Changing Places:
The remarkable story of the Hong Kong Shipowners

The story of the Hong Kong shipowners is a remarkable tale of pragmatism and resilience set against the constantly changing backdrop of occupation, wars, economic collapse and social disorder in China during the first half of the twentieth century.  Battered by the cruel winds of China's political turbulence, buffeted by the maelstrom of international affairs, these shipowners felt they had no alternative but to leave their homes in search of more stable shores.

None of the people who feature so prominently in this book expected their exile from Shanghai to last for more than a few years: yet for most, some forty years would pass before they returned.  They left behind almost everything that was important to them - relatives, homes, land, businesses and loyal employees, contacts, ships, standards of living and personal effects.

In common with many Shanghainese business people, the shipowners chose Hong Kong as a place of refuge and a platform for business.  Unsophisticated in comparison to Shanghai in the 1940s and 1950s, Hong Kong still offered prospects of financing and trade in a free environment, and European as well as Chinese companies relocated there.  Within a startlingly short period of time, Hong Kong burgeoned into a financial and manufacturing centre, and the shipowners were able to find their footing, forming the Hong Kong Shipowners Association in 1957 as their networking vehicle.  But it was Japan's strong post Second World War recovery that provided them with the chance of extraordinary success.

Riding the rollercoaster of shipping and economic cycles, the Hong Kong shipowners succeeded in turning the territory into a major maritime centre, influencing the shipping industry so greatly that the balance of maritime power has tipped from Europe to the Far East.  Theirs is an extraordinary tale of fear and bravery, hardship and determination, realism and hope, heady highs and devastating lows, flexibility and just plain hard work.