HF: The SCMP of 17th December 2015 contained an article about the closure of the Hap Wa dai pai dong on the Fu Shin public housing estate (富善邨) which was built on reclaimed land in Tai Po in 1985. If you are unfamiliar with the term dai pai dong it is a type of open-air food stall once very popular in Hong […]
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On Monday October 21st 2013 an explosion destroyed the Ching Yuen Bean Curd factory in Sheung Tsuen village (near Shek Kong, NT). One worker was killed and four others injured when a cauldron blew up in the 80-square metre cubicle that housed the furnaces. The factory contained two stoves, one using diesel, the other burning wood, and it was the […]
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James Chan: A controversial subject with a long history in Hong Kong. Chief Executive, Leung Chun Ying, announced plans to ban the domestic ivory trade during his 2016 Policy Address. CY said that the government “will kick-start legislative procedures as soon as possible to ban the import and export of elephant hunting trophies.” Recent SCMP articles: SCMP 29th June 2016 Destruction of […]
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Hugh Farmer: For over two thousand years the Chinese have used incense in religious ceremonies, to venerate ancestors, in traditional medicine and in daily life. The two most important ingredients in Chinese incense are agarwood and sandalwood. In what was to become colonial Hong Kong local producers brought in agarwood from across southern China as far back as the Song […]
» Read moreHugh Farmer: In Newsletter 9 posted on 9th Nov 2013 I included the following: The Tak Chong Kee Bamboo Steamer Company [sic] Producing a wide variety of handmade steamers, as far as I know this company is the last remaining such enterprise in Hong Kong. Located at 12 Western Street, Sai Ying Pun, a range of other products is also on […]
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Hugh Farmer: The SCMP of 10th Feb 2014 contained a letter from Tony Price complaining about the enclosure surrounding the Fu Tei Wan Lime Kiln. This, the kiln, was originally on Chek Lap Kok island but was relocated to its present location beside Tung Chung Battery and close to the old pier. Mr Price commends The Antiquities and Monuments Office […]
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Chan Chi Kee Cutlery has been in business since the 1920s, currently at 316-318 Shanghai Street, specializing in hand-pounded woks and its famous cutlery. ‘Alongside Wo Shing Goldsmith are a few other long-term shopkeepers, who have seen the rise and fall of Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry – selling kitchen tools, especially stainless steel products. Chan Chi Kee Cutlery, for example, […]
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James Chan:This report is from The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia 7th April 1913. It adds information to our other articles about ginger in HK. “There has been a general increase in the export of preserved and candied ginger from China during the past few years, the United States particularly showing a growing demand for this sweetmeat. Exports during the past […]
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‘At his shop in Yau Ma Tei, Mak Kam-sang’s walls are covered in calligraphy signs he has written. Passers-by stop and peer into the store, curious about what it sells as it is so different from everything else in the area Mak is the last calligrapher in Hong Kong behind the red and blue signs informing would-be passengers where a […]
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In Search of an Improved Industrial Design – The Hong Kong Rickshaw over Time By Fung Chi Ming The rickshaw, as westerners pronounce it, originated in Japan where it is known as jinrikisha – jin (man) riki (power) sha (carriage). Its basic design includes a carriage resting on two large-diameter wheels, a pair of long parallel poles joined by a […]
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