York Lo: From Bicycles to Lamps and Stoves: Union Metal Works (合衆五金廠) and the two illustrious families behind the firm Left: 1962 Unimet ad showing its entire line of SOLAR brand products; Right: Unimet lamp made in 1965 Union Metal Works (aka Unimet) was one of the leading manufacturers of pressure lanterns in HK alongside World-Light, Glory, Lea Hin […]
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HF: Vincent Seymour sent me an email on 2nd November 2023 saying he had tried to send a comment attached to this article, but had been unable to do so. This is the first time this has happened so I thought I would include a paragraph Vincent included in his message which provides both information and queries about other companies […]
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York Lo: Edward T.T. Chan (陳德泰, 1918-1981) and Tai Cheung – HK Real Estate Pioneer Left: Edward TT Chan in the 1970s (HK Scouting Gazette); Right: Tai Cheung ad in 1957 promoting its new development at the former site of I-Feng Enameling at 473 Castle Peak Road. The slogan reads “Tai Cheung’s buildings, the most reliable” and a 500 sq […]
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On the 25th October 2023 Jim Ting left the following comment – ”My mother was the personal assistant of W.H. Eddie Hsu in the late 1970s until 1982 when we decided to emigrate to the U.S. She had fond memories of her time working there and every so often I still hear her telling these stories.” York Lo: A Century […]
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York Lo: Cheung Ka Chai Medicinal Wine (張家濟酒廠) Left: Cheung Ka Chai ad in Singapore in 1947 (南洋商报, 12 February 1947, Page 3); Right: Cheung Ka Chai’s Three Goats trademark filed in 1935 (HK Government Report) Cheung Ka Chai is one of the firms not covered in the earlier article about the Chinese distilleries in HK and specialized in medicinal […]
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York Lo: J. Ullmann (烏利文) – Swiss Watchmaker and Jeweler in HK and China Pictures of the interior and exterior of J. Ullmann’sTientsin store in the 1900s. (Directory and Chronicle of China, 1905) Founded in HK in the 19th century by a Swiss native of the same name, J. Ullmann & Co was a leading watchmaker not just in Hong […]
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York LO: Kin Sun Manufactory (建新織造廠) and Longfellow shirts Left: Kin Sun’s ad in Singapore in 1953 warning customers about counterfeited Longfellow shirts (南洋商报, 10 April 1953, Page 7); Right: Kin Sun Manufactory in Sham Shui Po on the right. The bamboo structure was for lowering a coffin from the second floor which was common practice before the 1960s (Uwants) […]
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York Lo: The Four Taxi Kings – Blue, Central, New and Star From the 1920s to 1960s, taxicab service in Hong Kong was heavily regulated with medallions only awarded to taxicab companies rather than individuals and as a result, the industry was dominated by a few firms. Among these firms, the four most prominent were Blue, Central, New and Star and […]
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York Lo: Harpers – the Family, the Dealership and the first 50 years of Ford automobiles in Hong Kong Left: Harper House on Ma Tau Wai Road in To Kwa Wan (now BMW Building); Right: 1938 Ford ad by Harpers promoting the new Ford Ten. For close to a century, Wallace Harper & Co (also known as Harpers) has been […]
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York Lo: The Kings of Industrial Buildings – the Chung brothers of E.Wah Aik San Left: Cheung Kung-hai and his younger brother Chung Ming-fai (left) at a government land auction in the 1970s during their heyday. Right: Property tycoons at the 1979 government auction. Second row left to right: Li Ka-shing (hand raised), Teddy Wang of Chinachem, Cecil Chao and […]
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