York Lo: Notable Players in the HK Wig Industry in the 1960s and 70s In the 1960s, the US wig market exploded and grew from less than US$10 million a year in 1960 to US$1 bllion within a decade, with over 40% of American women owning more than one wig and importing over 1 million wigs from Asia on a […]
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James Chan: There seem to have been several Hong Kong companies with very similar names. More information needed on all three… HF: Information needed indeed. If you can provide any information about or of images of these companies please send it in. a) There was a South China Dyeing and Weaving Works Ltd which appears to have been incorporated on […]
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HF: The Yau Tong reclamation is shown here in the mid distance, with Cha Kwo Ling in the foreground, the low buildings of Lei Yue Mun in the distance and Devil’s Peak behind. This photo is from 1983 and shows an apparently thriving industrial area. Today, many of these buildings and shipyards have been demolished or lie derelict. Of particular […]
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York Lo: Leader of the Battery Pack: Hing Wah and Five Rams Batteries Left: Five Rams batteries ad in 1955 (Source: IDJ); Right: Hing Wah’s HK plant in the 1950s (Source: HK Memory) Founded in Canton and expanded to Hong Kong in 1938, Hing Wah Battery Factory (興華電池廠) was one of the oldest and largest players in the batteries industry in […]
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‘At his shop in Yau Ma Tei, Mak Kam-sang’s walls are covered in calligraphy signs he has written. Passers-by stop and peer into the store, curious about what it sells as it is so different from everything else in the area Mak is the last calligrapher in Hong Kong behind the red and blue signs informing would-be passengers where a […]
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The Light Rail, also known as the Light Rail Transit (LRT), officially the North-West Railway, is a light rail system in Hong Kong, serving the northwestern New Territories, within Tuen Mun district and Yuen Long District. The system operates over 1,435mm (4 ft 8+1/2 in) standard gauge track, using 750 V DC overhead power supply. It was once one of […]
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York Lo: The Kings of Industries – the family behind Wearbest Garment in HK and Wha Mei Tobacco in old Shanghai As profiled in many other articles in this group, Shanghainese industrialists played a crucial role in the post-WWII industrialization in HK in fields ranging from textile, plastic, enamelware, construction and many others. In the field of garments, Sieh-Ting King […]
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The Paludina was constructed in 1921 by the HK & Wampoa Dockyard (construction number 580). She sailed for the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company and Shell Tankers UK. Tonnage: 8,881 She was discarded for scrap in 1936 in Japan.(1) This article was first posted on 20th May 2017. Sources: helderline tanker paludina Related Indhhk articles: Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company – several ships built […]
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In Search of an Improved Industrial Design – The Hong Kong Rickshaw over Time By Fung Chi Ming The rickshaw, as westerners pronounce it, originated in Japan where it is known as jinrikisha – jin (man) riki (power) sha (carriage). Its basic design includes a carriage resting on two large-diameter wheels, a pair of long parallel poles joined by a […]
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HF: While on holiday at Christmas in Hong Kong, I visited the Maritime Museum. I came across information about Saint Class Rescue Tugs which I had never heard of before. Here’s one built in Hong Kong: HMS St. Sampson was a saint class tug launched in 1919. The ship was ordered during World War 1 and was built by Hong […]
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