Tymon Mellor: The year of 1921 was a good year for the growing population of Hong Kong Island; it would be the last year[i] until 1982 when there were no more water shortages[ii]. With the completion of the Tai Tam Tuk reservoir in 1917, doubling the total water capacity, the Colonial Government was confident there would be a sufficient water […]
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IDJ has sent the following trade adverts from 1953 for Hong Kong importers and exporters/buying and selling agents. Included are also companies who are advertising their own products. As information comes in each will be given their own article. Any related Inddhk articles are linked under the company name. Allied Trading Company Incorporated 30th June 1953 Dissolved 5th December 1958 […]
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François Dremeaux has kindly sent extracts from his MPhil dissertation Les Messageries Maritimes á Hong Kong (1918-1941). He says “I did my MPhil about the Messageries Maritimes in Hong Kong during the interwar period. More than a subject, it is also a passion!” HF: François has translated the extracts from the original French and I have slightly amended his translations […]
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York Lo: Chun Hing Bakery, Biscuit & Confectionery Manufactory Founded in 1926, Chun Hing Bakery, Biscuit & Confectionery Manufactory (振興糖果餅乾麵包製造廠, the Chinese name reflects the reverse order – confectionery, biscuit and bakery) was one of the leading biscuit & confectionery firms in Hong Kong alongside Garden, Yan Chim Kee, On Lok Yuen and M.P. San. The firm’s founder Ho Chi-Wong (何智煌, […]
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Paul Mark Onslow kindly sent me a manuscript of The Hongkong Land Company’s 90th Anniversary 1889-1979 which I intend to post on the website shortly. The manuscript contains a section entitled Jardine, Matheson & Co., Ltd, Part of Asia’s History featured in this article. HF: I have retyped the article to increase legibility and aid searches on the site. Please […]
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Elizabeth Ride has sent a British Army Aid Group (BAAG) report from 1st March 1945, An Outline of Conditions in Occupied Hong Kong which was compiled in early 1945 for use by the Civil Affairs Committee which was to take on the rehabilitation of HK after the planned allied invasion. HF: The report is lengthy so I am going to divide it […]
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The Chinese Engineering & Mining Company Limited was established in 1900 to mine coal for steamships in the area around Tientsin, China. The company was reformed in 1912 as a public company registered in London. Also in 1912 the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company and the Lanchow Mining Company Limited formed the Kailan Mining Administration to administer the coal mines. […]
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IDJ: To obtain an electricity supply in Hong Kong customers have to sign up with either China Light & Power Co Ltd or the Hong Kong Electric Co Ltd. However, in the years before 1984 the residents of Cheung Chau Island were supplied from their own independent power station operated by the Cheung Chau Electric Company Co Ltd which had […]
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York Lo: Yan Chim Kee (甄沾記) – the Life, Death and Rebirth of the Century Old Coconut Candies & Ice Cream Maker The history of the confectionery industry in Hong Kong would not be complete without including the history of Yan Chim Kee, the prominent maker of coconut candies and ice cream. Founded in 1915, Yan Chim Kee has gone […]
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Tymon Mellor: Directly after the Pacific War, like many other places, Hong Kong was struggling to recuperate. There was limited capital available and the Government had few resources. Mining was seen by many as a low cost investment, creating employment, generating hard currency and providing revenue to the Government. Unfortunately, this vision was not shared by the Government’s Interim Mining […]
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