Ng Kong

Ng Kong was born in Xincun, Panyu in 1919. During his childhood he had attended 4 years private school in his hometown. In his teenage he went to Canton for work, and became an apprentice in Xing Zhou Studio in Hui Ai Road. The Studio was equipped with a real garden scene. It erected a photo-shooting set made from glass during the day, and had a lit set at night. In the old days the studios on Hui Ai Road were spacious with low service charges. The apprenticeship started with the learning of photo finishing. Xing Zhou Studio had a dark room designed for photo finishing. Red light was used in the room so as to avoid exposure of the photographic paper. For Ng Kong, the most difficult step was packing the negatives. The Studio employed glass negatives then. The apprenticeship came to completion after 3 years. A graduate would then receive a symbolic monthly salary of $1, which would be raised to $3, and then $10 when he was promoted to be a master. Generally speaking, a studio had only one photographer and two assistants. Graduated apprentices could choose to stay or leave. Ng Kong had been promoted to be a master by the time he came to Hong Kong.

In 1938, in order to avoid the invading Japanese Army, Ng Kong took a train to Hong Kong and found refuge in his uncle. His uncle was the manager of Sun Sun Studio on Nathan Road (present site of Wing On Company). He was also a master photographer. At that time studios in Hong Kong were commonly known as Ying Xiang Pu, Zhao Xiang Pu/Guan, Xie Ying Yuan/Shi, etc. Having settled down in Hong Kong, Ng Kong became a master in Sun Sun. He received a monthly salary of $10-$20 dollars and lodged in the shop. Sun Sun was spacious and equipped with a lit photo-shooting set. Besides the photographers, it was manned with workers responsible for photo-finishing and negative packing. In the past, all photos were black and white. Sun Sun had to hire a colouring master. Coloring was a delicate craftsmanship. The master coloured the people in a photo with a pen fit with fine brushes, which even the photographers could not cope with. In those days, customers took mainly family photos. The studio was usually crowded with 10 to 20 people on photo-taking days. Therefore, more room was required in old studios than the current ones. After the war Ng Kong established his own studio on the 2nd floor of where today's Prudential Centre was located. The floor occupied more than 3000 sq feet. Before 1945 photos were classified by size into 4'', 6'', 8'' and 12''. Student photos had not yet become popular in Hong Kong by then.

Title	Worked in Photography before the Fall of Hong Kong in Canton and Hong Kong
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community|Social Life
Duration	15m11s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-001

The Japanese force attacked Hong Kong after crossing the New Territories. Soon they pushed forward to Kowloon. The Japanese bombarded the un-fallen Hong Kong Island from across the shore. At that time Ng Kong and his sworn mother rented a flat at Mau Lam Street. They heard the bombing every night. After Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, Ng Kong took his friend's advice to steal iron powder from a warehouse in Hung Hom and handed it to his friend for re-sale. But Ng had no idea about the uses of the iron powder. He was then arrested by some other reason and held in custody in Mong Kok Police Station. One week later his sworn mother invited a senior Japanese interpreter to bail him out. Soon after that, on a friend's referral, Ng Kong had worked in Hong Nam Studio (present site of Yue Hwa Chinese Products Emporium Ltd) on Nathan Road until peace was restored in 1945. 'Hong Nam' was a studio selling cameras. The shop was rented from the property owner 'Wong Tong Kee'. The shop was owned by a Japanese-speaking Taiwanese. Ng Kong, being a photographer there, had to deal with other sundry duties such as selling cameras at the counter.

One day, a Japanese sergeant visited the shop to enlist an outdoor photographer. Ng Kong was referred by a Japanese-speaking female staff and he took the job, which was paid in rice. Since food was runnung short during the Japanese Occupation, rice was such an attractive reward. Every morning Ng Kong came for roll-call in the Barrack (present site of Kowloon Park). Then he followed the sergeant all around Hong Kong. Instructed by the sergeant, Ng Kong took photos of different government buildings and went back to the Barack for finishing. When his salary was released, he packed the hemp bags of rice on a tricycle and pulled them back home. He thought it was such a great relief that he didn't have to beg for rice during the Japanese Occupation. During the Japanese Occupation the Japanese Army brought about all kinds of atrocities. They killed the civilians indiscriminately. In those days, people suffered from a severe food shortage. Corpses were scattered on the streets. Deaths were either caused by hunger or beating. Out of curiosity, Ng Kong went to Shanghai Street to watch human slaughtering in a flat. He was surprised at the sight of trash pans stuck with human heads. Afterwards some constables came to arrest the residents of the flat, and all the on-lookers dispersed. The manager of Sun Sun Studio also died from sicknesses during the Japanese Occupation. Sun Sun closed down soon after peace.

