Highlights of the year included starting with a mention in the New Year's Honours List, and ending with the website passing 60,000 pages for the first time.

Gwulo's books also reached new milestones, with total sales of the English copies passing 9,000 copies, and publication of the Chinese translation of Volume 1.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible,

David

In more detail...

1. New Year's Honour

Here's that mention in the New Year's Honours List:

The B.E.M. ceremony happens at the county level, which meant a trip to Pembrokeshire's County Hall. The Lord Lieutenant, the High Sheriff, and all the team at Pembrokeshire County Council gave us a warm welcome, and several local Cadets attended, looking very smart in their uniforms. My family from Hong Kong and the UK were able to join us too, which all made it a very special day for me.

Receiving the B.E.M. also meant we were invited to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace, which was a real treat.

2. The Gwulo website

The website continues to grow, ending the year with 60,512 pages, including 40,094 photos. Here are the new pages in 2025 that had the most views:

In this video I look at Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation, via aerial photos taken by an American aircraft on 1 Feb 1945.

Video chapters:

   1. Introduction

   2. Japanese construction during the occupation

   3. British preparations for war

   4. American air raids

   5. Looting of buildings

   6. The area around Sai Kung

   7. Additional resources

If you're taking a break over Christmas, I hope you get to spend it with friends and family, ...

that you're lucky enough to enjoy some good food, ...

and perhaps get a chance to dress up for the occasion!

Best wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year,

David

P.S. When you're ready for a break from the festivities, can I suggest Gwulo's videos for your holiday viewing? 

Here are the five most watched in 2025:

• 5.  A curious rickshaw on 19th-century Pottinger Street
   
• 4.  The day the fountain played
   
• 3.  1970 Afloat on Hong Kong harbour
   
• 2.  1960 Hong Kong in colour slides
   
• 1.  How WW2 changed Hong Kong