Additional information plus several images added. Special thanks to IDJ. Contributors: Amelia Allsop, HF and IDJ. Amelia kindly personally sent the two drawn images shown here and gave permission for other images to be used in this article. Amelia was, at that time, the Manager – Research and Business Communications, at the Hong Kong Heritage Project. In 1903 China Light […]
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Chris added the following information in a comment on 3rd May 2024. ”I asked the same question and received a reply from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (3rd May 2024). There is only one location that the FEHD is providing conservancy services (night soil collection): Temporary toilet at Po Chong Wan Temporary Area, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. It appears […]
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IDJ has sent this 1997 article published on behalf of the HK Academy of Engineering Sciences and HK Institution of Engineers. “In 1989 Hong Kong Electric pioneered the introduction of mechanised tunnelling to Hong Kong, accepting the only bid that proposed the use of a tunnel boring machine for the construction of a 5.7 kilometre, 5 metre diameter cable tunnel […]
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Tymon Mellor: We take for granted that when we turn a tap on clean water will flow. However, for the majority of Hong Kong’s colonial history, there were water shortages and supply restrictions. This was not a result of poor policy decisions but of changing circumstances, financial limitations and geographical constraints, and unlike other major conurbations, Hong Kong has no […]
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Tymon Mellor: The question was, “Who is Charles L Shank and what was his connection to the Shek Lai Pui Reservoir?”. A rather open question, but one that has led to an interesting journey. The questioner had acquired a large format book with 122 professional photographs of pre-war Hong Kong construction sites. Sample photographs provided documented the construction of the […]
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Tymon Mellor: With the rapidly increasing population in the post war Hong Kong, the availability of fresh water once more became a major problem. The poor financial situation had limited the territory’s options to overcome this, but after much discussion work commenced on Tai Lam Chung Reservoir in 1952. Before construction was complete, it was clear additional supplies would still […]
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Texaco began kerosene sales in Hong Kong and China in 1913 and Caltex began operating in Hong Kong in 1937 with a diesel terminal. This was situated in Tsuen Wan with the road leading to the terminal being named Texaco Road. The oil terminal was later moved to Tsing Yi island and the land plot in Tsuen Wan was developed into […]
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Tymon Mellor: In the 1870’s as Hong Kong, or more precisely the city of Victoria, expanded, it was a continual challenge to supply water to the growing population and new industries. Whilst the western portion of the city could utilise the new water supply from the new Pok Fu Lam reservoir, everything east of the “Clock Tower” in Pedder Street […]
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New information in red. Thomas Ngan recently posted these comments in response to the article, Lok On Pai “desalting” plant, 1975-1981. a) The main building still exists today. Only the chimneys and the generators have been demolished/removed. The lot has been occupied as a weekend/holiday flea market for quite a few years. Don’t know what might have happened in the […]
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James Chan: Town Island (伙頭墳洲 Fo Tau Fan Chau), also known as Dawn Island is an island located south of the former High Island in Sai Kung District. A drug rehabilitation centre was established on the island in 1976 which is run by Operation Dawn. “Located off Sai Kung and without connection to the power grid, the Island used to rely […]
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