History of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Development in Hong Kong, Part One 1871-1931

Wanchai Power Station 1908

HF: I am afraid I do not know the source of the following timeline. I would be grateful if someone comes across the origin and notifies me. Further information about or images of any of the subjects or companies mentioned would also be very helpful. I have added supplementary information and sources on a number of subjects where I am […]

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Pokfulam village, oldest village on Hong Kong Island and home to many workers at Dairy Farm Company

Pokfulam Village Pre War Pinterest

HF: I have occasionally changed the original script of the following passage in order to aid clarity. ”Pokfulam Village, built over 200 years ago, is one of the oldest living villages in Hong Kong. The earliest written record is found in San On Gazetteer (1819 version). It is believed that the village was founded by some Hakka Chinese (the Chan, […]

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Tattooing in Hong Kong

Nichloas II Emporer Of Russia Detail

HF: Apparently tattooing has been practiced across the globe since at least Neolithic times, as evidenced by mummified preserved skin, ancient art, and the archaeological record. When I was young it was most commonly seen on and associated with sailors and those in the military and I suppose general ne’er do wells but now appears de rigueur for teenagers. For […]

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Chas J. Gaupp & Company – Chronometer, Watch and Clock makers

Gaupp & Company B Detail From Unknown Source 1892 Www 925 Com

“It is interesting to note that as years go by the wants of the inhabitants of even the most distant parts of the world are steadily increasing, and while the older generations were satisfied with comparatively little in the way of luxuries, the rising generation look upon many of these luxuries as necessities. Perhaps one of the best examples in […]

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Getz Bros & Company in Hong Kong

Getz Bros & Company, Advert For Hills Bros Coffee, HK Telegraph 31.5.1924

“Getz Bros. & Co.- America’s largest non-commodity international marketing and services company – traces its beginnings to 1860 and a place called Lower Lake, California, a frontier area one hundred miles north of San Francisco. Joseph Getz, a Prussian immigrant, opened a general store there that served farmers in the area, selling dry goods and groceries. By the early 1880s […]

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Water Supply in the early days of the Colony

Pok Fu Lam

HF: I have slightly adapted the wording in the following script. Before British rule most locals used to rely on water from streams and wells nearby. With drastic increase in population especially in the City of Victoria a stable water supply became a pressing problem in the colony. But the colonial government was reluctant to claim responsibility for water supply. […]

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The last minibus sign writer in Hong Kong, Mak Kam-sang

Bus Mini, Last Sign Writer Mak Mak Sang Snipped Detail You Tube Film JPG

‘At his shop in Yau Ma Tei, Mak Kam-sang’s walls are covered in calligraphy signs he has written. Passers-by stop and peer into the store, curious about what it sells as it is so different from everything else in the area  Mak is the last calligrapher in Hong Kong behind the red and blue signs informing would-be passengers where a […]

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The Needle, the Bible and “Our People”: Chiuchow Christians and the Swatow Lace Industry in Hong Kong

Swatow Lace Industry Detail Image 5 York Lo

York Lo: The Needle, the Bible and “Our People”: Chiuchow Christians and the Swatow Lace Industry in Hong Kong    Swatow lace merchants on the board of HK Chiuchow Christian Association in 1936 – back row: Yadsun Cheng (Chin Chian & Sons; first from left), Ng Chung-wing (吳寵榮,Kowloon Lace; third from right); Henry Lin (HK & Shanghai Lace; second from […]

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Hong Kong Steam Laundry Companies from 1864 to the early 1930s – a history of insurmountable vicissitudes

James Chan: Our article, The [Hong Kong] Steam Laundry Company, asks for further information about what was thought to have been two steam laundry companies over a considerable period of time from the late 19th century to the early 1950s. Two pieces on the subject of steam laundries were included in a series of articles in the South China Morning […]

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G Falconer & Company, Watchmakers & Jewellers – HK agent for Ross Optical Ltd, Clapham, London and Kelvin & Hughes, marine instruments, London

G Falconer Advert The China Mail 24th November 1928

HF: G Falconer appear to have had a presence in Hong Kong since 1885, according to the company website, and currently have a shop in the Peninsula Hotel. This article provides initial information about the Falconer and two British companies it was the Hong Kong agent for.   As the above says: G Falconer & Company (Hong Kong Limited, Watchmakers, […]

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