IDJ: In the postwar years mid-stream ship cargo-handling was normal in Hong Kong but the territory was also aware of the great revolution being generated by the world movement towards unitization of cargoes. Godown and shipping companies were routinely recommending to shippers that cargo packages should be less than two-tons in weight (2,032 kilos) and less than forty cubic feet (1,133 […]
» Read more
York Lo: Chan Chak-man(陳澤民) – Forgotten Knitwear Tycoon from the 1960s Chan Chak-man (second from left) greeted by his family after returning from the opening of his factory in Portugal in 1964 (WKYP, 1964-6-17) In the early 1960s, Chan Chak-man was a major figure in the HK knitwear industry who was a founding director of Hong Kong Woollen Knitting Manufacturers’ Association (香港毛織業廠商會, […]
» Read more
HF: Chao Kuang Piu (24 November 1920 – 12 March 2021) was a Hong Kong based Chinese industrialist, sometimes referred to as Hong Kong’s ”Wool Magnate” given his involvement in Hong Kong’s garment industry. He was one of the co-founders of Dragonair, Hong Kong’s first Chinese airline, which was subsequently acquired by Cathay Pacific. Chao was born on the 24th […]
» Read more
Hugh Farmer with thanks to IDJ and Tymon Mellor for information and images. These come from The Engineer, 28th April 1911:- “The Beacon Hill Tunnel – Kowloon Canton Railway. Beacon Hill, about 1500ft in height, is part of a range of hills dividing Kowloon from the rest of the mainland. A tunnel through this hill was deemed necessary in connection with […]
» Read more
York Lo: Wang Kee(宏記) – A Century of Service in the Port of Hong Kong Left: Yeung Yam-hoo, the second generation leader of Wang Kee& Co (XianggangHuarenMingrenShilue, 1937); Right: Wang Kee& Co ad in a Chinese directory in the late 1940s (Xianggang Huaqiao TuantiChonghhui) Founded in 1905, Wang Kee & Co (“宏記公司” or “宏記辦館” which means Wang Kee Provisions) was […]
» Read more
HF: In 1844, shortly after Hong Kong came under British authority, the Colonial Treasurer reported to the House of Commons Select Committee ‘there does not appear to be the slightest probability under any circumstances that Hong Kong will ever become a place of trade.’ Yet 44 years after this gloomy forecast, the then Governor, Sir William G. des Voeux, quite […]
» Read more
James Chan: Re the recent article Peak Tram: The Ward Leonard System installed 1926 I found this which I think must have been used in building the Peak Tram. This article was first posted on 14th June 2014. Source: Colorado School of Mines: Advanced funicular technology – page 3 the Abt Passing Loop Related Indhhk articles: Proposed Peak Tramway extension to Queen’s […]
» Read more
“This is the oldest established auctioneering firm in the Colony. It was founded by Mr. Geo. R. Lammert, the father of the present partners, and, for upwards of forty years residents in Hongkong have been accustomed to go to Lammert’s sale rooms for bargains of all descriptions. A special feature is made of selling goods to the Chinese, and the […]
» Read more
HF: Lane Crawford (HK) Limited is a retail company founded in 1850 operating specialist department stores selling luxury goods in Hong Kong and Mainland China. In August 1850 two Scots Thomas Ash Lane and Ninian Crawford opened a shop in a makeshift bamboo structure on the waterfront at the present location of Des Voeux Road. Taking each of their individual […]
» Read more
York Lo: Ramon Lo (羅鴻興) and Everlight Manufacturing Co (永明製造廠) Left: article about Ramon leading the CMA delegation to Japan in 1963 (WKYP, 1963-4-8); Right: Ramon Lo’s uncle Judge Lo Hin-shing In the 1950s and 1960s, Everlight Manufacturing Co Ltd (not to be confused withEverlight Manufacturing Ltd which was incorporated in 2006 and has a different Chinese name) was one […]
» Read more