IDJ remembers seeing log sawing by hand particularly in shipyards building wooden junks and sampans but also on construction sites. Many had two or four men pushing and pulling from above and below. They could tear through a log surprisingly accurately and quickly. The frame’s sidebars were used to guide the saw blade in a straight line and achieve the right […]
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HF: The following article about Robert Kotewall was written by John M. Carroll and first published in the Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography, edited by May Holdsworth and Christopher Munn. The publisher, HK University Press, has kindly granted permission for it to be posted here, but retains copyright over this material from 2012. I am including this biography on our […]
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Louis Ha and Dan Waters have kindly both given permission to post their article published in the HKBRAS Journal, Volume 41, 2001. This contains a great deal of information. In particular details about these Hong Kong lighthouses: Green Island Cape Collinson Waglan Tang Lung Chau On life at the lighthouses: Climatic conditions Water Supply Manpower Defence Communications Creature comforts and […]
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Nahaha Lau (NL): Castle Peak Ceramic Company (CPCC) was founded in 1927 by Mr. Lee Tak Luen, Mr. Choi Yin Bo and Mr. Tong Chin Wan. The factory was established near Shek Pai Tau and Tuen Mun San Hui. It was one of the biggest factories in the New Territories back then, and many Tuen Mun residents worked there to support […]
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HF: I’ve been contacted by a Chinese lady who is looking into her family history and their involvement in the manufacture of thermos/vacuum flasks. This is my initial investigation into the business around the time her family were involved, the 1950s. Hopefully it will develop into something with greater order and substance. Vacuum flasks, also known as Dewar flasks, Dewar bottles […]
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HF: Added information “Another adventurer was the Neapolitan aviator, Francesco de Pinedo (1890-1933) who, in 1925, landed his Savioa S-16ter two-seater hydroplane (nicknamed Gennariello) in Hong Kong harbour.|Engineer Ernesto Campanelli from Oristano was his co-pilot. After Hong Kong they flew on to Shanghai, Japan and Australia before returning to Rome landing on the Tiber River. It was truly a remarkable expedition, […]
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HF: Our article, A Brief History of Hong Kong Cinema to 1988 – Film Studios and Personalities states that in 1913, the American, Benjamin Brosky and Li Minwei co-founded HK’s first film studio, Huamei (Chinese-American). [Brosky appears to have been actually called Brodsky but has also been written about as Brasky and Polasky.] Here is a brief biography of Brodsky. […]
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I am delighted to offer Nicholas Kitto a little publicity on the publication of his book, Trading Places, a photographic journey through China’s former treaty ports. Nick has established a dedicated website (LINK), and the publisher’s recent blog (LINK) provides further information about the book including:- China’s treaty ports were cities along its coast and on major rivers which were […]
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IDJ has sent this monograph of the dramatic changes that occurred in Tuen Mun in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It starts rather gloomily, “Castle Peak, in reality a string of scattered settlements along the shoreline of the Bay, a straggle of ramshackle squatter huts pushing up the creek of the Tuen Mun river…” click the pages to enlarge. […]
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IDJ has sent this article about the Hongkong Electric Company, Ltd which was published in 1908. It outlines the formation of the company in 1889 and the opening of Hong Kong’s first power station in Star Street, Wanchai in 1890. This generating station closed in 1920 and was demolished in 1922. Source: Twentieth century impressions of Hong-kong, Shanghai and other […]
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