leads him in that direction. His journey with Gwulo began with exploring air-raid tunnels under Kowloon Park, which he wrote about on another website he co-founded in 2002. This sparked a wider conversation among readers and led to the creation of Gwulo in 2009.
Despite the niche focus of Gwulo on expatriate memories and the British colonial era, the site has attracted a dedicated following. Contributors and volunteers have helped transcribe historical documents, maintaining the website’s rigorous structure.
As he prepares to leave, Bellis reflects on his role as an amateur historian and the impact of technology on historical research. He acknowledges that while AI could accelerate data collection, it lacks the human connections built through years of meticulous work.
Bellis’s farewell from Hong Kong includes a gala evening hosted by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS HK) on June 12, where he will share his experiences and sell his book series, “Old Hong Kong Photos and The Tales They Tell.” Despite financial challenges, Bellis’s passion for preserving history has driven him and his wife to live frugally.
Reflecting on his love for Hong Kong, Bellis recalls the excitement and novelty of being a foreigner in a vibrant city. As he and Grace move to a small town in Wales, he anticipates a “funny switch” in their roles, with his wife standing out while he blends in.
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