Hugh Farmer with thanks to IDJ for the report and photos. The following report from 1964 outlines the development of Kwun Tong from 1953 highlighting land reclamation which took place between 1954 and 1957. A total of 140 acres (about 60 hectares) of new land was created along the shoreline. As the map shows much of this was designated for […]
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HF: Nam Jam Factory, a manufacturer of torches (not boiled fruit and sugar) was set up in Hong Kong in 1928 and subsequently opened a branch factory in Canton. First some background information about pre-WW2 industries extracted from the HK Memory Project – The Origins of the Hong Kong metal industry. “The metal industry of Hong Kong started budding in […]
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Hugh Farmer: These pages from a HK government publication of December 1959 describe changes in the the manufacture of umbrellas in Hong Kong. Pre WW2 almost all parts were imported, by the time of this report however, at least some were being produced here. The second page shows the value of exported umbrellas to many countries worldwide. It’s interesting for at least […]
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York Lo: Pro-Quality Electronic (寶業電子) Left: PQE chairman Young Chi-wan; Middle: PQE vice chairman Cheng Wai-kuen; Right: PQE director Dominic Cheng Backed by the Young and the Cheng families behind the Miramar Hotel, Pro-Quality Electronic Co Ltd (hereafter refer to as “PQE”) was one of the largest electronics manufacturers in HK in the 1970s and the early 1980s with over […]
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Biography Of Alfred Herbert Rennie b. 17th November 1857 Ontario, Canada. d. 14th April 1908 Hong Kong. Here I am primarily concerned with the time Rennie spent in Hong Kong when he established the Kongkong Milling Company. For more information about the man a very useful source is: ‘The Dictionary of Hong Kong Biography’ listed below. For further information about […]
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York Lo: South China Leather Goods Manufacturing Co. (南華皮具製造公司) Left: South China Leather Goods ad in 1941 (A Century of Commerce); Right: South China Leather Goods’ sales office (SC signage with curvy Chinese characters on the left) on Pottinger Street Founded in 1920, South China Leather Goods Manufacturing Co. was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of leather goods […]
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York Lo: Y.C. Hu and L.S. Ku – directors of Pao Hsing Cotton Mill In the earlier article about Pao Hsing Cotton Mill, it was mentioned that two outside directors – Hu Ying-choi(Y. C. Hu) and Ku Lan-sun (L.S. Ku, misspelled as “Ku Han-sun” in the lawsuit) were recruited in 1953. Further research revealed that Hu and Ku were two […]
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Martyn Cornell has kindly given permission for extracts from his article, A Short History of Beer in Hong Kong, to be posted on our website. The article was published in the Journal of the Brewery History Society, Brewery History, Issue 156, 2012 Martyn has his own blog, Zythophile – Beer now and then, linked below. Despite its title the article is […]
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York Lo: Yakult (益力多): 50 Years in Hong Kong Left: glass bottle of Yakult before 1971; Middle: the original Yakult HK plant at 161 Wai Yip Street in Kwun Tong (Yakult HK website); Right: plastic bottle of Yakult today In the late 1960s around the same time when Japanese instant noodle (see our article on Winner Food and Doll noodles) […]
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HF: This picture shows the trademarks of Chuen Sun Knitting Factory, including Three Fives Brand, Seven Sevens Brand, under which knitted shirts, vests, shirts and sportswear were manufactured. The factory was first established by Chan Mo-chau and partners at O’Bailey Street in Macau. In 1934 the company set up a factory at 98-200 of Tung Choi Street of Mong Kok. In […]
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