HF: IDJ has sent three articles about replacing Kai Tak airport post World War Two. Various locations were discussed with the main option appearing to be the Ping Shan/Deep Bay area west of Yuen Long. Certainly construction work actually started at the Ping Shan site as the articles linked below demonstrate. However, and eventually, a plan to modify Kai Tak […]
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York Lo: Wong Tong Kee (黃棠記) – the Timber Merchant and the Mansion Left: Wong Tong Kee founder Wong Cheuk-hing (百年商業, 1941); Right: Ad for Wong Tong Kee in the 1950s (HKBCA Yearbook) In the first half of the 20th century, Wong Tong Kee was one of the major players in the lumber and construction business in Hong Kong and […]
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HF: The following article has been extracted from the Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography. The article about George Ernest Marden and John Louis Marden was written by Robert Nield and first published in the Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography, edited by May Holdsworth and Christopher Munn. The publisher, HK University Press, has kindly granted permission for it to be posted here, but […]
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HF: IDJ has sent in this report about the first private submarine built in Hong Kong. As he says this shows how versatile the students of the Far East Flying Training School (FEFTS) could be in their endeavours. As you will see Mr Yuen constructed another submarine. I am presuming this was also made in Hong Kong though this is […]
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IDJ: In Hong Kong until around the mid 1990s, curious observers and old men with nothing better to do were a familiar sight gathered at gaps in construction sites fences where amongst the usual activities they could observe a practise possibly unique to Hong Kong. Husband and wife teams constructing large diameter, hand dug piles, known as caissons were common […]
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York Lo: Ng Wah (伍華, 1874-1950) – Leading Contractor, Developer of Pedder Building and Philanthropist Left: Ng Wah (HKBCA); Center: Pedder Building in Central; Right: Article about the induction of Ng Wah as head of Po Leung Kuk in 1934 (HK Daily Press, 1934-4-11) Ng Wah and his Projects A native of Toishan in Guangdong province but born in Hong […]
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York Lo: Kwok Yat-wai (郭一葦, 1915-1990): Jeweler, Developer and Philanthropist Left: Kwok Yat-wai from the profiles of the directors of the Tung Wah Group of Hospital (KSDN, 1971-4-1); Right: Ad for Kwok’s Diamond Mansion in Wanchai in 1964 (KSDN, 1964-11-8) Like Cheng Yu-tung of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery and the New World Group (see article on Hip Hing Construction) and […]
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York Lo: From Tea to Real Estate and Soy Milk and back to Tea – the six-generation saga of the family of Kwan Fan-fat Group picture of the Kwan family at the wedding of Kwan Fan-fat’s youngest son Kwan Kam-pui at the Kam Ling restaurant in Kennedy Town in 1949 (WKYP, 1949-7-10) Earlier on our website, we covered real estate […]
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York Lo: H.K. Wah Yuen Investment (華源置業) – Leading Property Developer in the 1950s and 1960s Article about Wah Yuen in 1958 hightlighting quick issuance of property deeds (WKYP, 1958-4-30) Earlier on the website, we covered the careers of the Chung brothers, whose “E.Wah Aik Sang” (怡華益新) earned them the title of “king of industrial buildings”. Before founding E.Wah and […]
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York Lo: Tam Shiu-hong (譚肇康 1875-1961) – HK Construction Industry Pioneer and Supporter of Sun Yat-sen’s Revolution Left: Tam Shiu-hong Right: Memorial plaque at the HK Technical College building which cited its construction being supervised by Tam Shiu-hong (HKBCA Yearbook, 1954) The history of the HK construction industry would not be complete without a profile of Tam Shiu-hong, one of […]
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