ABSTRACT
Huang Shaohong, a Guangxi politician in Republican China, recalled in his memoirs a visit to Hong Kong in the 1930s. Huang was not the only person who sensed the allure of swimming and the bathing beaches to the people of Hong Kong. Interestingly, the popularity of swimming was a headache for Rev. J. R. Higgs of St Andrew's Church located on the Kowloon Peninsula. It is important to note that in colonial Hong Kong, the development of sea bathing and the advent of modern swimming are intertwined, although sea bathing could also simply mean soaking in seawater rather than swimming. The history of sports and leisure in colonial Hong Kong is an understudied topic, and the relationship between sports and colonialism in Hong Kong is a largely unexplored area. The British sports in Hong Kong that have caught the most attention are horse racing and football. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
