Stephen Davies: The history of the lighter Tin Ming is interesting. From what I can work out she may have been either the ex-Argus or ex-Vigilante, one of two French gunboats built by Thorneycroft in London to a British (Woodcock) design in 1900, shipped out to HK where they were assembled and then operated on the West River until taken out […]
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HF: A 1962 Commerce and Industry Department trade bulletin, “An Emerging Industry” is subtitled Hong Kong transistor radios. An extract from the report, The structure of the industry is international, some units being entirely owned and operated by Hong Kong firms, and others either joint ventures between local and overseas companies or financed by foreign capital, chiefly American. Hong Hong’s initial […]
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This article is an attempt to bring together what we know about Japanese suicide boats based on Lamma Island at the end of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. There is also mention of such vessels appearing in other locations. The subject may appear to be drifting somewhat from HK’s industrial history. However, as the BAAG Report KWIZ #79/1 indicates […]
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HF: The SCMP of the 18th June 2015 contained an article about the lengthy conversion of the old senior staff quarters into a museum by 1919. This should perhaps be read in conjunction with a Ming Pao article of 23rd August 2015, linked below, in which Dr. Edward Yiu, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography and Resource Management at the Chinese […]
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Stephen Davies has sent a newspaper report from August 1922 featuring a launch and lighter of the Kung Lee (Kwong-li) Steamship Company (公利輪船有限公司). Stephen adds, The company was very short-lived. It was founded on 23 February 1922 and was dissolved four and a half years later on 22 October 1926. Kung Lee were operating in the relatively slow river freight business with small steam […]
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Kwong Chi Man has kindly translated the Japanese names of the piers shown in columns at the bottom of this map of Hong Kong harbour which was drawn during the occupation, WW2. Elizabeth Ride has kindly transcribed the faint handwritten English ‘translation’ alongside the Japanese. Many thanks to both contributors. KCM: This map of the Japanese Harbour Authority (under the […]
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HF: The SCMP of 7th September 2015 contained an article titled, ‘Isolated pier harbours problems for city icon‘. This referred to a 20% drop in passenger numbers at the Wanchai Pier experienced by the Star Ferry Company since the pier was moved to a more isolated location in August 2014. Operations manager Samson Leung Shui-kin, pictured below right, with Star […]
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HF: Shewan, Tomes & Co. was one of the leading trading companies in Hong Kong and China during the late 19th and early 20th century. When Russell & Co., then one of the largest mercantile firms in the Far East, went out of business in 1891, former employees Scotsman Robert Shewan and Englishman Charles Alexander Tomes took over the remains of the operation and changed […]
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HF: The China Daily, HK Edition, of 1st September 2015 contained the first of a planned series of articles about what is seen as an “explosion of interest of material related to the city’s industrial past”. The article by Chitralekha Basu starts with mention of The Industrial History of Hong Kong website, “floated by a long-time HK-resident English gentleman”. Probably […]
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Hugh Farmer: New information in red This brief history of the Lin Ma Hang Lead Mine does not attempt to cover the geology or mineralogy of the area or mine, nor details of the mine workings. For a very full account, which includes this information plus photographs, and further references, try The Story of Lin Ma Hang Mine as shown in Source 1 […]
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