Category: People

Douglas Lapraik – watchmaker, shipowner and co-founder of the Hongkong & Whampoa Dock Company

Articles, Hong Kong Companies, People, Shipyards + Shipping

Douglas Lapraik arrived in Hong Kong in 1842 in apparently somewhat straitened circumstances from Macau. Things changed for the colourful Mr Lapraik. In 1863, together with Thomas Sutherland and Jardine, Matheson & Co,. he co-founded the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company (Kowloon Docks) which at its peak was the largest shipyard in Asia. The following article has been extracted from […]

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The Lo brothers and Nam Sang Building Construction (南生營造)

Articles, Hong Kong Companies, People, Property
The Lo Brothers And Nam Sang Building Construction Detail Image 2 York Lo

York Lo: The Lo brothers and Nam Sang Building Construction (南生營造) Lo Hoi-ming (left) and Lo Yuk-ming (right) as directors of HKBCA in the mid-1950s (HKBCA yearbook) In the 1950s and 1960s,Lo Hoi-ming (盧海明) and his younger brother Lo Yuk-ming (盧煜明) were key figures in the HK real estate and construction industry whose Nam Sang Building Construction Co developed many […]

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Lea Hin Co (立興公司) and “Butterfly” and “Tingkwon” Kerosene Lanterns

Articles, Hong Kong Companies, Manufacturing, Non-Hong Kong Companies, People
Lea Hin Company Detail C Image 1 York Lo

York LO: Lea Hin Co (立興公司) and “Butterfly” and “Tingkwon” Kerosene Lanterns Left: Lea Hin founder Woo Kai Lea (Nanyang Siang Po, 1977); Center: Butterfly kerosene lantern trademark; Right: early Chinesead of Lea Hin in Singapore promoting its Tingkwon Star brand lanterns in 1936 (南洋商报, 2 May 1936, Page 8) While the kerosene lanterns manufacturers covered earlier on the website […]

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The King of Watchbands: Poon Yuen-sang (潘遠生) and Yuen Sang Hardware (遠生金屬)

Articles, Hong Kong Companies, Manufacturing, Non-Hong Kong Companies, People
King Of Watchbands, Poon Yuen Sang And Yuen Sang Hardware Detail Image 1 York Lo

York Lo: The King of Watchbands: Poon Yuen-sang (潘遠生) and Yuen Sang Hardware (遠生金屬) Poon Yuen-sang delivering a speech as chairman of the HK & Kowloon Watch and Clock Merchants Association in 1961. Left to right: Mrs. Gertrude Kwok (郭贊夫人), Poon Yuen-sang, Lau Kam-fat (劉錦發), Lun Tin-lok (倫天樂), Chan Peng-fei (陳鵬飛) (WKYP, 1961-9-10)  In the 1950s and 1960s, the HK […]

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Goodyear (嘉年): The Rise and Fall of a Real Estate Giant

Articles, Hong Kong Companies, People, Property
Goodyear Real Estate Giant Detail Image 2 York Lo

York Lo: Goodyear(嘉年): The Rise and Fall of a Real Estate Giant Pang Kwok-chan’s lecture for the HKU Department of Extramural Studies (precursor of SPACE) in 1966 about the 5 stages of post-War development of the HK real estate industry with the only picture of him available in the public domain (香港工商日報, 1966-10-26)  Goodyear was a major Hong Kong real […]

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Proposed Peak Tramway extension to Queen’s Road – interviews with Colony’s leading residents

Articles, Hong Kong Companies, People, Transport
Sir Thomas Southorn And Lady Southorn With A Group, Hong Kong, Photograph 1935

IDJ has sent the following newspaper article in. This adds further information to a couple of articles planning  to lengthen the Peak Tram down to Queen’s Road in Hong Kong. HF: I have retyped the article to aid clarity and searches. The images of the interviewees were not in the original article. Thanks to SCT for proofreading the retyped version […]

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Red Capitalist: the life and ventures of K.C. Wong (王寬誠,1907-1986)

Articles, Hong Kong Companies, Manufacturing, Non-Hong Kong Companies, People
Red Capitalist K.C.Wong Detail Image 1 York Lo

York Lo: Red Capitalist: the life and ventures of K.C. Wong (王寬誠,1907-1986) Left: Portrait of K.C. Wong from the 1950s; Right: K.C. Wong meeting with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the early 1980s When it comes to Hongkong’s “Red Capitalists”, Henry Fok (whose biographical entry I wrote for the Dictionary of HK Biography) is probably the first name that came […]

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William MacGregor Smith (Wahee, Smith & Co.) c1831- c1907

Articles, Food and Beverages, Hong Kong Companies, People

York Lo has sent the following information about William MacGregor Smith. He was the Smith in Wahee, Smith & Co which in turn became The China Sugar Refinery. Smith is buried in HK cemetery – the tombstone states he was 76 (and was erected in 1907) and was from Scotland. On page 50 of Carl Smith’s book Chinese Christians there is […]

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Makers of Preserved Fruits – Wong Wing Kee, Lee Wah Mui, Hing Ah, Lee Sin Kee, Heung Fat Wai Kee, Yam Hop Hing and Koon Wah

Articles, Fishing and Agriculture, Food and Beverages, Hong Kong Companies, Manufacturing, Non-Hong Kong Companies, People
Makers Of Preserved Fruits Detail Image 5 York Lo

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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The Kam Family of Hocan and Jardines

Articles, General, Hong Kong Companies, Non-Hong Kong Companies, People
The Kam Family Detail Image 1 York Lo

York Lo: The Kam Family of Hocan and Jardines For the past century, the Kam family has been important players in the import export industry in Hong Kong, starting with Kam Cheung-yan and his brother Kam Cheung-fai who were compradors for the major foreign owned trading houses such as Gerin Drevard and Jardines, and later as proprietors of their own […]

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