Facebook Friends
I know many of you will say: “I’m not on Facebook” or “I don’t want to be on it!” and I’ll admit it has it’s pitfalls. That said, if one is reasonably careful, as you should be visiting any website on the internet, Facebook can be the best source of information and real time help that anyone could ask for.
Quite apart from the usual Facebook pages that most users visit, are the “Private Group Pages” that deal with particular and very specific subjects. They all have moderators and rules that must be followed. Those who do not abide will usually get a stern warning and if continued, they are removed.
These are some of the groups that I use on a regular basis:
Family and Friends from Shanghai and Hong Kong
Hong Kong Past – The Early Years
Private group 7.4 K members
Hong Kong in the ’60s
Public group 18.8 K members
Hong Kong in the Colonial Era
Private group 11.2 K members
Most if not all of these sites, require you to join. Acceptance is usually quick and informal. Some may ask a couple of questions which are mainly to weed out trolls.
Let me give you and example of the value of this source:
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I recently discovered some probate files files after a search of the Hong Kong Records site. A link was listed under the “Archives” heading. It was from 1944 and was sealed but could be released upon application to the courts. This looked to me like a daunting task as I’m in Canada and even phone calls are hampered by sizable time zone differences.
As I don’t get many good leads these days I tend to follow up no matter how difficult it may seem. In this case I made a phone call and reached a gentleman at HK Records. He informed me that I’d have to fill out some forms and return them to their office but it could be done electronically. That same day I received a PDF request file which I promptly filled in and sent back. Everything was going along just fine.
Then a slight snag appeared. There was a small fee that needed to be paid. It was HK $123.70 or about CA $25.00. The snag turned into a snarl when I discovered that they did not accept credit cards! The fee must be paid in cash or by bank draft. No problem I thought, I’ll get a draft. Well, apparently small amounts like that, can’t be done by wire and at the time ( and still ) due to Covid19, there is no snail-mail in or out of Hong Kong! Even if I was able to arrange payment, I could only get my documents sent via ship and that might take months if at all.
Facebook to the rescue! Well, not exactly Facebook, but a member of one of those specialty “Facebook Groups” in Hong Kong. So at 10 PM my time I posted my dilemma on Facebook and about 10 minutes later I got an answer. A user in Hong Kong messaged me that he went past the HK Records office on a daily basis and he’d be happy to go and pick up the papers. He even said he’d pay for it all and he’d scan and send them to me via e-mail. He said “I could buy him a cup of tea sometime” as repayment.
The following day, he did as he’d promised and retrieved the 40 page document. He scanned it and sent it 5 pages per day ( what his program allowed ) so it took 8 days and it was like watching a TV series with a cliff-hanger at the end of each episode. Due to the time difference I’d often get the 5 page batch at about 2 AM my time.
Anyway, it all got done and I have my copies and in the process I’ve made a great new friend. I really hope one day I’ll be able to buy him that cup of tea and maybe a whole dinner to go along with it.
I’ve made many friends on these groups and can’t enough the ones who have answered so many question, most often within an hour of posting. I’ve had translations and identifications of old locations and buildings in both Hong Kong and Shanghai. On occasion I’ve even had members volunteer to take photos or make a local contact on my behalf. So, don’t rule out Facebook as a very useful tool in your search.