York Lo: Li Po-chun (李寶椿): his family, his buildings and businesses and a century of philanthropy Earlier on the website, we have covered several branches of the family of Li Sing, the richest man in Hong Kong in 1900 including his grandsons Lee Sai-wah and Li Shiu-chung and his nephew Li Po-kwai (see article on China Dispensary). However, the most […]
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By Fung Chi Ming The tricycle or ‘cycle rickshaw’, as some people now call it, combines the characteristics of bicycle and rickshaw. Tricycles could be found in Asia and around the world, but they differed significantly in design and appearance. In Malacca and Singapore, it was a carriage with a passenger seat on the left side of the rider. In […]
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HF: Barbier, Benard and Turenne (BBT) was a French company founded in 1862. It specialized in the manufacture of lights, optical devices and lighting systems. And complete lighthouses including the one on Hong Kong’s Waglan Island. The lighthouse incorporated Fresnel lenses. The Swedish Company AGA was later involved as was its UK subsidiary Pharos Marine. I didn’t know the name […]
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James Chan: Whampoa is the second in a four tug series constructed by Cheoy Lee Shipyards for Hong Kong United Dockyards (HUD). The first was Taikoo which was also named after the two shipyards Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock (founded 1863) and Taikoo Dockyard (1902) which merged to form HUD. The Whampoa is a RAmparts 3000 Class Terminal Support Tug specifically designed […]
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Edward Schneider, Carl Ingenohl’s great-grandson, has sent this 1911 advert which confirms the factory location was on a large site in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, bordered by Nathan Road, Dundas and Soy Streets (and also as Edward confirms elsewhere, Kwong Wa Street). The single page advert has been divided for this article into four sections. HF: I believe the term Flor […]
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Sham Wai Chi wrote his MPhil thesis for Lingnam University in 2007 on the History of the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company covering the years 1923 up to the 1970s. HF: The original company was founded by Lau Tak Po in 1897 when he purchased 5 wooden boats and provided services from HK Island to Kowloon under the company name Yaumati […]
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York Lo: The Ngai brothers of Yuen Hing Weaving & Dyeing Works (元興織染廠) and the CMA Left: Yuen Hing label with factory building; Right: Ngai Shiu-hung (HK Factory Survey) Founded in 1927, Yuen Hing Weaving & Dyeing Works was one of the oldest and largest weaving & dyeing mills in Hong Kong and its proprietor – the Ngan brothers played […]
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York Lo: Ching Chun-kau (程振球) – Real Estate, Amusement Park and Resort Pioneer Ching Chun-kau (left, HKBCA) and his most famous project – Kai Tak Amusement Park (right) In the 1950s through 1970s, Ching Chun-kau was a prominent figure in HK business circles as he was involved in a variety of businesses ranging from construction, property development, an amusement park, […]
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HF: The Tien Chu (H.K.) Company Ltd. was founded by Wu Yunchu (1891-1953). Wu was a chemist and industrialist and known as the “Father of Monosodium Glutamate”. He was involved in the chemical and condiment industries in China especially I believe in Shanghai in the 1930s. York Lo says Wu Yunchu actually went by the name of “P. N. Woo” (probably due […]
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HF: From 1757 up to the outbreak of the Opium War, Guangzhou was China’s only trading port. After 1841, Hong Kong’s first dockyard was located in East Point, Causeway Bay. In 1857, the Scottish entrepreneur John Lamont built the Lamont Dock in Aberdeen. Source: Hong Kong Memory Project This article was first posted on 10th February 2026. Related Indhhk articles: […]
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