A person wearing a protective mask touches a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC's headquarters in Hong Kong on Thursday. Damaged and defaced during tumultuous protests at the start of this year, the two bronze lion statues standing guard outside HSBC's main office in Hong Kong, made their return to the public. Bloomberg
A person wearing a protective mask touches a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC's headquarters in Hong Kong on Thursday. Damaged and defaced during tumultuous protests at the start of this year, the two bronze lion statues standing guard outside HSBC's main office in Hong Kong, made their return to the public. Bloomberg
A person wearing a protective mask touches a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC's headquarters in Hong Kong on Thursday. Damaged and defaced during tumultuous protests at the start of this year, the two bronze lion statues standing guard outside HSBC's main office in Hong Kong, made their return to the public. Bloomberg
A person wearing a protective mask touches a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC's headquarters in Hong Kong on Thursday. Damaged and defaced during tumultuous protests at the start of this year, th

Banking

HSBC's iconic lions return to bank's Hong Kong office

The two bronze lions by British sculptor WW Wagstaff are named after bank managers, Alexander G Stephen and Gordon H Stitt

Bloomberg

October 22, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Damaged and defaced during tumultuous protests at the start of this year, the two bronze lion statues standing guard outside HSBC’s main office in Hong Kong have made their return to the public.

The lions, nicknamed “Stephen” and “Stitt,” were unveiled on Thursday following an almost 10-month restoration project after they were splashed with spray paint and partly set ablaze during a mass march at the start of this year.

“Stephen and Stitt have watched over HSBC Main Building for 85 years,” Peter Wong, the bank’s Asia Pacific chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Through good times and bad, they have been an enduring part of Hong Kong’s story.”

Anti-government protests rocked the city for months last year, but have all but disappeared after a new security law and strict social distancing rules were put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The two lions – animals the Chinese believe bring good fortune and prosperity to those they guard – were first placed to watch over its Shanghai office in 1923. They were replicated in 1935 and shipped to Hong Kong, where one was named “Stephen” – after A.G. Stephen, who commissioned the sculptures and served as the bank’s chief manager from 1920 to 1924 – and the other “Stitt,” after G.H. Stitt, its then-manager in Shanghai.

HSBC, which counts Hong Kong as its biggest market, has been caught in a tough spot. The attack on the lions came after the bank closed an account linked to the city’s anti-government movement in November. It has also seen some of its branches attacked.

The lender also this year publicly endorsed China’s new security law, drawing further ire from activists in the city.

The London-based lender’s relationship with China has become increasingly tense over its role in the US investigation of Huawei Technologies.

China is crucial in HSBC chief executive Noel Quinn’s plan to boost profits. Mr Quinn is speeding up shakeup of its global operations, pivoting further into Asia as the lender's European operations lose money and it struggles with ballooning bad debt and low interest rates.

People take a selfie photograph with a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong, China. Bloomberg
People take a selfie photograph with a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong, China. Bloomberg
A man takes a photo of a lion statue outside HSBC bank headquarters building in Hong Kong. AFP
A man takes a photo of a lion statue outside HSBC bank headquarters building in Hong Kong. AFP
People touch a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
People touch a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
People pose for a photo next to a lion statue outside HSBC bank headquarters building in Hong Kong. AFP
People pose for a photo next to a lion statue outside HSBC bank headquarters building in Hong Kong. AFP
A man poses for a photo next to a lion statue outside HSBC bank headquarters building in Hong Kong. AFP
A man poses for a photo next to a lion statue outside HSBC bank headquarters building in Hong Kong. AFP
A worker cleans a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
A worker cleans a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
A person stands for a photograph next to a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
A person stands for a photograph next to a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
A person stands next to a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
A person stands next to a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
A pedestrian walks past a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
A pedestrian walks past a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
Pedestrians past a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
Pedestrians past a statue of a lion in front of the HSBC Holdings Plc headquarters building in Hong Kong. Bloomberg
The language of diplomacy in 1853

Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)


We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.

Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale

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On Women's Day

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):

Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
Edinson Cavani, PSG, Ligue 1, 24 goals, 48 points
Ciro Immobile, Lazio, Serie A, 23 goals, 46 points
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points