Aliki Tsoukala has very kindly sent me information about Michalis Pelekanos (1926-2010). Mr Palekanos worked at the Kornilaki’s tannery, Ermoupolis, Syros Island, Greece for 66 years. After his retirement as a tanner he continued working as a carpenter until the end of his life. Aliki and a team of volunteers are to be congratulated for putting together a Reconstruction of […]
» Read more
Tymon Mellor has sent the following report published on 11th April 1939 on Labour and Labour Conditions in Hong Kong. The author was Mr HR Butters. Sessional Papers 1939, Papers laid before the Legislative Council of Hongkong 1939. HF: The Hong Kong Memory Project introduces this report with the following: – The 65-page report was prepared by the first Labour Officer in […]
» Read more
HF: “Since colonisation began, Australia has bred animals for export. In the 1820s, horses were sent to India for military and civilian use, while Western Australia started exporting live sheep in 1845. Australia’s first shipment of cattle arrived in Hong Kong in the 1880s. In 1903, sheep were sent to Africa, the Pacific islands and Asia.” The Age, Australia 8th May […]
» Read more
This post follows from Queries & Answers 12 “The term Compradore.” James Chan has read that the comprador system originally came to prominence after the Canton system, in the late Ming dynasty, was abolished in 1842 and the compradores replaced the “hong” merchants as the main intermediaries between Chinese and Western traders. He is mystified. James wonders if anyone can explain the terms, Canton system, and hong merchant. And […]
» Read more
Hugh Farmer: The article The Hongkong Cotton-Spinning, Weaving and Dyeing Company Ltd 1898-1914 contained a number of terms with which I and possibly others are unfamiliar. I thought it might be useful to explain what these words or phrases mean and to briefly mention the aim of any process involved rather than detailed construction of any machine mentioned. The latter […]
» Read more