York Lo: Lee Lim Ming (李琳明): King of Metal Pins and Badges Left: Ming Sang Industrial Building; right: a Lee Lim Ming pin for the Royal HK Regiment Founded in 1939 and incorporated in 1963, Lee Lim Ming Metal Works (李琳明金屬製造廠) has been making metal pins and badges for large companies (such as Maxim’s, KFC franchise operator Birdland, Cathay Pacific), government […]
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HF: The death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and the reign of King Edward V11 saw the release of a new series of definitives, commonly referred to as the ”bald man”’s definitives by local philatelists and stamp collectors. The first set (1903) of stamps featuring Edward V11 consisted of 15 stamps. A second set (1904) was printed on different paper, […]
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York Lo: Tacksen Shuihing Godown (德成瑞興貨倉) Left: Yan Chi-kit (HK Album, 1967); Right: signage of the Tacksen godown at 37A South Bay Road in Repulse Bay from a scene of an old movie (YouTube) Tacksen Shuihing Godown Co Ltd was one of the leading Chinese operators of godowns in the 1950s and 1960s. At its peak, the firm operated 3 […]
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Tymon Mellor: At the end of the Second World War, the returning British forces found a Japanese radar station on the top of Tai Mo Shan. This discovery highlighted the technical strength of the Japanese military. The theory behind radar had been established in the 1920’s with developments in Britain, US, USSR and Japan. However, whereas the British and Americans military […]
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HF: This article was written by Stewart Clyde in the early 1960s. 1963 is mentioned at one point. On the title page is hand written “updated 30.4.64” though the article itself is undated. It comes courtesy of the Public Records Office, HK. I can find nothing further about Mr Clyde, why he wrote this article or where it originally appeared. […]
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HF: Stamps were not popularly used even after the appearance of the first stamps. At the time, customarily, the receiver rather the sender was responsible for the postage fee. Therefore, senders were apprehensive of paying the postage before mailing. Nonetheless, the use of local stamps became compulsory by law in 1864. Following the release of the first stamps, a large […]
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York Lo: Kwong Hing Tai (廣興泰) and Kwong Loong Tai (廣隆泰) Left: Advertisement of Kwong Hing Tai in 1941(陳大同編：《百年商業》，香港光明文化事業公司，1941) Right: Kwong Loong Tai Building in Cheung Sha Wan In June 2017, the 11 story Kwong Loong Tai Building at 1016-1018 Tai Nam Street in Cheung Sha Wan was put in the market with estimated value of over HK$1.2 billion thanks […]
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York Lo: Pak Kut Noodle (百吉麵) Left: Ad of Pak Kut Noodle in 1947 which also mentioned Temple of Heaven brand of gourmet powder. (區少軒等編《香港華僑團體總覽》,香港:國際新聞社,1947 年) Right: Tong Luk-kut, founder of Pak Kut Noodle (Kung Sheung Evening News, 1954-12-28) While instant noodles in its current form was invented in 1958 in Japan by Ando Momofuku and first produced in HK […]
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Nan Kang Company Ltd imported luxury American goods such as perfume, cosmetics, silk stockings and nail cutters for department stores in Central.(1) Source: Hong Kong Memory Project This article was first posted on 25th September 2018. Related Indhhk articles: K C Tsang & Company,人和行, trading agent Gande, Price & Company Ltd – Hong Kong agents and wine and spirits merchants […]
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HF: The postal system in the British colony of Hong Kong began in 1841 when the Royal Mail established the first General Post Office in the region. Between 1841 and 1862 no stamps were issued, and postmarks were used to certify payment of the postage instead. The earliest postmarks were used by military field offices and read ”MILITARY POST OFFICE […]
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