Title	Lives under Japanese Occupation: Stole iron ore, worked for the Japanese Army as photographer, witnessed the brutality of Japanese soldiers
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community|Japanese Occupation
Duration	15m43s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-002

Before the war there were already numerous photographers earned a living in Yung Shue Tau. They specialized in taking instant photo for the tourists. According to the wishes of their customers, they moved around to capture different scenes. Next to Yung Shue Tau were the Tin Hau Temple and Guan Yin Temple. When Ng Kong was an employee of Hong Nam Studio during the Japanese Occupation, inspired by the instant photo business, he established his own instant photo-taking studio ‘Tai Shan’ in a rented half-size shop premise in Pak Hoi Street (present site of Nathan Hotel).

At that time local residents had to apply ‘Shipping Permit’ in order to go to Mainland China. The photo on the permit was customarily called ‘Shipping Photo’. And it was the main source of income of ‘Tai Shan’. The permit-issuing site and ‘Tai Shan’ were just separated by two shops. Applicants took photo immediately after they got their permit. Taking instant photo required simple equipment only. The instant camera set was consisted of a wooden box and a wooden tripod. Inside the box there was photo finishing function, in which a bromide paper was used as negative. One photographer could handle both photo-taking and photo finishing. A 4-story low-priced inn, ‘Asia Hotel’, situated onto the shop premise. There were many cubicle apartments. They were residence for the incoming wartime refugee.

In the post-war period ‘Tai Shan’ cancelled the instant photo service. Instead, it decorated some artificial scenes for photo-taking purpose. Just after the war quite a number of British soldiers came to the studio, accompanied by interpreters, to take pictures and send back to their homeland. Later British soldiers invited Ng Kong to serve in the Shek Kong Camp. British soldiers and Nationalist soldiers heading for Taiwan stationed in Shek Kong. Ng Kong brought his Taiwanese-speaking girlfriend along with him to interpret in the Camp. At that time the city was short of film and it was not popular to buy film in a studio. The British soldiers introduced Ng Kong to buy Aviation Film. He then cut the film, curled it into a bundle by sewing thread, and sold it for a huge profit. The business of the British Army didn’t last long.

In 1946, Ng Kong marred his Taiwanese-speaking and Japanese-speaking girlfriend who was the niece of his sworn mother. After the war family photo and student photo became popular. Since there was not much studios in Yau Ma Tei, ‘Tai Shan’ made a good fortune. Ng Kong’s elder daughter was born in 1948. At the same year he established ‘Kong Kong Studio’ in the 2nd floor of 324 Nathan Road (present site of Kim Tak Building). The new studio was opposite to the Majestic Theatre. The property owner of 2nd floor of No.324 was Dr. Ip Kam Wa (medical practitioner). At the beginning Ng Kong paid a monthly rent of $400. Before he moved away the rent rose to $700.
‘Kong Kong’ occupied the whole floor. It set up artificial scenes, such as Chinese- or Western-style garden, by tools or canvas. ‘Tai Shan’ was still running when ‘Kong Kong’ founded. The premise of ‘Kong Kong’ was more spacious. It mainly took family photos. In 1953, Dr Ip Kam Wa ceased the tenancy and sold the building. ‘Kong Kong’ relocated to the 2nd floor of 226 Nathan Road (present site of Prudential Centre). Ng Kong spent $3000 monthly to rent the whole floor of 3000 sq feet. The property owner surnamed Lee. He owned 10 buildings in the proximity. Later No. 226 was demolished and the studio moved into a Yang Lou (Literally Western-styled building) of 10 Jordan Road, where Malaysian Chinese Restaurant situated downstairs. Ng Kong managed his studio in Jordan Road until early 1980s when his wife passed away. His son inherited his business.

