The Fourth Exhibition

The 1st to 3rd exhibitions of Chinese Products were held during the Chinese New Year. Many manufacturers claimed to have missed the chance to visit their relatives during this festive period. The Chinese Manufacturers’ Union (the older name of CMA) thus changed the exhibition period to late December and early January. The 4th Exhibition of Chinese Products was held from 22 December 1940 to 2 January 1941. The exhibition was held on a piece of land borrowed from the government. The exhibition venue was facing the Peninsula hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, covering over 70 thousand square feet. The CMA records indicate a total of 240 booths, while newspapers reported 212. The number of participating manufacturers was around 150. They mainly came from the textiles, cosmetics, sweets and food industries. Besides Hong Kong exhibitors, the exhibition also established a “Shanghai section” featuring Shanghai manufacturers. Over 3,000 kinds of products were showcased. Every male adult was charged 10 cents for an admission ticket, which was redeemable for goods of equal price. Children were admitted free of charge. During the 12-day exhibition period, the total number of visitors reached 12,400 (children not included).

The passageway facing the front entrance to the 4th Exhibition of Chinese Products was named “Chung Cheng Road”. One British national flag and one Chinese national flag were hoisted on each side of Chung Cheng Road, together with the portrait of Lin Sen (Chairman of the Chinese National Government), and the portrait of the King of England. Towards the end of the Chung Cheng Road, a large portrait of Chiang Kai-shek was hung. The exhibition was officiated by the acting Governor of Hong Kong General Yue Tong, with the presence of many government officials and overseas Chinese celebrities. At the end of the exhibition, many Hongs wrote to CMA asking about the products made by different manufacturers and placed their orders to the manufacturers.