HF: IDJ has very kindly upgraded two of the photographs and the map included in the following article. In 1977 (?) the Water Supplies Department published a report publicizing the construction of Plover Cove reservoir which had been officially opened in January 1969, though the height of the dams was subsequently raised, this being completed in 1973. Two stages are […]
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HF: If you visit Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market during the day you may well think it’s closed, ready to be fenced off and facing imminent demolition. However, piled boxes of fruit on the surrounding streets and inside locked wire cages within indicate there’s life in the old place yet. If you want to see the market fully functioning […]
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Elizabeth L Johnson wrote an article about “Patterned Bands” in the New Territories which was published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, Volume 16, 1976. [HF: I have been unable to copy the Chinese characters which appear in the article.] The article begins: These notes on a form of peasant textiles are based on research conducted in Kwan […]
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York Lo: Dickson and Hopson: the Tales of Two Handbag Companies Dickson and Hopson are two players in the handbag business in Central with similar sounding names and over half a century of history but catering to two different segments – the earlier focused on the higher end clientele while the latter caters to the mass market with its own […]
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Further to Dan Waters article “A Joss-stick Mill in Tsuen Wan” published August 26 2013 Here is a photograph of a water powered tilt-hammer used in crushing the production of incense. It is taken from a 1952 book “Hong Kong” by Harold Ingrams published by her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London in 1952. The book contains a chapter on Hong Kong’s […]
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York Lo: Yau Yue Commercial Bank (有餘商業銀行) Leaders of Yau Yue Commercial Bank at its opening ceremony in 1953 (WKYP, 1953-10-23) Founded in 1953, taken over by HSBC in 1966 and closed in 1969, Yau Yue Commercial Bank was one of the less covered Chinese-owned banks in the post-War era thanks to its smaller size and short history and the […]
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IDJ has sent the following newspaper article. This adds further information to our article The Hongkong and China Gas Company Ltd – explosion 14th May 1934, from which the photograph below is taken. This article can found linked below. HF: I have retyped the article. Where I am not certain of the printed script I have indicated this uncertainty by […]
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IDJ + HF: This short report from the mid-1950s mentions: a) The different breeds of fish b) The levels these breeds feed at within the ponds c) The economic dynamics of photoplankton as shown in this charming illustration drawn by Ip Tam Po The Bionomics of Pondfish Culture in the New Territories T Chow, Fisheries Research Unit, Dept of Zoology, […]
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York Lo: Lee Hung-tong (李漢忠): Thai Chinese Trader, HK Industrialist and Singer Trade between HK and Thailand had existed since the beginning of the colony and in fact the first trading firm in Nam Pak Hong was Yuen Fat Hong which was engaged in the Siam trade and firms that specialized in trading with Thailand are known as “Siam guilds” […]
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Tymon Mellor: As the end of 2020 draws to a close the water storage reservoir at Bishop Hill in Shek Kip Mei has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The relevant Government departments have failed to recognise the importance of this structure in the development of the Kowloon water supply and the unique design of this historic facility. Kowloon […]
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