York Lo: Lee Chow Kee (李就記): Three Generations of Builders and Philanthropists The family of building contractor Lee Pak-sheung, the founder of Lee Chow Kee Construction has been involved in the HK construction and real estate industry for three generations and at least seven decades since the 1950s. Although the family is relatively low key, members of the second generation […]
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York Lo: Peter Kingson Kwok (郭幼庭,1883-1953): Metal Trader and Founding Director of Bank of East Asia and his Family Left: Peter Kingson Kwok (Courtesy of Stanley Kwok); Right: Ad for Singon & Co in 1933 (HK Telegraph, 1933-8-28) While most people identify the Bank of East Asia with the family of Li Koon-chun, Kan Tong-po and Fung Ping-shan who ran […]
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Wong Wai King is the author of Tai O – Love Stories of the Fishing Village. Among many subjects that Ms Wong has written about in her book is a short article titled “Toi shan dau” (Sedan-chairs). Ms Wong has very kindly agreed to allow the re-typing of this section to be included as an article on our site. Copyright […]
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York Lo: The Families of H.M. Lui and M.G. Tsui, directors of Miramar and Furama H.M. Lui (first from the left) and M.G. Tsui (second from the right) and fellow directors of Miramar at the opening of its City Club in 1980. Left to right: Lui, Young Chi-wan, Ho Sin-hang, Sir Tang Shiu-kin, Ho Tim, Leung Kau-kui, Sin Wai-kin, Tsui, […]
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York Lo: Ruby (紅寶石) – Restaurant Empire from the 1950s to 1980s Left: The fa pai of Ruby Restaurant in Causeway Bay at its opening in 1966; Right: Ruby’s ad promoting its Mother’s Day special featuring pigeons and fruit punch at all five of its locations in 1984 (WKYP, 1984-5-9) From the 1950s to the 1980s, Ruby was one of […]
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HF: It was never mined here. So this article is an initial attempt to put together what little we have about importing coal and how it was used in Hong Kong: transport, manufacturing, utilities, shipping, domestically…can you add to this article? I have also included charcoal and for general interest information about and images of China and Taiwan/Formosa on these […]
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York Lo: Kwong Sang Engineering (廣生機器廠) Left: Kwong Sang Engineering founder Ng Kai-lau (HK Pun U District Association, 1955); Right: Family of Kwong Sang founder Ng Kai-lau welcoming his fifth son Chung-yau (triangle) back from studies in the US in 1961. (KSDN, 1961-7-7) Kwong Sang Engineering was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of ship machinery in Hong Kong […]
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IDJ sent the English version of what the piece calls Rat Boxes. Mak Ho Yin has kindly translated it. 「香港電燈公司和煤氣公司與老鼠箱關係密切，因為老鼠箱是掛在電燈柱上的。由於華人極為抗拒（滅鼠人員）進入私人住宅，政府於是鼓勵華人在殺死家中的老鼠後，將鼠屍放在就近的老鼠箱內，由衛生部門職員每日收集清理。老鼠箱掛在電燈柱一景，還衍生了一句香港獨有的俗語「電燈柱掛老鼠箱」，以形容夫妻二人中丈夫瘦削兼且二人身高矮懸殊。」 Ho Yin continues: This paragraph raised my curiosity on the topic of rat bins so apart from translating it I also did a quick check about its history. I have no memory of seeing them hanging at lamp-posts, and I […]
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The history of explosive storage in Hong Kong is an interesting one. The earliest location appears to have been Magazine Island, originally named One Tree Island, which lies just to the West of Aberdeen Harbour. From 1887 to 1908 it was leased for an annual rent of $100, by the Nobel Explosives Company, who built a magazine, a road and […]
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York Lo: Mixing Concrete and Construction Equipment with Cantonese Opera and Wing Chun: the Wan family of Wai Hing and Modern For over six decades, the family of Wan Wai-yin has been supporting the construction industry in HK and beyond by supplying building materials and equipment such as gravel, concrete, timber, scaffolding and elevation platforms through various Wai Hing and […]
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