De La Rue plc is a banknote manufacturer, security printing, and papermaking company with headquarters in Basingstoke Hampshire, England. It currently also has a factory on the Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, and other facilities at Loughton, Essex and Bathford, Somerset all also in England. From 1984 to 1996 Thomas De La Rue plc operated a HK banknote printing plant in […]
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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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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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Tymon Mellor: Kenneth Albert Watson or Ken was one of the territory’s great protagonists. He was a member of the Legislative Council, a member of the Urban Council and an active letter writer to the South China Morning Post. He spent much of his life trying make the territory a better place to live and actively encouraged the use of […]
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Stephen Davies: An interesting question to which I don’t know the answer, is what the provenance is of the gasometer that still stands (and I believe is in use for stand-by storage) back from the Tin Wan Praya waterfront just outside the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter West entrance (on the north shore). I’m fairly sure it’s been there as long as I […]
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HF: I am afraid I do not know the source of the following timeline. I would be grateful if someone comes across the origin and notifies me. Further information about or images of any of the subjects or companies mentioned would also be very helpful. I have added supplementary information and sources on a number of subjects where I am […]
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HF: I have occasionally changed the original script of the following passage in order to aid clarity. ”Pokfulam Village, built over 200 years ago, is one of the oldest living villages in Hong Kong. The earliest written record is found in San On Gazetteer (1819 version). It is believed that the village was founded by some Hakka Chinese (the Chan, […]
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HF: Apparently tattooing has been practiced across the globe since at least Neolithic times, as evidenced by mummified preserved skin, ancient art, and the archaeological record. When I was young it was most commonly seen on and associated with sailors and those in the military and I suppose general ne’er do wells but now appears de rigueur for teenagers. For […]
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“It is interesting to note that as years go by the wants of the inhabitants of even the most distant parts of the world are steadily increasing, and while the older generations were satisfied with comparatively little in the way of luxuries, the rising generation look upon many of these luxuries as necessities. Perhaps one of the best examples in […]
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HF: I have slightly adapted the wording in the following script. Before British rule most locals used to rely on water from streams and wells nearby. With drastic increase in population especially in the City of Victoria a stable water supply became a pressing problem in the colony. But the colonial government was reluctant to claim responsibility for water supply. […]
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