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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Elizabeth Ride has kindly sent the sketch map and key from a February 1945 BAAG report shown below. Stephen Davies: This was also known at the Boat Pool. gwulo has a map shown in the its link below which shows the Camber as the small basin to the right, ie east, of the main basin. Hugh Farmer: Some mystery surrounds […]
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Rico Lee + HF: HK: (1) Vianini Lavori SpA is an Italian company with a history of involvement in large construction projects including several in Hong Kong. It is a subsidiary of Caltagirone and I think has operated since 1890, though I unsure which of these companies commenced operations in that year. HF: (2) The above photo shows the dolo-shaped […]
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IDJ has supplied the following article from a volume of “Wonders of World Engineering” edited by Clarence Winchester published in a 1938 or 39 edition. This goes into considerable detail about water supply problems in Hong Kong at that time especially on Hong Kong island, the resultant surveys undertaken to find a suitable location for a large reservoir. The selection of the […]
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A little more information on the history of taxis in Hong Kong to add to our other articles, on the subject, linked below. Many thanks to SCT for proofreading the retyped version. Taxis cars can be further classified into those that charged according to the meters and cars for hire which did not charge by mileage. 1922 From the 17th […]
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