HF: This is an initial attempt to analyse the impact of World War One on industry in Hong Kong. First some rather surprising evidence of pro-German feelings immediately prior to the outbreak of WW1. During research at the national archives in Berlin for his forthcoming book, The Germans and Hong Kong, 1843-1997, Bert Becker, associate professor of history at the […]
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HF: The venerable firm of Arnholds, Karberg Company was founded in 1866 and I believe has had a continuous presence in Hong Kong, barring when it was liquidated during World War One, currently as Arnhold which deals in building materials and engineering equipment distribution. The early days of the company were written about by the equally venerated Hong Kong historian Carl Smith […]
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York Lo: The Sim family and Yu Chun Loong Canning (裕全隆罐頭公司) Ad of Yu Chun Loong listing all the canned goods it manufactured in the late 1940s (HK Factory Survey) Founded in 1907, Yu Chun Loong Canning Co (also written as Yu Chun Loong Cannery) was one of the earliest, if not the oldest cannery in Hong Kong. Its founder […]
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I can’t remember where I found this ad for an intriguingly named company. I have marked it as belonging to the telecommunications/general categorIES but possibly you can elaborate on what the company made in Kwai Chung. Wirecut and Electro Discharge Machining?
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The Signal Tower in the Signal Hill Garden at Blackhead Point was built in 1907 by the Hong Kong Observatory to house a time-ball apparatus that was previously located in the nearby Round House of the Former Marine Police Headquarters. [Nick Kitto points out: the time-ball is still visible at the Marine Police Headquarters in TST. HF:Blackhead Point (黑頭山, lit. […]
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Joseph Tse: I am pleased to tell you that the new edition of Atkinson & Williams’ book on HK Tramways has been published. Here’s a preview image to demonstrate a little of the new book’s content: The 1st book on HK trams published in 1970, Hongkong Tramways, RLP Atkinson + AK Williams, Light Railway Transport League, London, is highly regarded as the […]
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“The exact year in which the flight of grantite steps at the southern end of Duddell Street in Central was constructed is not known, but a series of maps of Hong Kong from the period indicate that they came into existence between 1875 and 1889. According to the records of the Hong Kong and China Gas Co., the four gas […]
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York Lo: The Needle, the Bible and “Our People”: Chiuchow Christians and the Swatow Lace Industry in Hong Kong Swatow lace merchants on the board of HK Chiuchow Christian Association in 1936 – back row: Yadsun Cheng (Chin Chian & Sons; first from left), Ng Chung-wing (吳寵榮,Kowloon Lace; third from right); Henry Lin (HK & Shanghai Lace; second from […]
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York Lo: Famous HK Tailors (5) – Other Notable Chinese Firms (James S. Lee, Tung Sun, Tung Hing, British Textiles, Maiwo Yang, Tom Bros, James Lau, Smiley Chow and Kwun Kee) The final part of this series covers 9 notable firms in the HK tailor industry – James S. Lee which was once the largest custom tailoring concern in HK; […]
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York Lo: Famous HK Tailors (Part Four): the Shanghainese Tailors – Loa Hai Shing, H. Baromon, Ying Tai, Jimmy Chen, W.W. Chan, Ascot Chang and William Yu In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a large number of Shanghainese tailors relocated from Shanghai to HK and became a major force in the HK tailoring industry with their excellent craftsmanship […]
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