Dodwell & Company (天祥洋行) was one of the leading British merchant firms, active in China and Japan during the 19th and 20th century. It was a direct rival to Jardine, Matheson & Co. “It was established in 1858 when W R Adamson and Company (silk dealers) set up in London, with its head office in Shanghai and branches in Hong Kong, […]
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York Lo: Gloria Weaving & Knitting (大業織造廠) was founded by Ningbonese businessman Ping Ling SENG (沈炳麟, 1913-2009) who first made his fortune exporting straw hats in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong in 1948. Seng started his philanthropy in Shanghai in the 1930s but instead of using his own name, over the years he has donated hundreds of millions to charities […]
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Tymon Mellor: The village of Tai Om sits on the south side of the Lam Tsuen valley at the foot of the Tai Mo Shan escarpment. Like many New Territories villages, it has experienced a building boom with village houses and a recently constructed road opening up the area. However, at the back of the village in an area of […]
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James Hayes wrote a short article about Sandal Wood Mills in Tsun [sic] Wan, which was published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, Volume 16, 1976. The article, to be found in the Notes and Queries section begins: The following extracts from various publications relate to this now almost forgotten but long established local industry, located […]
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The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department’s brief history of Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong. The script and images all come from the article. The Name: Kai Tak is named after two businessmen, Sir Ho Kai and Mr. Au Tak, who were involved in a company formed to reclaim land in Kowloon Bay for a residential housing scheme. The Company, unfortunately, […]
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York Lo: I-Feng and Freezinhot first caught my attention when I stared up at the third floor exterior of the infamous Chung King Mansion on Nathan Road and spotted the corporate signages. It turns out that I-Feng, which dissolved in 2001 according to Companies Registry record did have its head office in Chung King Mansion. And then I got even […]
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IDJ has sent these photos extracted from an in-house Taikoo Dockyard publication of 1954. This was the period midway between the dockyard’s expansion after the Second World War during which extensive destruction had been caused both by the Japanese during their occupation in 1942–45 and allied bombing prior to the liberation of Hong Kong. And the Swire Group’s decision in the […]
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Tymon Mellor: Implementation of the Plover Cove scheme was intended to be undertaken in a number of stages. The first stage captured available water resources in the New Territories and a new treatment plant at Shatin. The second stage would cover the construction of the main reservoir with subsequent stages capturing water resources within the Sai Kung peninsula. With the […]
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Mary Anne Le Bas has sent an SCMP article, Six home-grown Hong Kong trades at risk of dying out, published on 21st June 2015. The last of these is about one of the few remaining Hong Kong companies that make neon lights. Leung Lap Kei, who runs the China Neonlight Advertising Company, says that, “in the 80s and 90s, the […]
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Centenarian Mary Wong presenting a lace handkerchief to Princess Margaret and her then husband the Earl of Snowdon in March 1966 when they visited her shop. Her son and daughter in law Mr & Mrs Jimmy Tse were by her side. Source: Wah Kiu Yat Po, 1966-3-4. York Lo: Mention the Japanese name Oshin, (“Ah Shun” or 阿信 in Cantonese), […]
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