Title	The two photography studios
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	25m7s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-003

After peace Ng Kong and his sworn mother resided in Mau Lam Street. Mau Lam Street was packed with tenement buildings or wooden blocks of two to three stories tall. Residents discharged their excrements into wooden barrels. Every night at 12 am night soil dumpers went upstairs and cleared the stuff. Ng Kong rented a unit on the ground floor. The toilet was built in a small hut behind the courtyard. An metal barrel collected the excrements discharged in the toilet. Ground residents do the cleaning up themselves without the help of the night soil dumpers. There were two rooms and a living room on the ground floor. Two bunker beds were placed in the living room. The landlady sub-leased the whole floor to 5 households. Ng Kong and his mother rented a room of 120 sq feet with two beds and a window. The section on Nathan Road spanning from Pak Hoi Street to Cheung Lok Street had 10 four-story wooden blocks. Each had its own door number. The owner was Dr. Ip Kam Wa (medical practitioner). Ng Kong had rented one floor as a studio in one of the buildings (present site of Kim Tak Building).

'Yang Lou' was a western-styled concrete building. It had flushing toilets upstairs and a sliding main door on the ground. In early times, Nathan Road's Yang Lou were located between the south of Jordan Road and St. Andrew’s Church. Ng had opened a studio on a site known as Prudential Centre today. It was a 3-story Yang Lou with a floor size of 3000 sq feet. Ng Kong spent several thousand dollars to rent the 2nd floor as both studio and home. There were plenty of flushing toilets and bathrooms on the 2nd floor. Basically every room came with a toilet. The big suite had both. Besides, there was a toilet for domestic servants. Tak Shing Street was full of splendid Yang Lou. There were only two property owners, Fu Lo Yung and Ko Ho Ling, who were renowned gambling tycoons in Macau. They bought the whole Tak Shing Street and each occupied one side. They built huge single-story mansions with luxurious gardens and swimming pools to accommodate big families. Lai Sze Nuen was the ex-chairman of Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. In the past, he used to run two silk shops named Fourseas and Man Pong at Tak Shing Street. Starting off by making banquet outfits, he made a fortune and bought the site currently known as Fourseas Building. The Yang Lous of Nathan Road extended southward to the St. Andrew’s Church. At that time vegetable fields scattered between the Church and the Miramar Hotel. The land price was low and land vendor got a huge profit soon after. During the British Rule it was accustomed to write door number on the door. As the number written was big and eye-catching, it was called ‘Big Number’.

Title	Living environment of the tenement buildings on Mau Lam Street, Nathan Road and Jordan Road
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	16m31s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-004

‘Kong Kong Studio’ located in Nathan Road. It was adjacent to many cinemas. The closest one was Majestic Theatre which offered Western films mainly. Astor Theatre (Po Hing Theatre) specialized in Cantonese Opera. As Ng Kong was familiar with the owner Dai Yue Bo, he usually entered Po Hing at night, took a seat of the back row and enjoyed the show free of charge. Famous opera singers like Sit Kwok Sin, Hung Sin-Nui, Ma Si Tsang performed in Po Hing. Ng Kong reminisced that the famous screenwriter Tong Tik Sang passed away in the midst of watching a show in Astor Theatre. Kwong Chee Theatre, the oldest cinema in Yau Ma Tei, was located in the junction of Temple Street and Saigon Street. (Editor’s Note: It should be junction of Temple Street and Kansu Street, i.e. present site of Yau Ma Tei Car Park Building) Kwong Chee offered low-priced Cantonese silent film. Someone was responsible to explain the scenario to the audience. Each show charged just $0.3. It was quite popular among the elderly. When Ng Kong passed by the Cinema, he would go inside and have a look. But he was not interested in silence film. Kwun Chung Theatre, charged $0.5 per show, was the second oldest cinema in Yau Ma Tei. It roughly located in the present site of King George IV Memorial Park (Editor’s Note: junction between Kwun Chung Street and Bowling Street).

