HF: Chao Kuang Piu (24 November 1920 – 12 March 2021) was a Hong Kong based Chinese industrialist, sometimes referred to as Hong Kong’s ”Wool Magnate” given his involvement in Hong Kong’s garment industry. He was one of the co-founders of Dragonair, Hong Kong’s first Chinese airline, which was subsequently acquired by Cathay Pacific. Chao was born on the 24th […]
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Hugh Farmer with thanks to IDJ and Tymon Mellor for information and images. These come from The Engineer, 28th April 1911:- “The Beacon Hill Tunnel – Kowloon Canton Railway. Beacon Hill, about 1500ft in height, is part of a range of hills dividing Kowloon from the rest of the mainland. A tunnel through this hill was deemed necessary in connection with […]
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HF: In 1844, shortly after Hong Kong came under British authority, the Colonial Treasurer reported to the House of Commons Select Committee ‘there does not appear to be the slightest probability under any circumstances that Hong Kong will ever become a place of trade.’ Yet 44 years after this gloomy forecast, the then Governor, Sir William G. des Voeux, quite […]
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HF: Lane Crawford (HK) Limited is a retail company founded in 1850 operating specialist department stores selling luxury goods in Hong Kong and Mainland China. In August 1850 two Scots Thomas Ash Lane and Ninian Crawford opened a shop in a makeshift bamboo structure on the waterfront at the present location of Des Voeux Road. Taking each of their individual […]
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HF: In the article Ship breaking in Hong Kong – Junk Bay 將軍澳 – late 1970s IDJ mentions Argos which was a contract labour supplier to China Light & Power for a long period and ran their own fleet of double-decker buses to get their people to the Castle Peak Power Station site when it was under construction. From the company website: […]
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James Chan: Oasis Hong Kong Airlines Limited was a long-haul low-cost Asian airline. It operated scheduled services to London Gatwick Airport and Vancouver International Airport from its hub, Hong Kong International Airport. The airline offered low fares as its selling technique, which was similar to the operation principle of a low cost airline. Oasis was one of the growing number […]
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Mike T and Hugh Farmer: The Port of Hong Kong was published by the Marine Department in 1966. The report covers a great deal to do with the administration of the port at this time. Of particular interest:- The section on Ship Breaking contains a list of firms engaged in this industry in the mid-1960s. Dockyards, Drydocks, Shipbuilding and Repair […]
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HF: “The light is situated at Lam Tong Mei, a small rocky peninsula at the extreme southern tip of Tung Lung Island. It was constructed by the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong, from 1941 to 1945. It was originally used as a gun emplacement to protect the south-eastern approaches to Victoria Harbour. It is built of concrete and […]
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HF: Twelve Shell Oil tankers were built by the Hong Kong & Whampoa Dockyard according to the detailed records maintained by the website Helderline linked below. Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company was responsible for the ships of Shell Transport and Trading from about 1898 to 1955 when Shell acquired the assets of ASPC essentially bringing its fleet of ships in-house. The information below regarding […]
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Hugh Farmer: My wife and I are about to fly to Hong Kong from our home in Greece. We will be there for 3 weeks and return home at the end of February. We have had a tremendous amount to do before leaving and have a lot to do in Hong Kong, and this is the first time I will […]
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