The Fresh Water Fish Farming Industry of the New Territories

Colin Davidson: The Fresh Water Fish Farming Industry of the New Territories It is thought that fish farming in the New Territories evolved from rice paddy, where shrimp were farmed at the water gateways to the paddy.  Gradually the shrimp and fish farming developed, whilst the growing of rice declined.  As a result over time, rice paddy was replaced by […]

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Leung So Kee – umbrella manufacturer

HF: Thanks to IDJ for this advert from about 1955. Leung So Kee ( 梁蘇記) has a long history of manufacturing and retailing umbrellas. The following information is mainly adapted from a computer translation on the company website with additional sources. There is no mention of whether any of the numerous shops were operating at the same time, though other sources state they […]

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Rope-making and Dyeing/Calendering on Ap Lei Chau Island. 1971 RASHKB article

James Chan:  I found this Royal Asiatic Society (HK Branch) ‘Notes and Queries’ article while looking through old volumes of the HKBRAS’ Journals. I thought it would be a useful addition to what we have on rope-making in Hong Kong. I regret that I was unable to find the illustrations that accompanied the article. If you can please contact the […]

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Hong Kong Water Supply – Irrigation Reservoirs

Kwu Tung

Tymon Mellor: Farming in Hong Kong has always been a challenging vocation; small field sizes, labour intensive, often rugged terrain and unpredictable weather. In good times two crops of rice could be grown a year but with erratic rainfall and the expansion of the reservoir catchwaters system, the agricultural community were under pressure. They wanted infrastructure investment to support farming […]

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Pearl Oysters at Mirs Bay (Pearl Pool), Tai Po Sea, during the Five Dynasties – details of overland route to Tuen Mun

Pearl Farming In HK Courtesy SCMP

A short 1984, Hong Kong Government Publication about Hong Kong’s Country Parks contains information to add to that which we have in already posted articles about the pearl industry in Hong Kong. I would imagine that there must an academic article on this subject hiding away but I have not been able to find one yet. Naturally, I would be […]

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Hap Wah dai pai dong, Tai Po, closes after 29 years – a vanishing species

HF: The SCMP of 17th December 2015 contained an article about the closure of the Hap Wa dai pai dong on the Fu Shin public housing estate (富善邨) which was built on reclaimed land in Tai Po in 1985. If you are unfamiliar with the term dai pai dong it is a type of open-air food stall once very popular in Hong […]

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Ching Yuen Bean Curd Factory explosion

Ching Yuen Bean Curd Factory Explosion Source The Standard 22 Oct 2013

On Monday October 21st 2013 an explosion destroyed the Ching Yuen Bean Curd factory in Sheung Tsuen village (near Shek Kong, NT). One worker was killed and four others injured when a cauldron blew up in the 80-square metre cubicle that housed the furnaces. The factory contained two stoves, one using diesel, the other burning wood, and it was the […]

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The Hong Kong Ivory Industry

James Chan: A controversial subject with a long history in Hong Kong. Chief Executive, Leung Chun Ying, announced plans to ban the domestic ivory trade during his 2016 Policy Address. CY said that the government “will kick-start legislative procedures as soon as possible to ban the import and export of elephant hunting trophies.” Recent SCMP articles: SCMP 29th June 2016 Destruction of […]

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The Incense Tree in Hong Kong – a vanishing species

Hugh Farmer: For over two thousand years the Chinese have used incense in religious ceremonies, to venerate ancestors, in traditional medicine and in daily life. The two  most important ingredients in Chinese incense are agarwood and sandalwood. In what was to become colonial Hong Kong local producers brought in agarwood from across southern China as far back as the Song […]

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