1933 02 vue de la montagne

Kirsty Norman
Sun, 03/10/2024 - 17:31
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1933 02 vue de la montagne

View north-east from the apartment in the Orient Tobacco Manufactory in which the family lived initially when in Hong Kong. Amazingly, the church still survives as S.K.S. All Saints, at the corner or Soy Street and Yim Po Fong Street. See https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HK_AllSaintsChurch_MongKok.JPG

The family loved hiking, and the photoshows how close the factory was to open hilly areas, in the 1930s.

Hak Po and Bak Po Streets, by the church, were where dark and white laundry respectively was laid/hung out to dry, according to my mother (Kiki).

Date picture taken
1933
Tags
mong kok
Orient Tobacco Manufactory
Shan tung street
Author(s)
Kirsty Norman
Gallery
1930s-50s de Chaffoy family’s photos
Shows place(s)
S.K.H. All Saints' Church / Cathedral [1928- ]

Comments

There was a large hill at the back of the plot of land, shown on the 1903 map, and visible in the background of photos like the one below, so I'd guess this photo was taken from the top of that hill.

1934-6-13 in the garden of the Orient Tobacco Factory, Mongkok (3).jpg
1934-6-13 in the garden of the Orient Tobacco Factory, Mongkok (3).jpg, by Kirsty Norman

This is amazing!  My grandfather lived in Pak Po Street from the 1930s to 40s and this is the only good photo I’ve seen of the building!  
My mother was born during the Japanese occupation and because she was a girl and the family were struggling, she was left on the steps of All Saint’s Church one night in the hope someone would take her away and give her a better life. Luckily my great-grandfather found out the next morning and found her still there and rescued her. 

dereklin, I couldn't be happier: what a wonderful connection to have made. It's this kind of thing that makes all David Bellis' hard work on Gwulo even more worthwhile.

Did you record any more of your family's memories of that area?

Hi Kirsty - I think my grandfather’s cousin had a business in the area and asked my grandfather to come down to Hong Kong to help him. I’ll try and find out what it was. 
 

Btw, the building on the left seems to be Shui Yuet Kung temple dedicated to Kwun Yum the Goddess of Mercy which was built in 1926 and is still standing, albeit lost amongst the Hugh rises. 
 

If you have a high res scan of the photo please do let me know!