James Chan: Our article, The [Hong Kong] Steam Laundry Company, asks for further information about what was thought to have been two steam laundry companies over a considerable period of time from the late 19th century to the early 1950s. Two pieces on the subject of steam laundries were included in a series of articles in the South China Morning […]
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Tymon Mellor: Spurred by the looming civil war in China, the partially complete Kai Tak reclamation became a temporary RAF facility in 1927. Both the British and Hong Kong governments wanted to construct a dedicated aerodrome but limited financial resources tempered their enthusiasm. While discussions on funding continued, solutions to completing the reclamation and the design of the proposed aerodrome […]
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HF: Patrick Manson was instrumental in the founding of The Dairy Farm Company in Hong Kong. I am going to post an article specifically about the man and Dairy Farm shortly. Sir Patrick Manson was born in 1844 and studied medicine at Aberdeen University, passing M.B. and C.M. in 1865. In 1866 he became medical officer of Formosa for the […]
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Tymon Mellor: For eight years, Morrison Brown Yung developed the Galena mine at Lin Ma Hang. He excavated the access tunnels and located the main ore body, but with the fall in lead prices as a result of the Great Depression, the mine was un-economic to work. Following his death in 1933, the mine was eventually taken over in 1937 […]
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HF: If anyone comes across further information about or images of the Roy Farrell Export-Import (Hongkong) Company I would be very grateful to be sent it. Roy Clinton Farrell (June 19, 1912 – January 3, 1996) was the American co-founder of Cathay Pacific Airways along with the Australian Sydney de Kantzow. ROY FARRELL EXPORT IMPORT COMPANY (HONG KONG) LIMITED -THE- was incorporated on 28-AUG-1946 […]
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HF: I have compiled a timeline about Hong Kong Tramways Depots using the sources given below. It is admittedly a rather rough framework. As further information comes in I will refine it. I would like to especially thank Joseph Tse who has considerable knowledge of HK Trams (and also the Peak Tram and Tuen Mun Light Rail) as can be […]
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York Lo: SMC, DEMC and TAT – Pioneers of the Hong Kong Electric Fan Industry Entrepreneurs from Hong Kong have long played an important role in the electric fan industry globally. The property and investments billionaire Joseph Lau made his first fortune selling ceiling fans to the US and the Middle East with his Union Ngok Kee and Evergo in the […]
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Tymon Mellor: Hong Kong International Airport handles over 1,000 aircraft movements a day, a long way from the first Hong Kong airfield at Sha Tin, where at 5:10pm on 18th March, 1911 Charles Van den Born, a Belgian undertook the first powered flight in the territory. Flying a 1910 Farman Mk II bi-plane named “Wanda”, he made a short flight […]
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Roy Farrell co-founded one of Asia’s most successful airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, with the Australian Sydney de Kantzow and was one of the first Westerners to recognize the post-war potential of China as a trading partner. An American from Texas, he had originally intended to establish a trading company supplying China with badly needed goods at the end of […]
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York Lo: Joe Law (1922-2015) – HK Plastic and Toy Industry Pioneer Ignatius Joseph Law Cho-Yiu (羅祖耀, 1922-2015), aka Joe Law, was one of the founding fathers of the plastic and toy industry in Hong Kong. His involvement in plastic spanned six decades in products ranging from plastic flowers and toys to Christmas novelties and L.E.D. lighting. Along the way, Law […]
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