York Lo: The World Pencil Co. (大華鉛筆廠) – the first Chinese-owned manufacturer of pencils in HK and China Although largely forgotten today, The World Pencil Company Ltd which was founded in 1932 was the first Chinese-owned manufacturer of pencils not only in Hong Kong but China and was known for its “Double Arrow” (雙箭牌) brand of pencils. In fact, Wu Keng-mei […]
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Stephen Davies: An interesting question to which I don’t know the answer, is what the provenance is of the gasometer that still stands (and I believe is in use for stand-by storage) back from the Tin Wan Praya waterfront just outside the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter West entrance (on the north shore). I’m fairly sure it’s been there as long as I […]
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York Lo: H.O. Tong (唐海安, 1893-1961): KMT Official, Shanghai Hotelier and Jai Alai Operator and HK Industrialist and Banker Left: H.O. Tong in his later years in HK; Right: H.O. Tong in his official outfit when he attended the coronation of King George VI in the UK in 1937 with T.V. Soong (Photo courtesy of Benjie Wong) Tong Hoi-on (better […]
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Tymon Mellor: Introduction The mine workings on the south-west slopes of Ma On Shan mountain are now no more than mere scars in the hillside, but in the middle of the last century, the mine provided employment for up to 6,000 people and supplied high grade iron ore and other minerals to the Japanese steel industry. This article describes the […]
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For latest updates please see items highlighted in blue. On 14th July 2020 images of Robert Rae Hutcheon and Shanghai were added. HF: We have been sent information about a couple of employees of the Asiatic Petroleum Company in China and one in the UK. We have also received requests for information about two more employees. I thought it might […]
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York Lo: Ruby (紅寶石) – Restaurant Empire from the 1950s to 1980s Left: The fa pai of Ruby Restaurant in Causeway Bay at its opening in 1966; Right: Ruby’s ad promoting its Mother’s Day special featuring pigeons and fruit punch at all five of its locations in 1984 (WKYP, 1984-5-9) From the 1950s to the 1980s, Ruby was one of […]
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Philip Edward Kenny has sent a link to a set of photos on Flikr of employees and equipment inside the Tyco (HK) “factory” building in 1976. He believes these photos were uploaded by Doug Price. And if you are any of these people, or know who they are, it would be great to hear from you: Hugh Farmer indhhk [at] gmail […]
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York Lo: Lee Seng Heng (李成興魚露): King of Fish Sauce Left: Lee Seng Heng’s Kingfisher trademark featuring medals it won in the 1920s and 1930s. (IP Australia); Right: recent ad for Lee Seng Heng fish sauce (Yue Yick Food Industries) Earlier on the website, we covered many HK sauce makers which have a long history of over a century. Lee […]
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The Gutta Percha Company by Bill Burns The following paragraphs are extracted from Bill’s article, with his permission, which can be found on his large and absorbing website. The article can be read in full via the link below, along with an extract from the book “London by day and night:or, Men and things in the great metropolis” by David W. Bartlett, […]
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York Lo: From Saigon to HK and Rice to Corduroys: the Wong family of Wong Cheong Fung, King’s Dyeing, Corona Textile, and Perfecta Wong Min-ching (third from left) with his sons and grandchildren in the mid-1960s. (Courtesy of John Huynh) Natives of Chiuchow, the Wong family immigrated to Vietnam where they built one of the first and largest textile mills […]
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