‘Yit Chang Store’ was the old shop of Cheung Lok Street. Similar to today’s supermarket, it offered various kinds of food and beverage including rice, liquor and canned food. ‘Yit Chang’ situated in the back of Majestic Theatre. The shop owner was also the owner of the two adjacent shop premises. At that time home wedding was popular, people would hire mobile cook to manage the banquet at home. Those banquet managers clustered in the Temple Street. Ng Kong’s wedding was held in his Mau Lam Street’s residence. The landlady allowed him to invite two-table guests in the main hall. ‘Kong Kong’ offered whole package of wedding photo at a charge of $1000. At daytime the couple took photo in the studio, at night the studio sent their staffs to take photo in the couple’s home banquet. Made-Up and wedding suit also included in the package. Ng Kong hired domestic servants to cook, wash, and iron in ‘Kong Kong Studio’. His wife also helped in the studio. She helped the wedding photo-takers to make up and prepare their wedding suit. Ng Kong hired painters to draw some background scenes like garden and sitting hall on the canvas. The canvas, which was able to pull up and down for scene-changing, served for photo-taking purpose for the couple. At that time it was not popular to hold wedding banquet in restaurant.

Title	Cinemas and shops along Nathan Road in Yau Ma Tei
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	12m56s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-005

In the post-war period Hong Kong Government launched the establishment of kaifong associations in every local district. C.N. Li from the Chinese Secretary Office was acquainted with Hui Yeung Shing and Tang Kai. Li invited them to found a kaifong association in premises to be provided by the government. In 1949, Ng Kong participated in the founding of the Yaumati Kai Fong Welfare Advancement Association. The government stipulated that the statutory number of founding members, including directors and supervisors, of the kaifong association of various districts be 101. Sham Shui Po Kaifong Welfare Associations was involved in a lawsuit because the number of elected members didn't meet the requirement. First-term directors and supervisors of Yaumati Kai Fong Welfare Advancement Association included Ng Kong（owner of Kong Kong Studio）, Dai Yue Bo（owner of Astor Theatre）, Wong Tai Shiu（owner of a hotel at Woosung Street）, Tang Kai（Architecture Industry）, Wong Kai Tung（reporter from China News Service）, Siu Hang Yin （principal of Lip Yan School at Woosung Street）, Hui Yeung Shing （owner of Shamrock Hotel）, Pan Chen Ming （who managed a sauce garden in the New Territories）、Lui Hong Yuen（who managed a sauce garden in the New Territories）, Leung Tap Man and his son （Ching Sam School）, Lung Tze Cheung（King Fu and Die Da master）, Leung Sing Bo（Cantonese Opera Performer）, Phoenix Girl （Cantonese Opera Performer）, etc. The first chief director was Lung Tze Cheung and the chief supervisor was Hui Yeung Shing. The chief director was elected every year. The members of the Kaifong Association lived in Yau Ma Tei. Many of them were owners of big shops or businesses. Compared with them, Ng Kong was only a young lad.

Ng Kong had familiarized with his colleagues before the founding of the Association. They often played mahjong at night in Hui Yeung Shing's Sun Sun Hotel. Sometimes they played overnight until dawn. Sun Sun Hotel was opposite to Astor Theatre. The ground floor was Shamrock Restaurant. Members of the Association reserved a room on the 6th floor of Sun Sun Hotel for playing mahjong on a long-term basis. At daytime, Cantonese opera performers such as Leung Shin Bo, Mak Bing Wing, Kwan Hoi Shan came to play mahjong. By then Pat Wo Wui Kun had not been completed yet. In celebration of the founding of first term Kaifong Association, more than 100 directors and supervisors convened at the door of Astor Theatre. They stood on the stone stairs in a half-moon array posing for a group photo. Since there were too many people, the group had to form a crescent array for a full capture by the camera. The first-term clubhouse was a wooden house. Previously it was the office of the Social Welfare Department (present site of Henry G. Leong Yaumatei Community Centre). After the fire of the Shek Kip Mei's 6 villages, the Kaifong Associations of Yau Ma Tei, Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok collectively held a relief. They had cooked communal rice next to the wooden house where the Yau Ma Tei Kai Fong Welfare Advancement Association was located. Now the Association has been relocated to Henry G. Leong Yaumatei Community Centre, which is exactly Henry G. Leong himself.

