York Lo: Wan Hin & Co (德榮建築) a.k.a. Tak Wing Construction Left: ad for Wan Hin & Co in the 1950s (HKBCA yearbook), right: ad for Wan Hin’s development Evergreen Factory Building in Chai Wan (WKYP, 1964-12-15) From the 1940s to 1990s, Wan Hin & Co (or “Tak Wing Construction” in Chinese) was one of the leading building contractors in […]
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York Lo: Oriental Pacific Mills (東亞太平) – the Largest Wool Textile Producer in HK Left: Oriental Pacific Mills at Sheung Kwai Chung in 1966 (Land Use Survey, HKU Libraries); Right: logo of Oriental Pacific Mills Oriental Pacific Mills (refer to as “OP”) was the largest worsted and woolen spinning group in HK which was formed in 1959 as the result […]
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York Lo: The Rise and Fall of the HK Ivory Industry and some of its key players Catalog of Man Hing Ivory Factory (Memoires of a Travelholic, 2014) While many industries in Hong Kong went away due to rising production costs and soaring property values, ivory was one industry that was shut down by a worldwide ban enacted in 1989 […]
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York Lo: Lucky Plastic Factory (好彩塑膠廠) Article about Lucky Plastic Factory in 1959 (WKYP, 1959-12-31) Earlier on the website, we covered plastic industry pioneers such as Chieng Han-chow of China Plastic and Wah Sun Hong, H.C. Ting of Kader Industrial and Shen Bing-su of Yee Sing Industrial who came from the North. Many pioneers of the HK plastic industry, however, […]
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York Lo: Hong Kong Cement Manufacturing (香港水泥) Left: present day HK Cement plant at Ngau Kok Wan in Tsing Yi; Right: The original HK Cement plant in Tsing Leng Tsui in Tsing Yi looking in from Tsing Yi Bay Established in 1962 by the principals of Taiwanese cement industry leader Taiwan Cement Corporation (台灣水泥, TCC) and connected businessmen, Hong Kong […]
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York Lo: M.C. Oung (翁明昌) – the Shanghainese tycoon in Taiwan and his industrial enterprises in Hong Kong Left: M. C. Oung (right) receiving a medal from KMT Air Force chief Lai Ming-tang; M.C. Oung (third from the left) transiting through HK in his 1960 trip to the US as head of Chia Hsin Cement. He was welcomed by his […]
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York Lo: Wah Mei Electric – Leading Distributor of Electronics from the 1920s to 1960s and related firms Left: Wah Mei ad in 1927 (8th Far East Games brochure); Right: the old Wah Mei store in between Sunlight Hing Kee and Kin Ming Radio on Des Voeux Road Central Wah Mei Electric was one of the oldest and largest distributor […]
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York Lo: Star Power: E. Penn Industrial Manufactory (興華實業) and “Butterfly” (胡蝶牌) Vacuum Flasks and Torch Cases Left: the wedding of Eugene Penn and Butterfly Wu in Shanghai in 1935. The maid of honor was Koo Lan-kung (顾兰君) and bridesmaid Yuan Mei-yun (袁美雲); flower girls were Wu Yun-yun and Lo Siu-tik, and ringbearer Lai Hang (黎铿, son of Lai Man-wai, […]
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York Lo: Yat Hing & Co (日興建築) – Contractors from the 1920s to 1960s Ad for Yat Hing & Co from HKBCA yearbook Founded in 1923, Yat Hing & Co was a leading contractor in HK from the 1920s to 1960s authorized to work for the Admiralty, Army & Royal Air Force and also engaged all types of civil engineering […]
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Earlier on the website, we profiled the major taxicab companies in HK from the 1920s to the 1960s. The late 1960s saw the dissolution of the large taxicab companies and the emergence of driver-owned taxis driven by regulatory changes and the proliferation of transportation vehicles such as minibuses and unlicensed cabs (also known as “white plate cars”) to meet the […]
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