Over the past year, ArchiveHK has been actively organizing the list of books and files that were removed, and we have dedicated considerable time and manpower to classify, scan, and archive them. However, we are aware that our efforts are still just a drop in the ocean. To achieve greater results, more resources and collaboration from various sectors of society are needed.
In July 2024, ArchiveHK conducted its first content curation, with the theme "5th Anniversary of the 7.21 Yuen Long Attack". Noting that many important historical records have been taken down, such as Ryan Lau Chun Kong's "The Dark Night of Yuen Long," which is no longer available in public libraries. Besides, the investigative news feature "Who Controls the Truth of 7.21" of RTHK program "Hong Kong Connection", and the relevant reports from "Perspective 31" have also been removed from RTHK. To preserve history, ArchiveHK has backed up these critical materials, making them available for everyone to read, watch, download, and further back up during this curation.
Additionally, reports and subsequent features on the incident from the now-defunct Apple Daily, Stand News, and Citizen News have also been organized and preserved, and were showcased in this curation.
With available resources, we plan to continue collecting, organizing, and preserving endangered books and archives. We aim to conduct content curation every month, allowing more people to know and participate, collectively harnessing the power to safeguard history.
ArchiveHK is striving to developing a community that works together to preserve Hong Kong’s endangered history and collective memories. The community can monitor which public archives are being erased, collectively preserve and archive books, videos, and documents that have been removed by the government. We believe this effort will help slow the loss of Hong Kong’s history, giving the next generation a chance to fully understand their history and build a sense of identity.
In recent years, a large number of books have been removed from public libraries, and some content has even been banned, putting Hong Kong's history and public memory in jeopardy.
Starting from early 2023, a group of Hong Kongers established ArchiveHK to organize and preserve Hong Kong's books, archives, and videos with careful principles, without charging fees, displaying advertisements, nor engaging in commercial activities. Hong Kongers who share this vision can contribute by reporting removed books, providing electronic files of endangered books and archives, or simply spreading the word, all of which are collective efforts to safeguard history.
Hong Kong