Title	The founding of Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	18m23s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-006

Disaster relief was the primary job function of Yaumati Kai Fong Welfare Advancement Association. In the early days it also handled domestic conflicts such as divorce, most of which were cases referred by the District Office. The Association set up a court of domestic affairs in the hall of the clubhouse. The chief director was in charge of the general management, and a group of committee members were elected as judges. The Association tried to persuade the couples concerned not to divorce. Sometimes the arbitration was accepted by the parties involved. The Association managed a relief fund for affected families. The fund came from private donations from the directors and supervisors as well as outdoor fundraising from big shop owners. Sometimes the Association also handled the monetary disputes among roadside peddlers. Tsan Yung and Hui Yeung Shing were the two wealthiest tycoons in Yau Ma Tei. Tsan Yung founded the Kam Pin Taxi Limited. In the peak of his business, he supervised all the taxis in Kowloon. After his built up his fortune, he constructed the Tsan Yung Mansion at the junction of Waterloo Road and Ho Man Tin Street. He had been the chairman of the Kaifong Association for a long time. 'Chairman' was the highest rank in the Association but the real power lay in the hands of chief director who co-ordinated the daily affairs. Chairman, directors, and supervisors were voluntary posts. It was stated that they were not entitled to remuneration. The Association hired 2 staffs at least to take care of the daily affairs. The directors and supervisors had make frequent donations. In a certain year, the donations fell below target, and they had to donate a sum according to their rank. The head rank would contribute $1000 and the supervisor rank would contribute $200 to $300. Ng Kong had held office as chief director for 14 years since 1987. Currently he is the Chairman.
Yau Me Tei was seldom ravaged by natural disasters. The water rationing imposed in 1963 brought about the toughest moment. At that time water was supplied once every 4 days. The Association noticed some vacant construction sites in Yau Ma Tei. They negotiated with the site mangers, who then allowed them to dig wells for free. One of them was found in Hamilton Street. After the well water proved usable, the Association erected pipes to supply water. Residents brought barrels to queue on the construction site. Directors and supervisors maintained order on the site on a rotation basis. The water was salty because the site was close to the sea. Yet the residents were delighted to take it. At that time Ng Kong's studio was relocated to Prudential Centre. The studio had an iron tank to store water enough for the deposals of the shop owner and his assistants. They didn't have to collect water on the street. Ng Kong regarded it as a great relief. During photo finishing, the photo paper had to be washed to ensure the colours would not fade in a short time. If the salty smell on the photo paper was not washed out, the finished photo would turn yellowish easily.

Title	The early services offered by Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association, The organizational structure of the Association.
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	13m17s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-007

In the pre-war period there used to be fewer hawkers on Temple Street than today. The street was deserted. Ng Kong lived in Mau Lam Street and Nathan Road. He seldom strolled around Public Square Street and Yung Shu Tau. As soon as the war was over, many outdoor singing stands were erected on Market Street (present site of the Public Library). Performances were staged every night and $10 was charged. Now the stands have moved into shopping premises and there are performances throughout the day. When Ng Kong joined the Yaumatei Kai Fong Welfare Advancement Association, he started to patrol around Temple Street and Yung Shu Tau frequently in order to fulfill his responsibility in the Association. When Tang Kai took the post of chief director, Temple Street became prosperous. Hawkers sometimes fought and quarreled with one another, fighting for more booth space. The police took a blind eye on this. The Association worked on reconciliation and delineated booths of 3''×6'' all along Temple Street. Hawkers were invited to register in the Association. Hawker numbers were allocated by lucky draw. Everyone was satisfied at this arrangement. Yet, the cooked food stalls on Temple Street were not managed by the Association. Now the task of booth delineation is done by the police. The area under control is similar to the one managed by the Association in the past. Yung Shu Tau was close to Yau Ma Tei Police Station. The police handle all the vice there. In the past, Tau Hau Temple was not enclosed by walls. People did not care about public order when worshipping. When Guan Yin opened the repository, worshippers crowded the Temple. Some of them worshipped and burned incense outside the Temple. Now the Temple was enclosed by shorter walls. And the police will set up barrack to maintain order at various festivals.

Title	The role of Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association in the regulation of hawkers along Temple Street and Public Square Street
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	11m49s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-008

During the 1967 Riot, Lai Sing Man was Chief Director of Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association. Hoping for achievements by taking risks, he agreed to the government's demand to mobilise association members for order keeping. The police allowed them to carry weapon onto the street and arrest any bomb-laying rioters. The business sector was the main body of Kaifong Association. Most merchants did not want to take risks. Only ten of them were summoned to the call. Although the patrolling members carried weapons, it was not easy to notice anything unusual on them as they dressed in a business attire. At night they patrolled around Shanghai Street, Temple Street, Saigon Street and Temple Square. They would approach and subdue any suspected bomb-layer. They would take out their weapons for self-defense if necessary. The association had arrested 1 or 2 suspects. Ng Kong had just participated in the operation for 1 or 2 nights. He had never fought or caught any one. However, he was still keeping the triangular file that he brought along with him at that time. In that year Chief Director Lai San Ming also participated in it himself. Consequently, he was awarded an MBE. Later, Ng Kong was also appointed as District Affairs Adviser and thus given priviledges such as a Hong Kong-Mainland vehicle license.

