U Tat-chee, “The Ginger King,” Managing Partner of Chy Loong Ginger Factory and the Chy Loong Soy Factory

Thanks to IDJ for sending the following newspaper article titled New Year Honours for H.K. Residents. Of particular interest is mention of U Tat-chee, “genial Ginger King and Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Manufacturers Union, who becomes an officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil Division).”

HF: I have retyped a further extract from the original article and note that IDJ was unable to find the rest of the article which continued on page 12 of the SCMP.

Mr U Tat-chee OBE

Mr U Tat-chee

Mr U Tat-chee, known as the “Ginger King” and one of the Colony’s leading businessmen, was born in the Colony in 1894. He was educated at Queen’s College and before he was 30 he, with a few other friends, organised the Fletcher Trading Company in Kuala Lumpur. Upon returning to Hongkong he joined H. Connell and Co., Ltd. as a director and he has since held this office.

Mr U was selected as managing partner of the century-old Chy Loong Ginger Factory and the Chy Loong Soy Factory and he has done probably more than anyone else for the preserved ginger industry. In 1937, the Hongkong Preserved Ginger Distributors Ltd was formed with Mr U as the managing director.

Besides his business talent, Mr U has shown great aptitude for social services and has sat on various committees. He is Vice Chairman of the Hongkong Chinese Manufacturers Union…
(Contd. on Page 12, Col. 7)

Sources:

1. The South China Morning Post 1st January 1952

This article was first posted on 20th February 2022.

Related Indhhk articles:

1. Chy Loong Ginger Factory (
2. 濟隆糖薑廠)
3. Chy Loong Ginger Factory adverts
4. Man Loong Ginger Factory
5. Preserved ginger – newspaper article 1947 – post WW2 industry difficulties
6. Hing Loong Ginger Factory
7. The Wong Brothers of Yuen Kee Hong – from Preserved Ginger to Metals and Frozen Meats
8. Messrs. L.M. Alvares & Co, Ginger + Feathers c1908
9. Chinese Preserved Ginger shipped through HK 1913
10. Nam Wah preserved ginger manufacturer – Sham Shui Po
11. Hong Kong’s Preserved Ginger Industry – Dan Waters discovers and recollects