219
HONG KONG HONGS WITH LONG HISTORIES
AND BRITISH CONNECTIONS
+++
DAN WATERS*
Trade the beneficent daughter of liberty and industry. The giver of human happiness! The creator of wealth. The supporter of social existence! Blessed commerce, the friend of the slave, the liberator of the oppressed
John Holt
merchant and West African trader 7th January 1906
Introduction
This paper traces the histories of some of the present-day commercial, industrial and professional firms, that have British origins or connections, which were established in Hong Kong in the 19th century. Traditional Hong Kong romanisations of Cantonese names have been used. When currency is referred to, unless otherwise stated, it is Hong Kong dollars.
A valuable start in researching the hongs (large business houses), has been made by Dr S.M. Bard (Bard, 1988) who prepared a paper for the Hong Kong Museum of History. Clearly, as Bard stresses, it is important not to forget Chinese merchants. Here too a useful beginning has been made by Professor Wong Siu-lun (Wong, 1988). The aim of the author of this article is, as Bard suggests, to continue the momentum.
Now, one-and-a-half centuries after Hong Kong was established, is a good time to retrace steps, especially as the story of industry
* The author is grateful to his friends, Dr. James Hayes, the Rev. Carl T. Smith and Dr. Elizabeth Sinn, for their encouragement, for recommending research material and for assistance in other ways. Thanks are also extended to the many companies covered in this paper, and to their members of staff who helped the author and without whom this study would not have been possible.
This paper was first presented at the 12th Conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia, at Hong Kong University, in June 1991.
219
HONG KONG HONGS WITH LONG HISTORIES
AND BRITISH CONNECTIONS
+++
DAN WATERS*
Trade the beneficent daughter of liberty and industry. The giver of human happiness! The creator of wealth. The supporter of social existence! Blessed commerce, the friend of the slave, the liberator of the oppressed
John Holt
merchant and West African trader 7th January 1906
Introduction
This paper traces the histories of some of the present-day commercial. industrial and professional firms, that have British origins or connections. which were established in Hong Kong in the 19th century. Traditional Hong Kong romanisations of Cantonese names have been used. When currency is referred to, unless otherwise stated, it is Hong Kong dollars.
A valuable start in researching the hongs (large business houses), has been made by Dr S.M. Bard (Bard, 1988) who prepared a paper for the Hong Kong Museum of History, Clearly, as Bard stresses, it is important not to forget Chinese merchants. Here too a useful beginning has been made by Professor Wong Siu-lun (Wong, 1988). The aim of the author of this article is, as Bard suggests, to continue the momentum.
Now, one-and-a-half centuries after Hong Kong was established, is a good time to retrace steps, especially as the story of industry
* The author is grateful to his friends, Dr. James Hayes, the Rev. Carl T. Smith and Dr. Elizabeth Sinn, for their encouragement, for recommending research material and for assistance in other ways. Thanks are also extended to the many companies covered in this paper, and to their members of staff who helped the author and without whom this study would not have been possible.
This paper was first presented at the 12th Conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia, at Hong Kong University, in June 1991.
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