Hung Chiu KAN [????-????]
Primary tabs
Submitted by jill on Tue, 2019-01-01 02:32
Sex:
Male
Status:
Deceased
I’d be interested to know more about the identity of Kan Hung Chiu, purchaser of 30-32 Des Voeux Road from C. E. Warren & Co. Ltd. for the sum of $125,000 on 2 July 1921 and what the building then became. The funeral of his widow in the following China Mail report of 16 September, 1927 cited by Carl Smith indicates a man of some wealth: Mrs Kan Hung-chui, wife of prominent businessman – one of largest funeral processions in HK stretched from Central Market to Arsenal St. 3,000 people (employees of Nanyang Tobacco Co. and 2,000 coolies.)
Carl Smith also gives Kan Hung Chiu as the purchaser in a power sale of 12 July 1926 and describes him simply as a “merchant”.
Comments
Kan Hung Chui & 30-32 Des Voeux Road Central
Can anyone help me find a record of which company, if any, took over the 30-32 Des Voeux Road Central premises after 1921? It could be the Nanyang Tobacco Co., given that the purchaser, Kan Hung Chiu, seems to have mobilised their entire work force for his wife's funeral procession in 1927. Searching in the online HK Govt Reports for 1921-1935 brings up http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/G1925/96298.pdf which seems to be an advertisement but I can't open it. The server was down on 1st January but should be up by now. I'm getting zero results from my attempts at a newspaper search, but am no doubt leaving out a vital step. Sorry David!
Hung Chiu KAN
Kan Hung Chiu (簡孔昭) was a member of the Kan's family who started the Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company Ltd.
He was probably the head figure of the family in Hong Kong around the 20s. The office of the company was at 165 Des Vouex Road at that time.
On top of his tobacco business, he was very active in the early 20s - developed the Shiu Fai Terrace area which was named after him (Shiu Fai is his alias 字), built a big house on Broadwood Road - Long Yuen (朗園) i.e. present day Beverly Hill, as well as donated a piece of land on Caroline Hill Road for building the Confucius Hall.
I suppose 30-32 Des Voeux Road was for his tobacco business.
Kan Hung Chiu and 30-32 Des Voeux Road
Thank you, Ashley, for this extra information about Kan Hung Chui, and especially his alias. I will try to find confirmation that 30-32 Des Voeux Road Central became premises for the Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Co. Ltd. Interesting that Kan Hung Chui built a big house in Broadwood Road. My grandfather, C.E. Warren built his own house there in 1915-16. I can't find Kan Hung Chui's name in the Valuation Tables pages devoted to 7-21 Broadwood Road in the 1920s, but I think Beverly Hill corresponds to one of the earlier numbers, doesn't it? I believe the early numbers were built pre-1916 and perhaps before Broadwood Road was actually named.
Kan Hung Chiu and 30-32 Des Voeux Road
Long Yuen was 6 Broadwood Road. It was rented to Pei Chao Middle School from the 50s till the 70s when the lot was sold to Henderson Development. You can look up information about I.L. 1946 R.P.
Kan Hung Chiu and 6 Broadwood Road
Thank you, Ashley. For those who don't live in Hong Kong, am I right in thinking that it's now possible to make on line searches for the history of old I.L. numbers via the Land Registry website without paying a fee? I think Herostratus put on a tutorial about this a while back.
Des Voeux Road 30-32
The HKGRO record you linked:
In the Supreme Court of Hong Kong
No. 11 of 1925
Notice of Receiving Order and First General Meeing of Creditors.
Re: The Nam Hing Yuen Hong Merchants at Nos. 30 & 32 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong.
Petition dated the 26th day of June, 1925.
Receiving Order datad the 18th day of April, 1925.
Notice is hereby given that Wednesday, the 29th day of July , 1925, at 11 o'clock in the forenoon precisely, has been fixed for the First General Meeting of Creditors in the above matter, to be held at the Official Receiver's Office, Victoria, Hongkong....
Dated the 8th day of July 1925,
CHARLES DICL MELBOURNE,
Official Receiver
Kan Hung Chiu and 6 Broadwood Road
One still has to pay a fee. I have looked it up once. Kan Hung Chiu had been the owner of the lot where Long Yuen stood since 1913.
Des Voeux Road 30-32
Found another piece of interesting information.
An ad on a newspaper in 1922, talking about the opening of a new Chinese teahouse called "Loke Yue" on 30 Des Voeux Road Central.
30-32 Des Voeux Road Central
Interesting indeed! By the looks of the link that you accessed earlier the teahouse doesn't seem to have done very well .....
Thank you for finding all these details!