According to Claire Grey’s excellent family history website, linked below, W R Loxley and Company (China) Ltd was established in Hong Kong in 1872 and… See: Dearie:Russell Family History – WR Loxley & Company The aim of this site is to record all the information we have already discovered about Richard Dearie, his son John Russell and their descendants. Rod Sell’s website […]
» Read more
HF: Lime-making in Hong Kong has an extremely long history, at least 1,000 years, probably longer. This article by Wong Tak-yan appeared in the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch Journal of 1984. The article begins: And is divided into the following sections: *Uses of Lime *Raw Materials used in the making of lime *The process of making lime -burning […]
» Read more
HF: Sir Robert Ho Tung Bosman (22nd December 1862 – 26th April 1956), also known as Sir Robert Ho Tung, was a businessman and philanthropist in British Hong Kong. Known as ”the grand old man of Hong Kong” he was knighted in 1915. Ho Tung was Eurasian. His father, Charles Henry Maurice Bosman (1839-1892) was of Dutch Jewish ancestry, while […]
» Read more
HF: The first tunnel connecting Hong Kong Island and Kowloon opened for traffic on the 2nd August 1972. However, and I think remarkably, there were at least two proposals to construct a bridge across the harbour, the first more than 70 years before the road tunnel. Tymon Mellor’s article, The Development of the Hong Kong Road Network 1841 to 1940 – […]
» Read more
HF: Our article, 1924 Report on the Commerial Development of the Port of Hong Kong, begins by mentioning the visit of Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice to Hong Kong in 1920. Fitzmaurice, as a partner in a firm of Consulting Engineers, had been invited to offer advice on general improvements to Hong Kong’s harbour and also specific areas within that subject. The […]
» Read more
HF: Indigo was grown at several places in the NT including Tai Mo Shan and Ma On Shan up until the end of WW1 when it was replaced by commercial dyes. James Hayes wrote a RASHKB 1968 article about the weaving of locally grown hemp thread into cloth during the annual visits of mostly male Hakka weavers. This was then […]
» Read more
HF: The Indhhk article linked below suggests some confusion about three companies that had similiar sounding names during WW2 and the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. They were: a) Hong Kong Oxygen b) Hongkong Oxygen & Carbide c) Far East Oxygen & Acetylene Time to attempt to separate them starting with Hongkong Oxygen & Carbide. Elizabeth Ride has sent these […]
» Read more
New image HF: The extract below comes from a book about site preparation for Chek Lap Kok airport. Tymon Mellor confirms the Transshipment Centre was at the ex-Lok On Pai desalting plant site. He says it was used by the Provisional Airport Authority (PAA) to store materials off site before shipping to Chek Lap Kok as the island and airport […]
» Read more
HF: The “Two Girls” of Kwong Sang Hong Limited, founded in 1898 [?] by Mr. Fon Fook Tien, was the first cosmetics brand in Hong Kong. The brand started promoting its products using printed materials as early as the 1920s. Kwan Wai-nung, the renowned “Master of Calendar Posters”, was commissioned to draw calendar posters which were well received by the customers […]
» Read more
HF: In Hong Kong, qipao is more commonly known as Cheongsam, which carries a distinct Hong Kong flavour. With its well defined lines and myriad designs the cheongsam combines light and soft fabric with a tight fitting cut to show off the beauty of the female silhouette and highlight a woman’s graceful manner and elegant charm. It was in the […]
» Read more