Stephen Davies has been investigating the location of the A King Shipyard in the Causeway Bay Typhoon shelter – 1925 to 1955. Also known as Ah King’s. Further details about the shipyard can be found at http://gwulo.com/search/node/Ah%20King This includes the three locations of the shipyard: 1st Date in the record: on the waterfront, The Praya in Wanchai, today’s Johnston Road 2nd 1925 – […]
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Fung Chi Ming has sent a 1959 essay “Ping Chau”, an alternative name for Peng Chau, by Wei Kit Ling, Minnie, 1959, deposited at HKU Main Library. Wei Kit Ling writes about the Lime Industry, the Match Industry ie the Great China Match Factory, Porcelain Decoration, Rattan Ware, the Tanning Industry, and the making of Shrimp Sauce. All of these are […]
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HF: The SCMP published an article on 17th May 2015, Systematic problems facing attempts to preserve Hong Kong’s heritage. The article begins, “In fast-paced metropolitan Hong Kong, it is easy to forget the past, but a recent slew of underground and underwater discoveries have reminded people that their city has a long history. A stone tablet on the island of […]
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New information: A Kung Ngam 1846, “The only produce of Hong Kong, for exportation, is granite…it employs many hands, a great number of boats, each about 70 to 100 tons, and capital. There are seldom less than a hundred of the above craft which monthly leave this place with a full cargo for the interior; and it is considered a […]
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Additional information in red Hugh Farmer: Various sources mention the origin of the name of the once heavily industrialised Hong Kong area Kwun Tong. In particular it is suggested that the area was named after the Koon Fu salt yards (官富場), set up by the government to secure central administration of the salt trade and prevent unauthorised salt preparation and trading. […]
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HF: The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) has published a Catalogue of Hong Kong Tunnels (up to February 2015). The list is extensive and as far as I know does not appear in a format which can be “searched”. The tunnels are grouped: 1. Road 2. Railway (MTRC and ex KCRC) 3. Water Supply 4. Drainage and Sewage 5. […]
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Tymon Mellor has sent this 1957 map showing a brick works just NE of Brick Hill (Nam Long Shan) the southern part of which is now Ocean Park amusement park. The entrance to Ocean Park and the start of the cable car which takes you alongside Brick Hill is itself just NE of what was once the brick works. Tymon […]
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James Chan: I thought this map would be useful. Here is a snipped version of HK Island and Kowloon. The full version can be seen in the link below. This shows rather small maps of reclamation development: a) up to 1887 b) 1888-1924 c) 1925-1945 d) 1946-1967 e) 1968-1976 f) 1977-1996 This article was first posted on 21st March 2015. […]
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HF: Lime-making in Hong Kong has an extremely long history, at least 1,000 years, probably longer. This article by Wong Tak-yan appeared in the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch Journal of 1984. The article begins: And is divided into the following sections: *Uses of Lime *Raw Materials used in the making of lime *The process of making lime -burning […]
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HF: Craig Mitchell has kindly allowed me access to his collection of WW2 photographs of Hong Kong. Among these are two USAAF aerial images of a bombing raid on an oil depot in Lai Chi Kok which took place on 2nd September 1943. Standard Oil had a depot there at the start of the war according to this account. (1) […]
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