Title	Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association helped to keep order during the 1967 Riots
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	5m48s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-009

At every Dragon Boat Festival Hong Kong Cargo Vessels Traders' Association organized dragon boat competitions in the Typhoon Shelter. Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association was a fund contributor. It also sent staffs to help with the daily chores. Many members of Cargo Association such as Chan Sum, Pang Yin Son, Leung Fu and Mr. Law were also involved in the Kaifong Association. The income of the Cargo Association was generous. Mr. Law applied for a license from the government after the WWII. He operated some small electrical vessels called 'Wala-Wala' in the Typhoon Shelter. He made a huge profit by monopolizing the business. His son-in-law was renowned for his cosmetic business. The members of the Cargo Association were fond of playing mahjong. Their bid was as high as $50 or $100 per stake. Ng Kong recalled that Chan Sam passed away with a seizure when his goal was intercepted. At the beginnings the Kaifong Association extended their assistance to the fishing folks of the Typhoon Shelter. Later it was the Cargo Association who bore the main responsibility.

Numerous members of Kowloon Chamber of Commerce joined the Kaifong Association at the same time. The Kaifong Association often asked for donations from the Kowloon Chamber of Commerce. The current site of the Chamber on Free Road was previously occupied by The Kowloon Chamber of Commerce English School, which was founded by Chief Director Tse Pak Cheong. Not long after its founding the Chamber ran short of funds and the school had to be shut down. The campus was redeveloped into two buildings. One of them was sold. Another one, Kowloon Chamber of Commerce Building, was designated for rental purpose. The present monthly rental income exceded $300,000. It was a generous income for the Chamber. Some of the members of the Chamber were pro-Kuomintang rightists. The Kaifong Association did not mind admitting them. Members of the Kaifong Association were from all classes. Ordinary residents could also join it upon current members' referral. In the past the admission fee used to be $10. Now it had risen to $500. The Kaifong Association refused to admit people with a leftist or triad background in order to avoid troubles in the future.

Title	The connection between Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association, Cargo Ship Merchants' Association and Kowloon Chamber of Commerce
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	9m10s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-010

Ng Kong had been Chief Director of Yaumati Kai Fong Welfare Advancement Association for many years. His most unforgettable event was the distribution of free rice and red packets immediately after he took the post. At the end of every Chinese Lunar Year, the Association granted food and money to the elderly and the poor in Yau Ma Tei.

In the early period everyone would be given 10 catties of free rice and $50 in red packet. More than 1000 recipients would line up in a long queue outside Henry G. Leong Yaumatei Community Centre. In order to raise as much food and money as possible, directors and supervisors carried a subscription book with them to ask for donation of any amount, both in shops and households. The fundraising area covered Shanghai Street, Temple Street and Nathan Road. Ng Kong was well acquainted with Tsan Yung's son, who donated $5000 every year for rice distribution. The Association also wrote to ask contribution from the Kowloon Chamber of Commerce. The chamber donated $50000. The police never intervened the distribution of free food and money. However, in the last two years of his office as chief director, an old lady stumbled accidentally when she was collecting rice. The police then stepped up their actions in maintaining the order on the occasion.

