Vaudine England has kindly sent a link to what she describes as a typically 1900-era directory of the European empires in the east. The author was D Warren Smith. We have already posted the following extracts from this account, Part One – Industries in Hong Kong, Part Two – Shipyards in Hong Kong, and Part Three – The Peak District […]
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HF: At Yan O Wan (also Yam), the bay just west of Sunny Bay MTR station on the north Lantau coast, you can still see large vertical tree trunks embedded in the sea floor. If you are in Hong Kong have a look next time you are on your way to the airport, Tung Chung or Disneyland by road or […]
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HF: While walking up Hatton Road above the University of Hong Kong, on The Peak on Monday 22nd January 2018, I came across the signs below about the Myrobalan tree, also known as Emblic and Yau Kam Chi or Phyllanthus emblica (Euphorbiaceae). This can be added to our small but growing list of HK trees that were traditionally used to […]
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HF: See added extract from a report at the end of this article regarding suggested reason for the final demise of the salt industry in Tai O which had probably been in existence (at least in HK) from about the 3rd century BC. 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Shek Pik Reservoir on Lantau island. It was […]
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HF: Salt has apparently been produced in the San Hui/Wong Ka Wan area since the Qing Dynasty. This map shows the original coastline of the Tuen Mun area. Reclaimed land is indicated by grey. San Hui is at the north-east most point of the original bay. The article below was published in The Hong Naturalist , January 1940 The third […]
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HF: I am very happy to offer a little publicity to Lindsay Varty and the recent publication of her book, Sunset Survivors: Meet the people keeping Hong Kong’s traditional industries alive. This has been receiving excellent reviews and I understand from Lindsay that the first print has already sold out. Lindsay first contacted me in March wondering if she could […]
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A short 1984, Hong Kong Government Publication about Hong Kong’s Country Parks contains information to add to that which we have in already posted articles about the pearl industry in Hong Kong. I would imagine that there must an academic article on this subject hiding away but I have not been able to find one yet. Naturally, I would be […]
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Dan Waters: In 1957 I led a class of building students to a building site in Central District, Hong Kong, to see an exhibition of Acrow, tubular steel and tubular aluminium scaffolding. The exhibition aroused interest in the industry and elsewhere and there were those who prophesied that the use of bamboo scaffolding was drawing to a close. But while […]
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A selection of Dan Waters’ photographs of bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong over the years. Click to enlarge. Dr. Dan Waters standing in front of the mural of pandas and bamboo at the Sheung Shui Training Centre. This article was first posted on 26th February 2014. 2007See: Hong Kong Industrial History: A Brief Account of the Accompanying Role Played by […]
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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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