Need help finding info about a trading company during Japanese occupation of HK | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Need help finding info about a trading company during Japanese occupation of HK

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Submitted by Unknown user (not verified) on Tue, 2010-01-12 21:29

Does anyone know how I can find info about a company during the Japanese occupation of HK? The company is 東榮公司, and I believe it is probably an import/export/trading company.So far, all I can come up with is this "还有东荣公司总经理何品阶、何崇阶兄弟最受“港督”矶谷的赏识，他俩是在日本土生，真正的日本通，经营进出口" from this site:

http://www.gzzxws.gov.cn/gzws/gzws/ml/49/200809/t20080910_7146.htm

I have already search the HK govt online archive and came up with zilch. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Jane.

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Submitted by David on Tue, 2010-01-19 11:16.

Jane,

Not much help here, as I can't read Chinese. I see there are lots of matches in Google Books, but I don't know if there is anything relevant.

You could also take a look through Cheng Po Hung's "Hong Kong during the Japanese Occupation", which has sections (in Chinese, and to a lesser extent English) on different businesses.

Have you tried any of the Chinese forums? I see http://www.uwants.com mentioned from time to time. I don't know if they have a forum specifically related to the wartime period?

It's an interesting question. What's your interest in this company?

Regards, David

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Tue, 2010-01-19 21:59.

I am a translator and as a favour for a friend, translating her grandfather's autobiography from Chinese. Her grandfather had first-hand experience of a number of historically significant events like the Great Kanto Earthquake and of course, the Japanese Occupation of HK. Unfortunately, he also did not see any importance to what he experienced. Events and names are casually dropped throughout with no reference of any kind whatsoever. I would not be doing my job as a translator if I do not try to get the details as accurately as possible, hence the question.

Never even dawn on me to try Chinese forums, being a Canadian and all. Besides, I am much better at reading Chinese than writing. Stumbled upon your site by accident and thought I'd give it a shot. Thanks for the suggestions.

Jane.

Submitted by C on Wed, 2010-01-20 11:54.

Hi Jane,

Have you tried the Multimedia Information System (MMIS) of the HK Pulbic Library? http://www.hkpl.gov.hk/english/collections/services_er/services_er_mmis/...

The web site may have newspapers of HK between 1941 to 1945.

I may be able to find the address and phone number of the company, if you are interested.

Regards, C

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Thu, 2010-01-21 00:41.

No, I haven't.  I assume I have to be on site to use it and not remotely? HKPL is just a bit off the beaten path for me, you know :) as I am physically in Canada. Any info on the company would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Jane.

Submitted by annelisec on Thu, 2010-01-21 08:14.

This is the Internet age !  The old Hong Kong newspapers are online worldwide.  Canada and Hong Kong are closer than you think.

Submitted by C on Thu, 2010-01-21 12:52.

Hi Jane,

Are you in Toronto (as I am)?  If so, microfilms of some newspapers of the 1930s and 1940s are available at the University of Toronto library--more specifically, the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library.

Regards,

C

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Thu, 2010-01-21 19:12.

Gee, thanks! No, I'm not in Toronto, but I do go a copy times a year. I'll hop in there next time I'm in.

Jane.

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Thu, 2010-01-21 19:21.

I would appreciate it if you can point me to a free source on the net where I can find old HK newspapers.

Thanks,

Jane.

Submitted by annelisec on Thu, 2010-01-21 20:51.

 

http://hkclweb.hkpl.gov.hk/hkclr2/internet/eng/html/welcome.html

click "Basic Search" on the bottom nav bar

"title" is the date in yyyy-mm-dd format.

"contents" is the phrase.  The text is only machine parsed - so the searches are not comprehensive, but MUCH better than nothing and fun things do show up.

 

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Thu, 2010-01-21 22:09.

Hm...interesting...Seems there are lots of gaps and only China Mail is preserved...Great to pour through when there's time...

Does anybody know if there was some kind of company registration in HK around 1930s-1940s and if the records are preserved? Is so, is there an easy access to them?

Thanks,

Jane.

Submitted by annelisec on Fri, 2010-01-22 10:26.

http://www.icris.cr.gov.hk/csci/

Go to this site, sign in as an un-registered user - and do the search. Here are the first four entries.  I put in 東榮 on the left-partial search, but these companies are all of recent vintage.  Perhaps the names further down on the list will show something.

No.        CR No.        Company Name        Name Type (for Non-Hong Kong company)        Name Status        Company Active Status
1     0306503     東榮有限公司     -     Old     Dissolved
2     0327323     東榮有限公司     -     Current     Dissolved
3     0856598     東榮有限公司     -     Current     Dissolved
4     1198872     東榮有限公司     -     Current     Live

 

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Fri, 2010-01-22 20:35.

Went through the whole list, records don't seem to go that far back. Pity. But someone mentioned seeing war time Japanese business registration documents somewhere and is sending out feelers. Keeping my fingers crosses.

Anyway, thanks to everybody for all the help. I may not have found what I need, but I now know more resources for future research. They'll come in handy some day.

Jane.

Submitted by C on Sat, 2010-01-23 10:10.

I found some addresses and phone numbers from a phone book of that era.

何品楷...31935...青葉峽鳳輝台六號

何崇階住宅...34394...旭和道五號

 

東榮公司香港總行..28619..中明治通陸祐行

東榮公司......25894....中明治通五Ｏ號

...總支配人室..21393...同上

...宿舍......21294....中明治通四八號

 

Translation of names and addresses:

Ho Bun Kai...6 Fung Fai Terrace, Aoba Valley (Happy Valley)

Ho Sung Kai's residence...5 Kotewall Road

 

Tung Wing Company HK Headquarters...Loke Yew Building, Meiji Road Central (Queen's Road Central)

Tung Wing Company...50 Meiji Road Central

...General manager's (owner's?) office...ditto

...Dormitory...48 Meiji Road Central

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Sat, 2010-01-23 18:49.

Thanks a gazillion! Impressive! Where's the phone book? In the UT lib you mentioned?

Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2010-01-23 19:09.

Queen's Road was renamed Meiji Road during the Japanese occupation.

Submitted by C on Sun, 2010-01-24 00:25.

You are welcome! I am glad I could help.

The telephone directory is in the Hong Kong Collection at the University of Hong Kong Library:  http://library.hku.hk/record=b1587257

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Sun, 2010-01-24 03:12.

Thanks again.

Jane.

Submitted by David on Mon, 2010-01-25 22:58.

Jane, if there's any chance your friend puts the finished translation up on the web, please could you let us have a link to it? I'd be fascinated to read about their grandfather's experiences in Hong Kong in the 1940s.

Regards, David

Submitted by Jane (not verified) on Tue, 2010-01-26 09:37.

Well, don't hold your breath though. I'm fitting this in between my tight schedule, so it will be at least a couple of years before I'll finish. I can discuss with her about making the finished product public, even though I own the copyrights to the translation. After all, it is her grandfather's autobiography and she does have siblings, I have to respect their decision. I'll keep you posted.

Jane.

Submitted by David on Tue, 2010-01-26 22:20.

Thanks, I'll keep my fingers crossed (and keep breathing!)

Regards, David