Tymon Mellor: The construction of Tai Lam Chung Reservoir in the 1950s was at that time, the largest and most expensive construction project yet in Hong Kong, but when a half page article[i] about the construction of the 12km of tunnels was published in 1956 the photo they used focused on the ever-running supply of water at the site. The […]
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York Lo: Peter Kingson Kwok (郭幼庭,1883-1953): Metal Trader and Founding Director of Bank of East Asia and his Family Left: Peter Kingson Kwok (Courtesy of Stanley Kwok); Right: Ad for Singon & Co in 1933 (HK Telegraph, 1933-8-28) While most people identify the Bank of East Asia with the family of Li Koon-chun, Kan Tong-po and Fung Ping-shan who ran […]
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Wong Wai King is the author of Tai O – Love Stories of the Fishing Village. Among many subjects that Ms Wong has written about in her book is a short article titled “Toi shan dau” (Sedan-chairs). Ms Wong has very kindly agreed to allow the re-typing of this section to be included as an article on our site. Copyright […]
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York Lo: The Families of H.M. Lui and M.G. Tsui, directors of Miramar and Furama H.M. Lui (first from the left) and M.G. Tsui (second from the right) and fellow directors of Miramar at the opening of its City Club in 1980. Left to right: Lui, Young Chi-wan, Ho Sin-hang, Sir Tang Shiu-kin, Ho Tim, Leung Kau-kui, Sin Wai-kin, Tsui, […]
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York Lo: Ruby (紅寶石) – Restaurant Empire from the 1950s to 1980s Left: The fa pai of Ruby Restaurant in Causeway Bay at its opening in 1966; Right: Ruby’s ad promoting its Mother’s Day special featuring pigeons and fruit punch at all five of its locations in 1984 (WKYP, 1984-5-9) From the 1950s to the 1980s, Ruby was one of […]
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Philip Edward Kenny has sent a link to a set of photos on Flikr of employees and equipment inside the Tyco (HK) “factory” building in 1976. He believes these photos were uploaded by Doug Price. And if you are any of these people, or know who they are, it would be great to hear from you: Hugh Farmer indhhk [at] gmail […]
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Stephen Davies: The interesting thing about Cosmopolitan Dock – unique in HK and quite uncommon elsewhere – is that it was designed from the outset as two docks in one; an inner and an outer. The dock had a fat, slightly shorter outer part (212 x 100 feet) and a slightly narrower, slightly longer inner part (234 x 83 feet – […]
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HF: It was never mined here. So this article is an initial attempt to put together what little we have about importing coal and how it was used in Hong Kong: transport, manufacturing, utilities, shipping, domestically…can you add to this article? I have also included charcoal and for general interest information about and images of China and Taiwan/Formosa on these […]
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York Lo: Sang Lee & Co (生利建築) – leading contractor from the 1900s to 1950s From the 1900s to the 1950s, Sang Lee was one of the leading building contractors in HK responsible for many notable public projects such as the old GPO Building and the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir which were completed in the 1910s and the massive Wanchai […]
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Martyn Cornell has kindly given permission for extracts from his article, A Short History of Beer in Hong Kong, to be posted on our website. The article was published in the Journal of the Brewery History Society, Brewery History, Issue 156, 2012 Martyn has his own blog, Zythophile – Beer now and then, linked below. Despite its title the article is […]
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