York Lo: The Hui family and China Brothers Hat Manufacturing Co. (中華兄弟製帽廠) Ad for China Bros. Hat Mfg in 1941 (A Century of Commerce) From the 1920s to the 1950s, China Brothers Hat Manufacturing Co was one of the largest hat manufacturers in Hong Kong and China and was allegedly the first local firm to manufacture wool felt hats. The […]
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York Lo: Mak Ming Kee Tooth Brush Manufactory (麥明記機製牙刷廠） Left: Ad for Mak Ming Kee Tooth Brush Manufactory in 1941 with picture of its factory in To Kwa Wan (A Century of Commerce); Right: Mak Ming Kee founder Mak Wing-cheung (A Century of Commerce, 1941) From the 1920s to 1960s, Mak Ming Kee was a leading brand of toothbrushes in […]
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York Lo: Wong Tong Kee (黃棠記) – the Timber Merchant and the Mansion Left: Wong Tong Kee founder Wong Cheuk-hing (百年商業, 1941); Right: Ad for Wong Tong Kee in the 1950s (HKBCA Yearbook) In the first half of the 20th century, Wong Tong Kee was one of the major players in the lumber and construction business in Hong Kong and […]
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York Lo: Tatt Sing Sanyo (達誠三洋電器) Tat Sheng Trading’s ad for the entire range of Sanyo products ranging from fans, cookers and transistor radios in 1958 (WKYP, 1958-6-5) Earlier on the website, we have covered several Japanese brands such as Sony, Minolta and Ricoh which entered the HK market through partnerships with local firms such as Chung Yuen Electrical, Goddard […]
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James Chan: The Borneo Company Ltd had a very interesting history. In 1856 it apparently opened an office in Hong Kong and it would be interesting to know more about the company’s operations here. Rudi Butt’s fascinating Hong Kong’s First blog (linked below) contains this: This summary of the company comes from wikipedia: The Borneo Company Ltd formed in 1856, is […]
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York Lo: Majestic (美琪) and Union (鑑臣): Makers of Soaps, Perfumes and Essential Oils Left: Ad for Majestic soap in Hong Kong in 1950 (KSDN, 1950-10-3); Right: Headline coverage of the murder of C.D. Lee in 1958. The pictures in the top section from left to right are Liu Han-ming, Joseph Pei and C.D. Lee. The pictures in the bottom […]
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IDJ: Possibly the earliest large scale dredging and reclamation contractor in HK was the above company. HF: ‘…the road passes Macao Siac where the Netherlands Harbour Works Co has established its workshops in connection with the Port Works of Macao …” 1929 (1) Problems for the company in Australia during WW2: There is also a contemporary Royal Netherlands Harbour Works based in […]
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York Lo: Zung Fu (仁孚) and 65 Years of Mercedes in Hong Kong Left: Zung Fu’s Mercedes showroom at Tower Court in Causeway Bay; Right: Zung Fu Industrial Building in Quarry Bay Since introducing Mercedes Benz to the HK market in 1954, its exclusive distributor Zung Fu has been synonymous with the highly popular European luxury car brand. Founded by […]
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York Lo: A Century of Riding the Waves: the Hsu Family of Eddie Steamship Shanghainese shipowners have dominated the HK shipping industry since the 1950s and within this group the Hsu family traced its start in the shipping business to 1922 when family patriarch Charles Eddie Hsu, an ambitious businessman with interests ranging from aerated water to ports development, bought […]
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York Lo: Sine (信誼) – The Century old Saga of a Pharma Giant Ads in the 1930s for Sine’s Sinegal liquid (left), adhesive plaster (center) and Vita-spermin (right) Sine Laboratory (Laboratories), once regarded as “the largest pharmaceutical firm in the Far East”, is another pharmaceutical giant with roots in Shanghai which had major presence in Hong Kong. The firm traced […]
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