Kevin Sinclair author of Post Impressions says the centenary book tells the story of how a city confronted and overcame challenges

Hong Kong's leading English daily The South China Morning Post (SCMP) recently celebrated its 100th anniversary with a centenary book telling the story of a city on the rise and providing glimpses of many facets of Hong Kong through the lenses of its talented news photographers.

Author, Kevin Sinclair, a veteran Hong Kong journalist of 35 years, said Post Impressions, packed with 360 powerful images in black and white "charts Hong Kong's evolution over ten turbulent decades and aims to present the Hong Kong story through a collection of vivid images."

"It was a century of turbulence, of achievements, of tribulation.  We did not attempt to do a history book. Rather we were looking for pictures which illustrated the Hong Kong experience over the past 100 years, the changing face of transport, education, housing and the lighter side like sports and entertainment," explained Mr Sinclair. He worked with a team of researchers and editors and sieved through over 150,000 photos in the Posts archives and the archives of the government and public bodies.

Indomitable Hong Kong spirit

Mr Sinclair was often lost in the Post's library late at night, clicking through rolls of microfilm, lost somewhere 70 years ago.

"So many photos tell Hong Kong's story. There's a picture of three old ladies enjoying cigarettes, timeless faces reflecting the indomitable spirit of Hong Kong. Then there are the diversified faces of enterprise, of tycoons past and present, who have helped build Hong Kong, and the constantly changing Hong Kong skyline which provides a glittering harbour backdrop," said Mr Sinclair. 

He added that many stories of how "the city confronted and overcame challenges are also told in the book from typhoons that took the lives of thousands in a day to severe water shortages."

The Post Impressions cover of the annual cross harbour swim which used to be a fun fixture on the sporting calendar in the 60s and 70s, was chosen because "it is a unique image that could only be Hong Kong in a certain time in a certain place."

SCMP's anniversary publications also included a newspaper supplement which told the story of the paper followed by a 108-year history magazine and a Sunday edition tracing Hong Kong's history decade by decade.

"Anybody who has lived in Hong Kong realises that SCMP is very much a part of our society. The company is very tightly linked with the business community as information is the lifeblood of commerce and the paper is also very close to the community through charities and the annual Christmas drive to raise money for the unfortunate," added Mr Sinclair.

Click through stunning images of Post Impressions and order online at http://photo.scmp.com/centenary