From Siberia to Europe through Hong Kong: The Czechoslovak Twentieth-Century Odyssey

Abstract

The lecture focuses on the experiences of thousands of Czechoslovak soldiers who fought during the First World War, but who, because of the vagaries of history, found themselves able to return to their homeland only by undertaking an around the world journey through Russia and Siberia, and then by ship through Asia. For many of these soldiers, one of their most remarkable and enduring memories was their visit to Hong Kong, through which they passed during the years 1919-1920. The Czechoslovak soldiers were dazzled by Hong Kong’s beauty, but at the same time shocked by the disparity in income and the poverty they witnessed many of the native inhabitants suffered from. Meanwhile, their interest in local culture and food did not prevent them from building friendships through playing football with British and Chinese teams. The lecture highlights this virtually unknown but fascinating connection between Hong Kong and Czechoslovakia (today’s Czechia and Slovakia) and sheds light on Hong Kong’s unexpected contribution to the establishment of what was then a new republic in the heart of Europe.