HF: IDJ has sent the photographs below from his collection taken during his time in Hong Kong. ”Bamboo scaffolding is highly preferred in Hong Kong for several reasons. Firstly, it offers significant advantages over steel scaffolding. Bamboo is lighter, more flexible, and readily available in the region, making it a cost effective option. Moreover, bamboo is an enviromentally friendly choice […]
» Read more
Tymon Mellor: At the end of the nineteenth century, the great world powers were all trying to expand their spheres of influence within China. The approach of the British was to use Hong Kong as a marine trading hub, enhanced with the provision of a railway network thus extending the Colony’s commercial reach into the Chinese hinterland and connecting with […]
» Read more
“Ingham Sutcliffe who had only recently set up in business as a consulting engineer in Siam, was previously engaged as assistant chief mechanical engineer and superintendent of workshops on the Royal State Railways of Siam. He had held this appointment since 1919 and resigned from government service in 1930. He was born at Bradford in 1880, and after serving as […]
» Read more
From Tai Ping Koon, which opened in 1860 and served Sun Yat-sen, to Gaylord Indian Restaurant, open since 1972, to the award-winning abalone served in Forum since 1977, these restaurants have stood the test of time. In a city where restaurants come and go with dizzying speed, those which have stood the test of time are few and far between. […]
» Read more
IDJ: During 1948 and 1949 there was immense turmoil in China as the Nationalist and Communist factions battled for control of the country. Events were moving towards a climax. As a result, the Chinese airlines CNAC (China National Aviation Corporation), CAT (Civil Air Transport) both with Sino-American interests and flight crews, and Central Air Transport (nationalist government owned) all based […]
» Read more
York Lo: Lynhall Land Investment (聯合置業) – Real Estate Powerhouse from the late 1950s and early 1960s Lynhall Land ad from 1958 featuring 7 of its properties that were available for sale that year (left to right): Majestic, Kingland, Hankow, Maylun, Phoenix, Lido and Mido(華僑日報, 1958-01-03) From 1945 to 1960, the population of Hong Kong jumped sixfold from 500,000 to […]
» Read more
HF: “The light is situated at Lam Tong Mei, a small rocky peninsula at the extreme southern tip of Tung Lung Island. It was constructed by the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong, from 1941 to 1945. It was originally used as a gun emplacement to protect the south-eastern approaches to Victoria Harbour. It is built of concrete and […]
» Read more
IDJ has sent an extract from a book by Martin Barnett published in 1984 about the history of tramways in Hong Kong. HF: Chevalier R Pescio was an Italian with an exotic name and an alluring proposal. Namely to build a tramway between Victoria and Aberdeen. He repeatedly tried to obtain government interest in this scheme between 1906 and 1910 […]
» Read more
James Chan: 1978 “Hongkong United Dockyards Ltd. (HUD) have formed a new subsidiary company — Ship Repairers & Shipbuilders (HK) Ltd. The company will act as agents for a number of major overseas ship repairing companies and will liaise with local shipowners requiring docking and repair work overseas. The new company has already obtained the agency for Lisnave in Portugal, […]
» Read more
Tymon Mellor: Introduction The mine workings on the south-west slopes of Ma On Shan mountain are now no more than mere scars in the hillside, but in the middle of the last century, the mine provided employment for up to 6,000 people and supplied high grade iron ore and other minerals to the Japanese steel industry. This article describes the […]
» Read more