York Lo: From Bicycles to Lamps and Stoves: Union Metal Works (合衆五金廠) and the two illustrious families behind the firm Left: 1962 Unimet ad showing its entire line of SOLAR brand products; Right: Unimet lamp made in 1965 Union Metal Works (aka Unimet) was one of the leading manufacturers of pressure lanterns in HK alongside World-Light, Glory, Lea Hin […]
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF HONG KONG AIR INTERNATIONAL LIMITED Hong Kong Air, the Colony’s only commercial helicopter service, commenced operations in August 1970 and initially was based at the Flying Club. The Club made its hangar available to Hong Kong Air until the present hangar near the HAECO complex was completed. The first helicopters in the Hong Kong Air fleet […]
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Kader Industrial Company Limited was founded by Mr. Ting Hsiung-chao in 1948. He had previously established the Wei Ming Flashlight and Battery Works and the Pau Chiu Light Bulb Factory, both successful businesses in Shanghai before 1949. Mr. H.C. Ting believed that success is built upon diligence and a dictum that nothing short of perfection was acceptable. Being an unusual […]
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Hugh Farmer: Following our recent articles about the Lok On Pai ‘desalting’ plant I visited the site on 4th December 2014 to see what remains. We know from recent aerial photographs and maps that the main building exists extending west to east, with one main arm at right angles to this running south towards the sea. Here’s what the site […]
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The following article about Augustine Heard and Company was written by Gillian Bickley, Peter E Hamilton and George Cautherley 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 retains copyright over this material from 2012. This article incorporates one […]
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According to HK company records the Nam Wah Preserved Ginger Company Ltd was incorporated on 27th October 1954 as a private company and is apparently still operating. However this 1928 company advert appears to show it with a factory in Sham Shui Po and office in Central. Can anyone confirm the company dates and/or supply further information/images about the Nam […]
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IDJ and HF: The origin of Schmidt & Co., (Hong Kong) Limited can be dated back to 110 years ago when Paul Schmidt founded the Schmidt Group of Companies in Tokyo under the name of Schmidt Shoten in 1896. The Group opened its first office in Beijing, China in 1911. In the following years, additional branches were established in major […]
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HF: I would be very interested if anyone could tell me some of the companies that occupied space in Cheung Sha Wan Factory Estate, or about other factory estates in Hong Kong. Cheung Sha Wan Factory Estate was a factory estate in Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong, owned and managed by the Hong Kong Housing Authority. It comprised up […]
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“Abdoolally Ebrahim & Co (HK), Ltd. was formerly known as Ebrahim Noordin & Company. The company was founded in 1842 and is based in Hong Kong. It has branch offices in China, India, and Pakistan In 1841, Seth Ebrahim Noordin, a man who survived a shipwreck and arrived in India on a bale of cotton, came ashore in Hong Kong […]
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HF: Vincent Seymour sent me an email on 2nd November 2023 saying he had tried to send a comment attached to this article, but had been unable to do so. This is the first time this has happened so I thought I would include a paragraph Vincent included in his message which provides both information and queries about other companies […]
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