It started off purely as Albert Lai Hong Kin’s, who was born and bred in Taipa, personal keepsake but as he dug into the stories from the old photos he has collected, the information became a compilation of memories of Taipa that developed into a book.
The book “Reminiscences of Old Taipa”, published by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), is a revised version of the publication six years ago, during which Lai has spoken to more of Taipa’s original inhabitants and managed to gather more photos – the oldest one dating back to the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) – that led him unravel more details about the history of Taipa.
“I was over the moon [when finding an old photo] I couldn’t sleep for days,” Lai told MPD Weekender at the book launch earlier this week at Carmo Hall, which to many old Taipa folks is known as the “Electricity Bureau” which is what it was back in the 1950’s.
This photo that appears in the book “Reminiscences of Old Taipa” shows a row of houses of the mayor and senior government officials in 1927, which have been protected and turned into the now Taipa Houses-Museum. According to the author Albert Lai Hong Kin, the garage in the far end is a hangar and next to it is a seaplane.
Albert Lai Hong Kin holding the book “Reminiscences of Old Taipa” at the book launch held at Carmo Hall in Taipa Village. Photo: Monica Leong
