York Lo: Yakult (益力多): 50 Years in Hong Kong Left: glass bottle of Yakult before 1971; Middle: the original Yakult HK plant at 161 Wai Yip Street in Kwun Tong (Yakult HK website); Right: plastic bottle of Yakult today In the late 1960s around the same time when Japanese instant noodle (see our article on Winner Food and Doll noodles) […]
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York Lo: United Delivery Co Ltd (聯合運貨汽車有限公司) Left: Ad for United Delivery in an old telephone directory – 10 phone numbers were listed, and cross harbor delivery capabilities were highlighted; Right: United Delivery founder Albert Youngsaye and his wife Lai Yung-mei (Maureen Fan, Geni) Established in 1933, United Delivery Co Ltd was a leading logistics provider in Hong Kong […]
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York Lo: Watch Case Pioneer: Ernest C. Wong (王澤流) and Danemann Watch Case Factory (德明錶壳廠) Left: Ernest C. Wong (HK Album, 1967); Right: Ernest Wong receiving the chairman of the Swiss Watch Manufacturers Association in front of the Danemann factory in 1958 (WKYP, 1958-12-23) Founded in 1952, Danemann Watch Case Factory was one of the first and largest manufacturers of […]
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York Lo: Faithful Trading and Polytek Engineering Industrial trading and engineering firms such as China Engineers, Reiss Bradley and Andersen Meyer covered earlier in other articles played an important role in the industrial development of Hong Kong and the broader region as they facilitated the necessary technology transfer from the West by acting as importers and installers of state of the […]
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York Lo: Kings of Denim – Chip Tak, Tai Fong and Kong Sun Earlier on the website, we have covered many industries which are/were dominated by kinsmen from certain region (e.g. Hakkas from Hingning and the rattan industry, Shanghainese and the enamelware industry and Heshan natives and the printing industry) and the interesting case of four Filipino Chinese families from […]
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York Lo: Chung Mei Manufactory (中美製造廠) Chung Mei’s joint booth with Chiap Hua in the 1948 HK Products Expo with Chung Mei on the left and Chiap Hua on the right; Right: Cheng Chek-chee Chung Mei Manufactory was a leading manufacturer of pressure lanterns, hurricane lanterns and kerosene stoves from the 1940s to the 1960s, although it was lesser known […]
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York Lo: The Chan Family of Sun Wui and the Entertainment Business in HK and Macau Natives of Sun Wui in Guangdong province, the family of Chan Wai-ting has been involved in the entertainment business in Hong Kong and Macau for close to a century through the operations of at least five movie theaters, the Kai Tak Amusement Park covered […]
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York Lo: Three Generations and Three Industries: From Budson Watch to Casey Diamonds to Ingrid Millet The Liu family in 1949. Budson Liu (second row, second from right), his sons Pak-fei, Wan-fei, Casey and Ping-cheong (back row left to right) and their spouses and children. For close to a century, three generations of the Budson Liu family have been at […]
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York Lo: King of Plastic Beads and Buttons –Shen Bing-su (沈炳樞) of Yee Sing Industrial (義生實業) Yee Sing Plastic Factory’s ad from 1957 In the 1950s and 1960s, plastic manufacturers in HK had built up the HK plastic industry through a variety of products ranging from toys to artificial flowers to water buckets to mahjong tiles to sandals and even […]
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York Lo: Merchant Prince: the life and many pursuits of real estate pioneer Lee Sai-wah (李世華, 1916-1975) Left: S. W. Lee (Source: liuhan.org.hk); Right: S.W. Lee’s Waldorf Hotel at 2-6 Causeway Road in the 1950s From the 1930s to 1970s, Lee Sai-wah (hereafter refer to as “S. W. Lee”) was a colorful figure active in Hong Kong’s business world and […]
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