Title	Memories of being Chief Executive of Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	4m15s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-011

In the beginning Ng Kong lived in a rented room in Mau Lam Street with his wife and sworn mother. Afterwards the property owner claimed back the flat. The Ngs moved to 'Kong Kong Studio' at 324 Nathan Road. They lived in a room located behind the studio. Soon they moved to a larger room at 226 Nathan Road (present site of Prudential Centre), retaining the mode of living behind the shop. Afterwards the flat in Prudential Centre was claimed back by the owner. The studio was relocated at 10 Jordan Road. Ng Kong bought the flat on the 1st floor of Fortune Terrace on $230,000. At first he planned to buy several units, but Tang Kai persuaded him not to do that in view of the need to compensate land premiums later. Ng Kong put aside plan of house buying. He soon changed his mind again. Expecting the flat in Prudential Centre to be taken back by the property owner and then his whole family would become homeless, he decided to ignore the issue of land premium compensation then. To his surprise, by then 80 to 90% of the apartment units in Fortune Terrace had been sold. What were only left was the units on the 1st floor. Ng Kong had no choice but to buy one of them. Finally, the new owner did not have to compensate any land premium. Ng Kong had lived in Yau Ma Tei for several decades. He had many close friends and was familiar with the community. So he did not want to move elsewhere. In the past he always met and chatted with his friends in Shamrock Restaurant, which was owned by Hui Yeung Shing. Opera lads also made frequent visits to the teahouse.

Title	Housing and working experiences in Yau Ma Tei
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	6m46s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-012

Ng Kong had three daughters and two sons. Every day he was busy winning bread and he had no time to go out with his wife. The start of new school years brought him headache. The total expense of on textbooks for all his children was over $1000. At the beginning, his five children studied at H.K. Vernacular Normal Schools Alumni Association School, New Method College, and Methodist School respectively. Only one of them studied at Methodist School. Ng Kong was familiar with the principal of Methodist School, Lee Lin Chi. Principal Lee helped him with the problem of having his five children enrolled with different schools. Finally all of them were permitted to study at Methodist School. The school policy altered after Principal Lee had passed away. Disqualified student were expelled. Only three out of Ng Kong's five children could go to secondary schools. Among them only the youngest son completed Form Five. His youngest son furthered his study and got a master degree of computer science. Then he worked as a senior engineer in MTR Corporation. Now he had already migrated to Canada. Ng Kong's youngest daughter later studied in the USA. She majored in computer science at the University of South California. She obtained a master degree. Now she had got married and settled in the USA. When his children were still young, Ng Kong's family was not wealthy. In their spare time the family had joined local tours and travelled to the New Territories. They did not travel abroad.

Title	Children's education and career development
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community|Social Life
Duration	4m23s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-013

Ng Kong thought that Temple Street had all kinds of people. He advised his children not to go there. There were many triad-controlled brothels of the 'One Flat One Chick' style. The Kaifong Association did not step in their management. Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market (Fruit Laan) was under triad influence. Sometimes residents complained with the Kaifong Association about the noises in Fruit Laan. The Association addressed the case to the police. Ng Kong emphasized that the Association was constituted mainly by merchants. They did not resort to violence when handling cases. Though Ng Kong ran a photography business, he scarcely took pictures out of personally interest. Sometimes he took photos of the family and the sceneries when they travelled to the New Territories. Nowadays historic buildings in Yau Ma Tei such as Kwong Chee Theatre had disappeared. He lamented that he did not capture the street scenes in the past. In the old days, every cinema was installed with air-conditioning. A friend of Ng Kong once slept in Kwong Chee in order to enjoy the coolness. The Theatre showed silent films and the sleepers were undisturbed. However, the operation of air-conditioners was noisy in those days. He did not think that the cinema offered an ideal sleeping environment. Ng Kong was familiar with quite a number of members of the Hong Kong Cargo Vessels Traders' Association. Chan Yam Tong, Pang Yin Son, Leung Fu of the Association were also members of the Yau Ma Tei Kaifong Welfare Advancement Association. Mr. Chan had served in the post of Chief Director for 3 terms, or 6 years. Mr. Leung served one term. The Cargo Association was founded earlier than the Kaifong Association. But they moved into a clubhouse in Ferry Point after 1949. In the past the clubhouse opened every day. Ng Kong often played mahjong there. In recent years he still played mahjong in his spare time. A friend of him started a property agency shop, inside which he stood a mahjong table and charged a venue fee. The majority of Ng Kong's mahjong playmates were businessmen. Now most of them had passed away.

Title	Memories about Yau Ma Tei community: Temple Street, Fruits Market, Cinemas, Hong Kong Cargo Vessels Traders' Association
Date	11/03/2011
Subject	Community
Duration	7m2s
Language	Cantonese
Material Type	Audio
Collection	Oral History Archives
Repository	Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright	Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No.	YMT-NK-SEG-014