HF: In his book, The Atlas: Archaeology of an Imaginary City, a mixture of fact and fiction about Hong Kong in the past and future, Dung Kai Cheung, Louis, writes about Sugar Street (糖街) in Causeway Bay. Dung recounts the local legend that the Hong Kong Mint, based there from 1866 to 1868, failed because, in spite of melted silver being […]
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In our Queries and Answers 5 Eric Spain had an enquiry about salt production in Mui Wo. He remembers seeing some RAF aerial photographs which showed salt pans there. [presumably immediately before, during or shortly after WW2?]. Frank Watson and Namussi added information to Q+A 5 which is linked below. HF: Further information can be found in a post I made on gwulo.com […]
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HF: Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir was one of HK’s three main slaughter houses before they were all closed and Sheung Shui opened. Established in 1969, it closed in October 1999. It’s a very large building, which I have been unable to enter, and is connected to the adjacent vegetable market via a footbridge. The Government’s decided in 1995 to close the three main […]
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HF: As part of my research into the Amoy Canning Company I came across the account given below. I don’t know what the Hong Kong POWs were fed but good quality canned food seems unlikely… Did the Japanese feed POWs with Amoy “beaned pork” ? Who was this unnamed Englishman? How did the latter procure the soybeans and tin plate[s] […]
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New information in red. Robin Selby has sent an account from 1891 of an aerial ropeway, or actually three, used to transport coal from pier head to coal store in Hong Kong. HF: Though not mentioned by name I am presuming the company concerned is the Taikoo Sugar Refinery which was established by Swire in 1881 and went into production in […]
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HF: Producing salt from the sea is one of the oldest industries in Hong Kong. I have information, however slight, that it was produced in at least these locations. Kwun Tong Mui Wo (Lantau) San Hui (Tuen Mun) Tai O ( Lantau) Yim Lin Ha (Sha Tau Kok – NE NT) Yim Tin Tsai (Sai Kung) Wong Ka Wai (Tuen […]
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Mary Anne Le Bas has sent an SCMP article, Six home-grown Hong Kong trades at risk of dying out, published on 21st June 2015. The second of these is about a Sai Kung town resident who makes and sells about 800 boxes of traditional Hakka food daily. The article begins: Hui Sai-ling makes Hakka snacks at her home in Sai Kung […]
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HF: The Tien Chu (H.K.) Company Ltd. was founded by Wu Yunchu (1891-1953). Wu was a chemist and industrialist and known as the “Father of Monosodium Glutamate”. He was involved in the chemical and condiment industries in China especially I believe in Shanghai in the 1930s. York Lo says Wu Yunchu actually went by the name of “P. N. Woo” (probably due […]
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HF: At the northern end of Lo So Shing beach on Lamma Island are a few steps leading up into undergrowth and trees. Years ago I noticed almost hidden away there were some dilapidated structures that I thought might have been a small manufacturing concern. I was at the beach recently and had another look. All that is now left […]
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HF: The SCMP of 25th December 2015 contained the article, Saving dim sum: How a determined group of Hong Kong chefs are refusing to let the city’s culinary traditions die. The article begins: For the past 60 years, Chui Hoi has risen in the early hours of the morning to prepare bite-size steamed morsels for his small but popular dim sum […]
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