{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in History","slug":"new-books-in-history-160748","podcast_index_feed_id":160748,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT3360275696","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/politics-society/history/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/5259aaca-f298-11e8-9c09-2ffd527922e7/image/6997b2fe61dc73a9d4ffd37b9e862b62.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":500,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T16:19:40.703970+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748"},"episode":{"title":"Yoshiko Nakano and Georgina Challen, \"Meiji Graves in Happy Valley: Stories of Early Japanese Residents in Hong Kong\" (Hong Kong UP, 2024)","slug":"yoshiko-nakano-and-georgina-challen-meiji-graves-in-happy-valley-stories-of-early-japanese-residents-in-hong-kong-hong-kong-up-2024","published_at":"2026-06-19T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748/yoshiko-nakano-and-georgina-challen-meiji-graves-in-happy-valley-stories-of-early-japanese-residents-in-hong-kong-hong-kong-up-2024","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/1C3AGD/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK7271815643.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/1C3AGD/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK7271815643.mp3","summary":"The connections between Hong Kong and Japan began far earlier than many realise. Yet only recently has Hong Kong’s historic Japanese community received the attention it deserves through Meiji Graves in Happy Valley: Stories of Early Japanese Residents in Hong Kong (Hong Kong UP, 2024). In this compelling book, Dr Yoshiko Nakano and Georgina Challen guide readers into the Meiji era, reconstructing history through the lives of ordinary people whose stories have long been overlooked. During our interview, Yoshio explained her desire to place this research within a broader East-West framework, a cross-cultural perspective reflected in her own collaboration and long-term friendship with Georgina. Perhaps the book’s most moving aspect is the authors’ compassion for Kiya Saki, a karayuki-san (sex worker) from Nagasaki who migrated to Hong Kong and later died by suicide. Yoshiko and Georgina spoke movingly about discovering her story. Like Saki, both have experienced life far from home and understand the challenges of building a life as a sojourner. Her tragic fate inspired them to investigate the lives of early Japanese residents through the meticulous study of 470 graves in Happy Valley. Beyond individual tragedies, the book reveals a diaspora divided by deep social tensions. While the Meiji state sought to project the image of a modern, civilised nation, the Japanese community in Hong Kong was effectively a ‘community of two halves’. Elite business figures, including Mitsubishi managers, existed alongside marginalised karayuki-san and boarding-house operators. Yet from this division emerged a remarkable story of solidarity. Through institutions, wealthier members of the community funded healthcare, financial assistance, and dignified burials for those in need. Driven by the…","meta_description":"The connections between Hong Kong and Japan began far earlier than many realise. Yet only recently has Hong Kong’s historic Japanese community received th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3433,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-history-160748/episodes/yoshiko-nakano-and-georgina-challen-meiji-graves-in-happy-valley-stories-of-early-japanese-residents-in-hong-kong-hong-kong-up-2024/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-history-160748/yoshiko-nakano-and-georgina-challen-meiji-graves-in-happy-valley-stories-of-early-japanese-residents-in-hong-kong-hong-kong-up-2024.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}