James Chan: A little about the end of quarrying in Hong Kong and the three big ones plus Sok Kwu Wan (ie Lamma) Quarry “Today, under a plan formulated in 1989, the three remaining operational quarries in Hong Kong are being rehabilitated to form green areas for future development. Shek O (completion in 2009), Anderson Road (2013) and Lam Tei […]
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James Chan: I found this report as happens while looking for something else. I thought it was interesting enough to put into an article. Chapter 5 deals with The Labour Force. The report concentrates on the years 1961 and 1971, based on the census reports of these years. This was when the “Made in Hong Kong” period was becoming of […]
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James Chan: I came across this industrial building when out for an urban walk. The Amoycan Industrial Centre, Block no.1 at 7 Ngau Tau Kok Road, Kowloon Bay. The “Amoycan” part of the sign is very similar to the script used by Amoy Canning. I wonder if this building had a direct connection to the latter company? I took the […]
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James Chan: The SCMP had an article on 9th December 2014 about re-using the Nan Fung Textiles building at Nos 4,5 and 6 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, into a “creative landmark for fashion culture and an incubator for young design talent.” The article says that “the original mills played a key role when the group was founded in […]
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James Chan: I found this while looking through the Public Records Office images. I don’t think we have anything about this company. A quick check finds that it was started in 1950 and is now (as HAECO) one of the world’s largest maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service providers in terms of capacity. It is owned by Swire Pacific Ltd. […]
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James Chan: Hong Kong United Dockyards often abbreviated to United Dockyards or HUD was formed from the merger of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock (founded 1863) and Taikoo Dockyard (1902). The Whampoa Dock was located in Hung Hom, West Kowloon and Taikoo Dockyard in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Island. In 1973 in part to meet the container revolution in […]
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James Chan: Whampoa is the second in a four tug series constructed by Cheoy Lee Shipyards for Hong Kong United Dockyards (HUD). The first was Taikoo which was also named after the two shipyards Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock (founded 1863) and Taikoo Dockyard (1902) which merged to form HUD. The Whampoa is a RAmparts 3000 Class Terminal Support Tug specifically designed […]
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James Chan: I found this 1889 map while looking through an archaelogical assessement of the MTR West Island line. The map shows Kennedy Town. On it are a silk works betwen Cadogan and Davis Streets. And a rope works along Forbes Street between Davis Street and Smithfield. What does anyone know about either of these two works? This article was […]
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James Chan: In 1863 Thomas Sutherland became the first chairman of the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock. He was 29. The following has been extracted from the Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography. Both the author Robert Nield and HK University Press have given permission for extracts to be used in this article. Robert Nield: “Thomas Sutherland was the founder of one […]
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James Chan: Dragages Hong Kong, is a very familiar company name on signs at major construction projects around Hong Kong. It’s parent company is Bouygues Construction The company was founded in Vietnam in 1902 as Société Française Industrielle D’Extreme-Orient. It undertook its first project, the dredging and maintenance of a 2,000 kilometre canal system in the Mekong Delta. In 1910 […]
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