HF: Vol. 34 of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch published in 1994 contains a lengthy article about German speakers in Hong Kong and of the companies they were involved in. It was written by Carl Smith. I am familiar with only a small number of these companies and even fewer of those persons working for […]
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In a recent email IDJ brought up the subject of stink boats following the recent posting on the website of an article about night soil collection in Hong Kong, linked below. If you can add further information about these boats or an image of one please send it into the site. IDJ: From recollections of transportation to my workplaces via […]
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York Lo: Pun Sun-on (潘新安, 1923-2015) – Developer, Educator and Poet Left: Pun Sun-on in his later years; Center: Winway Building, which was controlled by Pun’s Sunny Enterprises; Right: cover of the collection of poems written by Pun Sun-on and his poetry group published in 2011 with their group picture. (yesasia) Earlier on the website, we covered the family of […]
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HF: Thanks to IDJ for sending the following newspaper article in. I am presuming the system never got started and it would be of interest to learn why not. The article was a little difficult to read so I have retyped it. Thanks to SCT for proofreading the retyped version. The offer to establish the chain of wireless stations was […]
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HF: While on holiday recently in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK, I came across this memorial photograph of Able Seaman, C Williams. The ‘Hongkong Dockyard’ could refer to either of the two large shipyards in 1910, Taikoo, or HK and Whampoa. However the latter was more usually known as Kowloon Docks so I am guessing AB Williams died at Taikoo on HK […]
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York Lo: Ip Chung-sang (葉中生) – leading designer and interior decorator for Chinese restaurants in HK and beyond in the 1960s and 1970s Left: Picture of Ip Chung-sang and article about his work on the Metropole restaurant in 1970 (WKYP, 1970-7-19); Right: Ip Chung-sang in the early 1950s from an article about his work on the Golden City restaurant (WKYP, […]
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HF: Bill Burns runs a fascinating and detailed website about the history of submarine communication cables (linked at the end of this article). He has kindly sent four maps related to the worldwide network of such cables in 1901 and 1991. Two of the maps are centred on Hong Kong. The first is a 1901 World Map of “Grandes Communications […]
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York Lo: Ha Lung Hong (合隆行) and the New Zealand Deer Velvet Trade Left to right: Bill Bong’s mother C.Y. Loh, fellow Shanghainese businessman C.L. Hsu, Leo Lee, Bill Bong, Tung Wah chairman Charles Lui, Mrs. Lui, Bill Bong’s wife Ling Yuk-chun(KSDN, 1973-9-25) Chinese medicine is one of the oldest industries in Hong Kongand in the 1960s,Ha Lung Hong Medicine […]
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Stephen Davies provides further information about the history of Waglan Island lighthouse, its link to another in NE China and to two European companies. And a Swede who was awarded the Nobel prize for Physics for his invention regarding the illumination of lighthouses. SD: The light was built by Paris lighthouse makers Barbier, Bénard & Turenne as one of two identical lights for the […]
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When Tymon Mellor sent this revised version of his original article on Lin Fa Shan Mine, first posted in November 2014, he suggested it was more a complete re-write. Tymon Mellor: The Lin Fa Shan mine is located in a remote area of the Tai Mo Shan Country Park, on a steep west facing slope of Lin Fa Shan, just […]
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