Hugh Farmer was recently on holiday in Burma (in 2013) and visited the town of Pathein (Bassein) where he visited the Shwe Sar Umbrella Workshop which produces exquisite hand-made parasols. He mentioned this to group member Malcolm Morris, who lived in Hong Kong in the 1970s. Malcolm remembers his mother using a parasol which he thinks she bought in the […]
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HF: Matthew Lai recently posted this comment on our article, The Orient Tobacco Manufactory Company – updated information. “I’m not sure will this photo be useful for any research, but this is truely a mark of history that should be shared. I found a few of these packages remain. They are really beautifully printed, the picture was not just printed on […]
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York Lo: Keeping Warm – Nam Wah Industrial (南華實業), maker of polyester blankets and thermal carriers Article about Nam Wah’s thermal carrier for tropical fish. The carrier shown appears to be made for Pan Am (WKYP, 1961-11-1) Recently while browsing old newspapers for research on other topics, I came across three articles (all shown here) about a firm by the […]
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HF: “The manufacture of bronze cutlery in Hong Kong began some eight years ago and already has earned a reputation for fine quality and excellent craftsmanship. At the recent 9th Washington State International Trade Fair, the dazzling rows of knives, forks and spoons in elaborately-carved canteens or brocade-covered boxes attracted much interest from overseas buyers, and it is certain that […]
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York Lo: Makers of Preserved Fruits – Wong Wing Kee, Lee Wah Mui, Hing Ah, Lee Sin Kee, Yam Hop Hing and Koon Wah I wrote an article earlier on the website about the “Five Treasures” of the HK sauce industry. Another traditional Chinese food product industry which is closely associated with sauce is preserved fruit (eg. Dried plums) as […]
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Amelia Allsop: The Hong Kong Heritage Project (HKHP) Archive was established with the mission to collect, interpret and make accessible the historic records of the Kadoorie family and their business and charitable endeavours. The HKHP Archive has been accessible to the public since 2009 and holds an extensive collection of historic records and photographs. Amongst this collection are papers relating to […]
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York Lo: Po Chai Lemonin (普濟檸檬精) Left: “Lemon King” Chan Shiu-chuen; Right: Po Chai Lemonin ad Founded in Canton in the early 1920s by Chan Shiu-chuen (陳少泉, 1903-1968) and moved to HK in the late 1940s, Po Chai Drug Co (普濟藥行) was best known for its Lemonin – a popular pain killer medicine across China and Southeast Asia from […]
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Elizabeth Ride has sent a number of British Army Aid Group (BAAG) reports regarding Japanese efforts to collect metals, vehicles, machinery, coins etc for export, mainly to Japan, during their occupation of Hong Kong (WW2). Elizabeth has re-typed several of these reports and has kindly added references to assist searching where this has not been done. This was a considerable effort […]
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HF: The venerable firm of Arnholds, Karberg Company was founded in 1866 and I believe has had a continuous presence in Hong Kong since then, barring when it was liquidated during World War One. The company currently deals in building materials and engineering equipment distribution. Arnholds seems to have had close connections to the Asiatic Petroleum Co. Ltd about which we […]
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York Lo: Annam Pak Kwei Yeow (安南白桂油) Left: Pak Kwei Yeow’s booth at the 1960 HK Products Expo; Right: Pak Kwei Yeow ad In the late 1950s, early 1960s, a Chinese medicinal oil by the name of Annam Pak Kwei Yeow was a prominent feature at the annual HK Products Expo with its eye catchy pagoda booth and its proprietor by […]
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