Preserving Hong Kong’s Industrial Heritage
Rediscover stories from Hong Kong’s industrial past, published on this date in previous years.
Dodwell & Company (天祥洋行) was one of the leading British merchant firms, active in China and Japan during the 19th and 20th century. It was a direct rival to Jardine, Matheson & Co. “It was established in 1858 when W R Adamson and Company (silk dealers) set up in London, with its head office in Shanghai and branches in Hong Kong, […]
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Hong Kong Air International Ltd was founded in the 1970s to provide helicopter services in the territory, such as scheduled flights, tourist flights, and external load lifting. The company was started by Maurice Holloway, as part of Hutchison (now Hutchison Whampoa), in 1971(?) and ceased trading in 1976. Many thanks to IDJ for sending the material used here and to […]
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HF: John Laird Wright worked for MacDonald and Company’s shipyard in Hong Kong from 1907 to 1908. He then worked for Green Island Cement Company in Macau which he left in 1910. This obituary comes from an Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituary in 1934: John Laird Wright was for seventeen years a member of the Anglo- Persian Oil Company’s staff in various […]
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PRODUCT OF THE MONTH – August 1955 A waterproof rubber flashlight Illustrated above is an all-purpose, industrial flashlight, the latest product from the factory of V K Song & Co., Ma Hang Chung Road, Kowloon. The flashlight itself is of seamless aluminium, completely sheaved in a strong easy-to-grip, seamless rubber jacket rendering it absolutely watertight (a British patent has been […]
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IDJ has sent the following article about the reopening of the South China Bricks and Tiles Manufacturing Company which had taken over the entire plant and properties of the South China Brickworks Ltd situated at San Hui, Castle Peak, New Territories, Hong Kong. HF: If you are interested in this subject you might like to read our previously posted article, […]
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HF: This article is the result of several people’s research into industrial development, lighthouses, log ponds, manufacturing, mining, reservoirs, salt, shipyards, tea, timber mills, transport, utilities and other related topics on Lantau Island. If you can provide information on any of the subjects below, or add to the list, it would be good to hear from you. I can then […]
» Read moreDan Water’s article in Newsletter 8, Recollections of a Visit to a Joss-stick Mill in Tsuen Wan, describes the decline of this once important Hong Kong industry. It is highly unlikely there will be a serious revival of the incense mills (though how delightful it would be to visit a reconstructed, working incense water mill above Tsuen Wan or on […]
» Read moreHugh Farmer writes, in Newsletter Seven I mentioned Chinese manufacturing enterprises in the 1870s. These included two for preserving ginger and other processed food including soy sauce and preserved fruit, several machine-makers, a tannery, a paper factory and a manufacturer of matches, workshops for producing cigars, tobacco, clothing, glass, oars, rifles, ropes, umbrellas, spectacles, tooth-powder and soap, as well as […]
» Read moreOur article, SS Tak Shing – reconditioned SS Sai On at Cheoy Lee Shipyard, mentions that the Tak Shing “is owned by the Tai Yip Company of Hong Kong.” My book Changing Places – The Remarkable Story of the Hong Kong Shipowners” has one mention of Tai Yip on page 93.
» Read moreKlaus Liphard has sent a link to a Powerpoint Presentation about American Marine Boatyard in Hong Kong… Source: Grand Banks History – agbm
» Read moreHF: This is one of the most early-built factory estates in Hong Kong. It was built between 1960 and 1965. From 1973 onwards it was managed by the Hong Kong Housing Authority.(1) Sources: The Hong Kong Memory Project
» Read moreContact the company? Founded in Hong Kong in 1874, Leigh & Orange (L&O) has continued to thrive as a significant force in the markets it serves for nearly a century and a half by providing its clients with a consistent focus on quality. With an unsurpassed depth of experience in a wide variety of building types, the firm prides itself […]
» Read moreHF: Kin Hip Metal and Plastic Factory manufactured metal molds. A key customer was Gold Coin Brand vacuum flask factories. Mrs. Sun took charge of the accounts while taking care of the children at the factory. In doing so, she used an abacus to calculate costs and prepare invoices. On one occasion she undercharged $600 when calculating product prices for […]
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