York Lo: Leader of the Battery Pack: Hing Wah and Five Rams Batteries Left: Five Rams batteries ad in 1955 (Source: IDJ); Right: Hing Wah’s HK plant in the 1950s (Source: HK Memory) Founded in Canton and expanded to Hong Kong in 1938, Hing Wah Battery Factory (興華電池廠) was one of the oldest and largest players in the batteries industry in […]
» Read more
York Lo: The Kings of Industries – the family behind Wearbest Garment in HK and Wha Mei Tobacco in old Shanghai As profiled in many other articles in this group, Shanghainese industrialists played a crucial role in the post-WWII industrialization in HK in fields ranging from textile, plastic, enamelware, construction and many others. In the field of garments, Sieh-Ting King […]
» Read more
HF: While on holiday at Christmas in Hong Kong, I visited the Maritime Museum. I came across information about Saint Class Rescue Tugs which I had never heard of before. Here’s one built in Hong Kong: HMS St. Sampson was a saint class tug launched in 1919. The ship was ordered during World War 1 and was built by Hong […]
» Read more
York Lo: The Needle, the Bible and “Our People”: Chiuchow Christians and the Swatow Lace Industry in Hong Kong Swatow lace merchants on the board of HK Chiuchow Christian Association in 1936 – back row: Yadsun Cheng (Chin Chian & Sons; first from left), Ng Chung-wing (吳寵榮,Kowloon Lace; third from right); Henry Lin (HK & Shanghai Lace; second from […]
» Read more
Elizabeth Ride has sent a British Army Aid Group (BAAG) report from 1st March 1945, An Outline of Conditions in Occupied Hong Kong which was compiled in early 1945 for use by the Civil Affairs Committee which was to take on the rehabilitation of HK after the planned allied invasion. HF: The report is lengthy so I am going to divide it […]
» Read more
York Lo: Notable Players in the history of the HK Glass & Mirror Industry The glass and mirror industry in Hong Kong has a long history tracing back to the 19th century but unlike its products, there is little transparency into the history of the industry and its key players as most of them were and remain very low key. […]
» Read more
James Chan: Our article, The [Hong Kong] Steam Laundry Company, asks for further information about what was thought to have been two steam laundry companies over a considerable period of time from the late 19th century to the early 1950s. Two pieces on the subject of steam laundries were included in a series of articles in the South China Morning […]
» Read more
HF: Patrick Manson was instrumental in the founding of The Dairy Farm Company in Hong Kong. I am going to post an article specifically about the man and Dairy Farm shortly. Sir Patrick Manson was born in 1844 and studied medicine at Aberdeen University, passing M.B. and C.M. in 1865. In 1866 he became medical officer of Formosa for the […]
» Read more
Tymon Mellor: For eight years, Morrison Brown Yung developed the Galena mine at Lin Ma Hang. He excavated the access tunnels and located the main ore body, but with the fall in lead prices as a result of the Great Depression, the mine was un-economic to work. Following his death in 1933, the mine was eventually taken over in 1937 […]
» Read more
HF: If anyone comes across further information about or images of the Roy Farrell Export-Import (Hongkong) Company I would be very grateful to be sent it. Roy Clinton Farrell (June 19, 1912 – January 3, 1996) was the American co-founder of Cathay Pacific Airways along with the Australian Sydney de Kantzow. ROY FARRELL EXPORT IMPORT COMPANY (HONG KONG) LIMITED -THE- was incorporated on 28-AUG-1946 […]
» Read more