*Features of the New Goods Added at Sincere’s New Store**
Our company sources merchandise from around the globe at fixed, unbeatable prices, which have long been welcomed far and wide. Owing to the grand expansion of our new store's shopping area, we have specially added exquisite merchandise to satisfy the needs of our distinguished customers. A brief list is as follows:
* **Rooftop Garden & Tea Room:** Fully equipped with fine Western pastries, milk, coffee, soft drinks, fresh fruits, and other delicacies, providing delightful refreshments for distinguished guests while sightseeing. * **Gold, Silver, Jade & Electroplating:** Specially hiring master craftsmen to fashion gold and silver jewelry and various jade items, as well as undertaking fine electroplating work across all branches to create indispensable, fashionable ornaments. * **Porcelain & Modern Goods:** A wide selection of colorful and novel porcelain from Jiangxi and abroad, worthy of being called modern lifestyle products. * **Textiles & Fabrics:** Extensive sourcing of various high-quality fabrics directly from major textile factories, offering a complete variety of patterns at reasonable prices to promote factory sales...
*(Additional notes regarding grand opening in September without price increases...)*
**Jan 12, 5th Year of the Republic of China (1916)** *Issued by Sincere Co., Ltd.*
Title: Sincere Co. New Flagship Store (1916): Detailed Inventory and Features Just After Opening
Hi all,
I’ve been tracking down primary sources related to the historic 6-story flagship building of the Hong Kong Sincere Company (先施公司) at Des Voeux Road Central (connecting to Connaught Road and Wing Wo Street).
I recently cross-referenced two promotional announcements from January 1916 (民國5年元月) that offer an incredible look into what the store actually offered the week it opened.
1. The Opening Announcement (Issued Jan 4, 1916)
This ad set the grand opening date for January 12, 1916 (coinciding with the 8th day of the 12th lunar month in the Yimao year, which was also Sincere's 16th anniversary). It highlights the brand-new architectural feats: a six-story building, a rooftop garden, and the introduction of mechanical elevators (升降機) to save shoppers from walking the stairs.
2. The Post-Opening Features Ad (Issued Jan 12, 1916 / 民國5年元月12日)
Published just 10 days after the grand opening, this second ad acts as a deep dive into the newly expanded shopping floors to entice customers. It highlights several highly specific features and new departments:
Rooftop Garden & Tea Room: It wasn’t just a view; it was a fully functioning cafe serving Western pastries, fresh milk, coffee, soft drinks, and fresh fruits.
Gold, Silver, Jade & Electroplating: Sincere hired dedicated master craftsmen to make custom jewelry on-site and offered fine electroplating services across all branches.
Porcelain & Modern Goods: They heavily stocked colorful, novel porcelain from Jiangxi (Jingdezhen) and abroad, explicitly branding them as "modern lifestyle products."
Textiles & Fabrics: They bypassed middlemen to source directly from major textile factories, offering diverse patterns at fixed, competitive prices.
Questions for the Community:
The Elevator Novelty: Sincere's mechanical elevators are often cited as some of the earliest public lifts in Hong Kong. Does anyone have contemporary diary entries or newspaper reviews from late January 1916 describing what it was like for locals to ride them up to the Rooftop Tea Room?
The Rooftop Tea Room: Are there any surviving architectural floor plans or photos showing how the rooftop garden and cafe layout looked during this inaugural month?
The Craftsmen Workshops: The ad mentions hiring master craftsmen for jewelry and electroplating. Were these workshops located inside the Des Voeux Road Central building itself, or did they operate out of a separate Hong Kong branch?
Comments
Features of the New Goods Added at Sincere’s New Store**
*Features of the New Goods Added at Sincere’s New Store**
Our company sources merchandise from around the globe at fixed, unbeatable prices, which have long been welcomed far and wide. Owing to the grand expansion of our new store's shopping area, we have specially added exquisite merchandise to satisfy the needs of our distinguished customers. A brief list is as follows:
* **Rooftop Garden & Tea Room:** Fully equipped with fine Western pastries, milk, coffee, soft drinks, fresh fruits, and other delicacies, providing delightful refreshments for distinguished guests while sightseeing.
* **Gold, Silver, Jade & Electroplating:** Specially hiring master craftsmen to fashion gold and silver jewelry and various jade items, as well as undertaking fine electroplating work across all branches to create indispensable, fashionable ornaments.
* **Porcelain & Modern Goods:** A wide selection of colorful and novel porcelain from Jiangxi and abroad, worthy of being called modern lifestyle products.
* **Textiles & Fabrics:** Extensive sourcing of various high-quality fabrics directly from major textile factories, offering a complete variety of patterns at reasonable prices to promote factory sales...
*(Additional notes regarding grand opening in September without price increases...)*
**Jan 12, 5th Year of the Republic of China (1916)**
*Issued by Sincere Co., Ltd.*