The Decline of Hawkers Markets in Hong Kong – but where were they?

HF: The SCMP of 12th December 2014 contained a full page article, Bazaar Behaviour. This outlines the decline in the number of  hawkers markets and discusses the view that “public policy over the years has served to concentrate retail activity in sanitised malls.” The article mentions:- – there were about 40 such bazaars in the 1970s. – that the number […]

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Quarry Maps then and now – Jordan Valley, Anderson Road, Diamond Hill, Kwai Chung and Cha Kwo Ling

Thomas Ngan and HF: Quarrying and Stone Breaking have a very long history in Hong Kong. Firstly providing dressed building stone and later aggregate for concrete. Before 1966 there were many small ‘permit’ quarries scattered across Hong Kong. These mainly produced dressed building stone. The last of these quarries closed in 1974 after which only larger, licenced quarries were in […]

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Kowloon Walled City – a book, an RAS article, an SCMP article, films and Kawasaki…

HF: The extraordinary Kowloon Walled City had been completely demolished by April 1994. Here are a selection of sources from which to gather an insight into the settlement, its residents and what went on inside what was reputed to have been the most densely populated place on Earth. a) http://cityofdarkness.co.uk/category/the_book/  This well known book by Ian Lambot and Greg Girard […]

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New Territories Population – 1898

Following the signing of the agreement with China on the 9th June, 1898 to extend the Colony of Hong Kong, a survey was undertaken of the “mainland and islands adjacent to Hongkong” that had been leased to Great Britain. Over the summer of 1898, Mr Stewart Lockhart, assisted by the naval authorities with H.M.S. Plover led a Commission to survey […]

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World War Two -1945 BAAG report on Dockyards in occupied Hong Kong

Hugh Farmer: Elizabeth Ride has sent a British Army Aid Group (BAAG) report from 1st March 1945, An Outline of Conditions in Occupied Hong Kong.  One of the BAAG’s aims during WW2 was to gather military intelligence in Japanese occupied Hong Kong which included a great deal of what can loosely be called industrial information. Thus this report covers many […]

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Shek Pai Wan (Aberdeen) – update

This appeared first as Queries and Answers 15. Hugh Farmer: While walking around Aberdeen last week I saw an information board that said, “the name Shek Pai Wan meant a bay packed with rows of stone”. Shek Pai  Wan is Aberdeen harbour ie the water between Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau. Can anyone confirm that the above is correct. And if so […]

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Yau Ma Tei – origin of place name from rope making?

Lawrence Tsui suggests that the place name Yau Ma Tei originated through the industry there of making marine ropes – literally, ‘Place for the Oily Flex [Flax?] Ropes’. Hugh Farmer adds: Gwulo had a forum about the origin of the name Yau Ma Tei  in 2006 to which several people contributed quoting a variety of sources. I have included the […]

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