FOUR
YEARS IN
HONG KONG
by
Sle
M.P.V. Hannam
Principal British Trade Commissioner
Many years ago the Shell Company had a very successful
series of advertisements which took the form of cartoons
showing various people craning their necks first one way
and then the other as they watched cars speeding by,
I feel rather with the legend "That's Shell-That was !
like that legend as I realise the speed with which my
four years in Hong Kong have flashed by.
Within a day or two of my arrival the newspapers
were filled with stories of a textile quota dispute
between Britain and Hong Kong over the "carry-over"
for 1965, and I found I rapidly acquired a great number
of acquaintances in government and textile circles in the Colony as people sought out the new Trade Commissioner in
order to leave him in no doubt of their feelings on the
matter! It all seems a long time ago now, but it was
a first lesson to me not to take the Hong Kong market for
granted, and an inducement to me to try and persuade British
exporters not to take it for granted either.
What a
I was lucky that on my arrival preparations were already
in hand for the 1966 British Week in Hong Kong.
business that was ! We had a special office working for
over a year before the event contacting the myriad shops
here to make sure they knew what was going on. Again I
found I made a host of new friends in double quick time as
- I toured the shops myself, and tried to remember the names
of all those whom I should have to present to Princess
Margaret.
Each succeeding year
And so it has gone on.
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