Yuen Hing Hong & Company Ltd – initial notes

Norman Young Sze-kuen – detail of his employment record with ICI dated 4th March 1937.

Cecilia Young: My brothers and I are trying to gather information about my father’s company Yuen Hing Hong & Co. Ltd which he and my mother established in Hong Kong.

HF: If you can provide further information about this company I would be delighted to hear from you.

My father was Norman Young Sze-kuen and mention is made of him in York Lo’s article, Chieng Han-chow – Father of the Hong Kong Plastic Industry, “Chieng Han-chow (錢涵洲)…founded Wah Sun Hong in 1959 as a distributor of plastic raw materials. When he started out in distribution, Wah Sun Hong ranked number 15 amongst all distributors (which included Chinachem, better known as a property developer later on) and the leading distributor was Yuen Hing Hong, which was founded by the chairman of the HKPMA Norman Young Sze-kuen (a former ICI employee) and acted as the exclusive distributor in Hong Kong for the Distillers Company Plastic Group from the UK.”

Cecilia continues with an undated newspaper article: “Visiting the Colony is Mr W.E. Aitken of the Distillers Company Plastic Group of London, who on Tuesday evening entertained the Managing Director and other Directors of Yeun (Yuen) Hing Hong and Co., Ltd, at the Tai Tung Restaurant where discussions were held regarding proposals concerning future sales of plastic raw-materials. Messrs Yeun (Yuen) Hong Kong are sole agents for the Distillers Plastic Group. Earlier this month Mr Aitken gave a party for two hundred plastic moulders at the Sky Restaurant. The guests on that occasion included Mr S.J. Norman of the U.K.Trade Commissioner’s office, and Mr H.C. Ting, Managing Director of Kader Industrial Co., Ltd.”

This photo, also sent by Cecilia, is of the above meeting. She says Mr W.E. Aitkin is presumably speaking.  To the right of Aitkin facing the audience are Norman S.K.Young and to his left H.C. Ting of the Kader Industrial Company. The backdrop reads: Distillers Plastic Group, London and in Chinese: Yuen Hing Hong & Co Ltd, Sole Distributor, Hosting the Dinner.”

This article was first posted on 4th February 2017.

See:

1. Grace’s Guides article on the history of Distillers Company, UK several mentions of Distillers’ involvement in the UK plastics industry

Related Indhhk articles:

1. Norman Young Sze-kuen, founder of Yuen Hing Hong & Company Ltd
2. Annie Lam Young, co-founder of Yuen Hing Hong & Company Ltd
3. Chieng Han-chow – Father of the Hong Kong Plastic Industry