In 1847 the Hong Kong branch of the Royal Asiatic Society was founded under its parent society, the Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. The latter had in turn been founded in 1823 by
Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke and others. In 1824 the Asiatic Society received a Royal Charter from patron
King George IV and was charged with ‘the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia.’ In around 1838, branches were formed in Mumbai and Chennai, and Sri Lanka in 1845. The Hong Kong branch followed in 1847, with further branches in Shanghai, Japan, Malaya, and Korea being founded before the end of the 19th century. The Hong Kong branch folded in 1859, and was revived on 28 December 1959. The Hong Kong Branch was based upon the structure of the Royal Asiatic Society in London. Sir
John F. Davis, Governor of Hong Kong, was asked to be President, more for his interest and learning than for his office. The Society was made a Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, which Davis had helped to found. The Asiatic Society became the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society in January 1847. Davis and his successor Sir
John Bowring, also a scholar as well as Governor of Hong Kong, kept the Society active through their personal energy. Early officers of the Society included
Thomas Francis Wade, who later created the Wade system of
romanization of Chinese. Governor
George Bonham granted the Society use of space in the Supreme Court building, but when Bowring left Hong Kong in May 1859 the Society folded.
James Legge, as well and later
Harry Parkes were not successful in their efforts to revive it. The Hong Kong Branch was resuscitated a century later, on December 28, 1959. ==Publications==