Media

Through Boxer Rebellion, Plague and Revolution – 45 years of an Irish missionary in Manchuria

17 Oct 2012

Theme Book: Frederick--The Life of My Missionary Grandfather in Manchuria
Speaker: Mr Mark O'Neill (Author & Journalist)
Moderator: Professor Ying Chan, Director, The Journalism and Media Studies Centre, HKU
Date:  22 October 2012 (Monday)
Time:  7:15 - 9:00 pm
Venue:  Multi-purpose Area, Level 3, Main Library, HKU
Language:  English 

Registration: http://lib.hku.hk/friends/reading_club/bt2012_05.html

About the Talk

Frederick O’Neill lived for 45 years in Faku, a small town in Manchuria. From his arrival in 1897 until his expulsion by the Japanese army, he witnessed and reported the extraordinary events that convulsed China – the Boxer Rebellion, the Great Manchurian Plague, the overthrow of the dynasty and the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. He also served with the China Labour Corps in France in World War One.

 After the missionaries left in 1949, they feared the church would not survive. Instead, it has recovered, miraculously, from closure and persecution to become the fastest-growing Protestant Christian community in the world. By some estimates, it has 70-80 million members.

 Mark will describe the life of Frederick O’Neill, his grandfather, why he went to China, what he did there and why he wrote his biography.

 About the Speaker

Born in UK in 1950 and educated at New College Oxford University, Mark O' Neill has worked as a journalist since 1972. Since 1978, he has been based in Asia, working in China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India, for Reuters news agency, the South China Morning Post and many others. His earlier book was on the Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation.

Media Contact:  Ms. Carmen Tsang, Tel: 2859 2211 / Ms. Marina Yeung, Tel: 2859 8903