2024/08/20

"Hong Kong LEI – Cover Story" is a series introducing shining people in Hong Kong. This article was produced with the support and cooperation of Tasting Table Japan Premium, which provides information on health and food safety.

Writing down the history of Hong Kong goods is a way of showing gratitude to Hong Kong

IG:@mkkhk2
Book information:"Hong Kong Department Store" (Seibundo Shinkosha)

Interviewer: Linda Hung Hom, Hong Kong LEI Editorial Department
Edited by: Miho Fukagawa

Filming assistance provided by Chuang Ching-hui, owner of the Sheung Wan "Happy Toys Store"
Photography assistance: Saku Matsumoto

table of contents

"I wanted to see what Hong Kong would look like after the handover in 1997."
<With one book as a guidepost>
Gratitude to Hong Kong and Gratitude from Hong Kong
<Three questions for Mr. Kume>

"I wanted to see what Hong Kong would look like after the handover in 1997."

A book just released in Japan on June 12th, "Hong Kong Department Store." Flip through the pages and you'll find a selection of slightly retro Hong Kong everyday items that are too warm to be called industrial products. They are all items that are loved by Hong Kong people but are disappearing or have disappeared over the years. These items were collected by the author, photographer Miyuki Kume.

Miyuki Kume's book "Hong Kong Department Store" (Seibundo Shinkosha)

He has a huge collection of Hong Kong goods at home, and his book is nearly 200 pages long. With such a large collection of Hong Kong goods, one would assume he must be a big fan of Hong Kong, but in fact, it seems that he didn't fall in love with Hong Kong at first sight.

"When I moved to Hong Kong in 1994 due to my family's work, I struggled to fit in for a while. But when I was planning to return to Japan, I decided to stay in Hong Kong. That was the year Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China. I loved history and Britain, so I wanted to see the moment of the handover with my own eyes and be part of the change as Hong Kong was no longer a British territory."

Kume thought to himself that if he wanted to continue living in Hong Kong, "Hong Kong won't change if I continue to dislike it, so I thought I should try to change myself. I thought I should try to find something I like about Hong Kong."

Being a history buff, he walked down Cat Street in Sheung Wan, wondering if there were any old items, but was not drawn to the souvenirs. Next, he thought, "I also like tableware," so he went into a household goods store. There, he found a Chinese-made pot. It was an item he had found when he visited China as a student, and liked it but had not bought it. Kume was delighted by the nostalgic reunion and bought it. This was the start of Kume's decision to purchase miscellaneous goods that caught his eye. This was the beginning of his miscellaneous goods collection.

<With one book as a guidepost>

Soon after, he thought, "Since I've decided to stay in Hong Kong for a long time, I want to buy something from Hong Kong." The first "Made in Hong Kong" product that Kume bought was a Camel pot. "One day, I found it in a shop in the factory district of San Po Kong. I was happy to see that it was made in Hong Kong after all."

Camel pot. Founded in the 1940s, it is one of Hong Kong's proud brands, having grown alongside the city after the war. (From Hong Kong Department Store)

However, she couldn't find her next purchase. Why? As she wondered why, she came across a book written in the 1980s by British industrial designer Matthew Turner. While teaching design in Hong Kong, he was fascinated by Hong Kong products and held an exhibition in 1988. It was the catalogue of that exhibition that she got her hands on. By getting this book, Kume learned about the existence of various Hong Kong products, and began to make Hong Kong products the core of her collection.

Kume treasures Matthew Turner's book "MADE IN HONG KONG – A HISTORY OF EXPORT DESIGN IN HONG KONG" (Photo: Kume Miyuki)

It's hard to believe in today's Hong Kong, where finance and service are the main industries, but from the 1950s to the 60s, Hong Kong was known as the "world's factory" because of its thriving manufacturing industry. However, by the late 90s, when Kume began looking for Hong Kong-made goods, the relocation of factories to China, where manufacturing costs are lower, was nearing completion, and Hong Kong-made goods were disappearing from the city.

"At the beginning of each day, I would decide which area I would walk in that day and go into every household goods store I could find. Using this method, I searched thoroughly throughout Hong Kong. There was no internet at the time, so I had to search on foot. I kept looking for the words 'Made in Hong Kong' stamped on the bottom of the products."

Kume visited various household goods stores throughout Hong Kong in search of Hong Kong-made products. The photo shows her at Chu Wing Kee in Sheung Wan. (Photo by Miyuki Kume)

Kume says that he is not a collector. "Collectors collect everything. For example, if there is a series from 10 to XNUMX, they will collect them all. I don't want to have something in my house that I don't really like."

Kume's "instinct" doesn't seem to be limited to aesthetic sense. "It's not enough for something to just be cute. I want to know where it was made, what it is, and why it's shaped like that. I love learning about things like that." He says it's fun to learn about the history of everyday items made in Hong Kong.

One of the Hong Kong products, the overglaze porcelain from the Yuet Tung Porcelain Factory, is hand-painted by artisans. These are Japanese white tableware pieces painted in Hong Kong and exported from the 1950s and 60s. (From Hong Kong Department Store)

Gratitude to Hong Kong and Gratitude from Hong Kong

Through Hong Kong goods, the people at the stores he frequents have come to know him, and he has been able to find new products. For Kume, his relationship with Hong Kong goods is also a connection with Hong Kong that he has built up little by little. You could say that "Hong Kong Department Store" is a compilation of the trajectory he has taken in facing each item one by one.

When the coronavirus began to spread and people were restricted from going out, Kume decided to compile all the knowledge he had acquired up to that point into a book.

"I felt a strong need to share the important knowledge I had gained about these items. I wanted to write an illustrated book, rather than a 'stylish items book.' I thought that leaving a record of the objective facts and history behind each item would be a way of thanking Hong Kong for all the help it has given me."

This sentiment has actually reached the people of Hong Kong.

"Even though 'Hong Kong Department Store' is a Japanese book that is only sold in Japan, people in Hong Kong thank me for it. They say, 'It has shown us the amazing and wonderful things that Hong Kong has made in the past.'"

It seems that his gratitude to Hong Kong was conveyed. Before he knew it, Kume and Hong Kong had developed a bond of mutual love and reciprocity.

Products made from plastic materials are also characteristic of Hong Kong-made products. This panda-shaped radio made by Sonics has a tuner in the left eye and a volume control in the right eye, and it is typical of Hong Kong to have practical uses in unexpected places. (From "Hong Kong Department Store")

<Three questions for Mr. Kume>

Q1: I imagine that you would never sell any of the miscellaneous goods listed in Hong Kong Department Store, no matter how much money was offered, but which item would you least want to sell?

I had never thought about selling them. They just came to me by chance. I wrote this book because I wanted to unearth the stories of these objects and share them.

Q2 Do you collect anything other than miscellaneous items?

No. For example, I've never collected anything, although I've always enjoyed finding vintage items.

Q3 Do you have any hobbies other than collecting miscellaneous items?

I used to travel and hike a lot, but I stopped doing it because I hurt my back. If I hurt my back in the mountains, I would be a nuisance. I also like cooking, and often travel to the countryside of Hong Kong in search of ingredients with a Hong Kong chef.

Book information:"Hong Kong Department Store" (Seibundo Shinkosha)
We are currently planning exhibitions and events related to "Hong Kong Department Store" within the year. Details will be updated on Instagram from time to time.

From Amazon.co.jp here.