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Advertisement of the Kowloon Motor Bus, 1923

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Tsim Sha Tsui was the busiest centre of transport in Kowloon

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Growing up in Kowloon

(1918-1930)

No longer a sleepy backwater in thedecade of the 1920s, Kowloonemerged with a character of its

own and a desire to grow into a city rivallingthat of Hong Kong Island. Following the1911 revolution in China and the chaoticconditions in many provinces during thewarlord era, immigrants arrived by ship,train and on foot from many parts of China.Business and industry grew and Kowloonoffered more space and better opportunitiesto many new arrivals.

The population grew rapidly in the YauMa Tei region, then the hub of urbanKowloon. In 1921, the Kowloon MotorBus Company was established, openingroutes to Sham Shui Po and Tsim Sha Tsui.The police station at Yau Ma Tei movedto its present location at Canton Road, andin 1923 the Hong Kong and Yaumati FerryCompany began services from Sham ShuiPo, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei to Central,complementing the service launched bythe Star Ferry Company in 1890.

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Mong Kok Ferry Pier at Shantung Street was once one of the most prosperous places in Kowloon

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The Peninsula Hotel, a landmark in Kowloon for over 70 years

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Sham Shui Po Police Station, built in 1924, and still standing

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Seven-storey Kowloon Hotel at Middle Road in Tsim Sha Tsui; it

was one of the tallest buildings in the area at that time

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In Tsim Sha Tsui, with the openingof the railway terminus in 1916 andthe erection of its tower in 1921, the

nearby Star Ferry Pier and the wharvesfor international passenger liners becamethe hub of transport for the territory. Thewharves of the Hong Kong and KowloonWharf & Godown Company brought inimports from many parts of the world andsent off the first trickle of exports whichwould in later years boost Hong Kong’se c o n o m y s i g n i f i c a n t l y . I n c o m i n gpassengers from cruise liners had only towalk across the street to the railwaystation to take a train to China, or a fewhundred metres to the luxury of thePeninsula Hotel which opened in 1928, orto the less formal surroundings of theYMCA nearby, which had opened itsdoors four years earlier. Kowloon inthose years was already a tourist centre.

In those days, a newly developingcommunity was in Sham Shui Po, with themost prosperous parts in Pei Ho Streetand Nam Cheong Street. It was alwayscomforting to see a police station, whichwas set up in Yen Chow Street in 1924.

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Tsim Sha Tsui Railway Terminus, formally opened in 1916

From tailoring, the Harilela family

moved into real estate and then hotels.

Its flagship venture is the Holiday Inn

chain. We never had to make any

special requests—the light and power

was always there when we needed it

and CLP has never let us down...

—Mr. Bob Harilela

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Removal of hill and reclamation work

for the construction of new power

station at Hok Un, Hung Hom

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Power station at Hok Un, Hung Hom, 1930

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All these areas, together withYau Ma Tei and Mong Kok,were served by the generators

of the new power station at Hok Un. Theone most closely related to CLP wasHung Hom. The Hok Un district in HungHom, though a bit off the beaten trackfor visitors, was popular with Chinesepeople who had migrated from Fujianprovince. They were nicknamed “HokLo” and they gave this name to the areawhere the power station was built in 1921.

At that time most of the people living inHung Hom region were staff of CLP,Green Island Cement and Hong Kong&Whampoa Dockyard which wouldbecome the first industrial customers ofCLP. During this period, CLP activelyparticipated in developing communityservices in Hung Hom, and assisted inopening the first maternity clinic andschool. Later on, the Company alsosponsored cultural activities and Chineseopera in the region.

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Green Island Cement Company, with power supply by CLP

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The increase of street lamps, 1923

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Residences at Prince Edward Road, Mong Kok, 1930

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By 1923, Kowloon was stepping upthe quality of street lighting, andthe Public Works Department

was preparing to install 1,000 streetlamps in areas of Hong Kong andKowloon. So successful was this that fiveyears later Kowloon would begin theprocess of converting all the gas lampsin its streets to electricity—a task ithoped to accomplish in a few months.

Another industry to benef i t f romelectr ic i ty was the food and drinkindustry. A newly opened restaurantwould advertise its location in a “newly-bui l t Western s ty le bu i ld ing wi thelevators and brilliant decorations.” Itwas an era when men of commercewould realize that “assemblies, inns andplaces of entertainment are becomingmore elegant, s ince if they are notsignificantly improved, there will be nocustomers and profits.”

Other forms of entertainment alsoemerged—such as broadcasting throughRTHK’s forerunner, ZBW, in 1928,and while relatively few could enjoythe programmes, they were a sign ofthings to come.

To cope with the burgeoning street trafficthe Government began installing trafficlights to help the police who were usinghand signalling on point duty.

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Electric street lamps were already installed in Nathan Road during the 1930s

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Installation of overhead electric

lamps in Kowloon streets, 1928

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Types of electrical appliances shown in the

prospectus of Sincere Department Store, 1924

J . H. Donni thorne , former

w o r k s m a n a g e r o f C L P ,

created one of Hong Kong’s

f i r s t s y m p h o n y o r c h e s t r a s

w h i c h p l a y e d a t s o c i a l

funct ions in the 1920s. The

orchestra, which he conducted,

consisted of about 25 players

and included his wife as one of

the viol inists , together with

other residents of Kowloon

playing other instruments.

Mr. George Scott

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Advertisement of Tsim Sha Tsui

King Sing Cinema, 1923

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King Sing Cinema at Tsim Sha Tsui, 1930

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Gas lamps are still preserved in Yau Ma Tei Theatre, which has

been listed as a heritage monument

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News report on “No alteration of electricity

meters”, Chinese Mail, 1927

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CLP’s earliest advertisement, South China

Morning Post, 1925

C l e a r l y n o t e v e r y o n e w a sconvinced that e lectr ic i tywas dependable. Even the

Government thought it advisable forcinemas to keep their gas lighting, ifonly to help light up the theatre whenthe movie ended; also it could be usefulin emergencies.

As the price of electricity was high,users tried to tamper with meters andadjust consumption figures. In 1927 them a n a g e r o f B i l l S i n g E l e c t r i c a lEquipment Shop in Yau Ma Tei wascharged with “changing the voltage,”found guilty, and fined five dollars.Wagging a judicial finger at the accused,the judge wisely warned of the dangersof tampering with appliances. This can“cause death by electric shock or causethe burning down of houses—or evenburn out the electricity supply systemof the power company and put the cityin darkness.”