York Lo: Lee Po-lam (李寶林,1909-2002) – Theatre Owner in the 1950s to 1970s Lee Po-lam and his wife (center) with actor Ng Chor-fan (left) and his eldest son Lee Pui-wan at the wedding of his second son in 1964 (WKYP, 1964-2-25) In the 1950s through the 1970s, Lee Po-lam was one of the major theatre owners in HK and Macau […]
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Mary Anne Le Bas has sent an SCMP article, Six home-grown Hong Kong trades at risk of dying out, published on 21st June 2015. The fourth of these is about the last remaining letterpress company in Hong Kong. Between the 1970s and 90s there were over 200 such companies around Sheung Wan and Central. All of these have now closed or […]
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York Lo: Central Theatre (中央戲院) Left: ad announcing the opening of Central Theatre with the movie “The Love Parade” in 1930 (SCMP, 1930-6-11); Center: Central Theatre in 1935 (as evidenced by the sign for the Cantonese opera movie); Right: Central Theatre’s ad in 1932 for Douglas Fairbank’s “Around the World in 80 Minutes” (China Mail, 1932-3-23) For 40 years from […]
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York Lo: Mak and Mark: the century-old tales of two Nam Pak Hong families with the same surname In the early 20th century, Mak Kwong and Adolfo Mark were leading merchants in the Chinese medicine business in the traditional Chinese business district of Nam Pak Hong with global network of buyers and suppliers. Their Mak Kwong Kee and Yick Wo […]
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York Lo: Fu Fai Enterprises (富輝企業) Left: Fu Fai founder Leung Moon-chuen; Right: article about Fu Fai’s Avon Court on Broadcast Drive in 1973 (KSEN, 1973-6-14) Incorporated in 1970 and publicly listed between 1973 and 1988, Fu Fai Enterprises has been a player in the HK real estate scene for over half a century with projects throughout HK, Kowloon and […]
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York Lo: The Kung family and Sam Kwong Weaving Factory (三光布廠) Left: Kung Yeuk-man (HK Pun U District Association, 1971); Center: ad for Sam Kwong in 1935 (Tin Kwong Po, 1935-11-1); Right: ad for Sam Kwong in the 1970s (HK Pun U District Association) Sam Kwong Weaving Factory was one of the leading weaving mills in Hong Kong from the […]
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York Lo: Sing Fat Construction (成發建築) Two Sing Fat projects in 1954-55 – left: two residential buildings in North Point and right: Tak Ming Middle School on Argyle Street in Kowloon (HKBCA Yearbook, 1954) Incorporated in 1960 but founded earlier, Sing Fat Construction has been a notable player in the HK construction industry for over seven decades and has evolved […]
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HF: The SCMP of 26th July 2015 carried a report about the death of Ho Hung Yee who ran an umbrella stand on at the top end of Peel Street for decades. The article begins…”A fixture of the Central street scene dubbed the “Umbrella Man” for the decades he spent helping Hongkongers stay dry has died at the age of […]
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York Lo: Yew Sang Hong (耀生行) – distributor of electrical appliances and equipment Left: 1958 ad for Yew Sang Hong listing brands of refrigerators carried by the firm and promoting monthly installment plans for radios starting at $13 and refrigerators starting at $50. (WKYP, 1958-5-14); Right: 1966 ad for Yew Sang Hong with pictures of appliances carried by the firm […]
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IDJ has sent a series of articles about managers at Taikoo Dockyard: “John Finnie, the present Manager, was born at Greenock in 1897 and served his apprenticeship with Scotts’ Shipbuilding & Engineering Co., Ltd. He came to Taikoo Dockyard as Ship Draughtsman in 1924, became Assistant Manager in 1930, and was appointed Manager in 1937 on K.E. Greig’s retirement. The […]
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