The Third Exhibition

The 3rd Exhibition of Chinese Products was organized during 5-12 February 1940 and was the first exhibition to be held on borrowed government ground. The organizer, the Chinese Manufacturers’ Union (the older name of CMA), built an outdoor exhibition venue on a vacant land lot near Happy Valley using wood scaffolding and canvas. The passageways of the exhibition were named “race”, “civil rights”, “livelihood”, “self-strengthening”, “freedom”, and “self-governance”. The exhibition comprised 176 booths by some 100 manufacturers, featuring no less than 2,000 types of goods. According to CMA’s records, the products categories included fabrics, textiles and woollen-woven products; electric appliances, metal ware, and toys; cosmetics and medicines; linen shirts, towels, handkerchiefs, and underwear; food products; lacquer, leather, glass, ivory carving products, rubber products, rain gear and hats, stationary and prints; cigarettes, matches, toothpicks, toothbrushes, soap and lacquer; and a charity enterprise section. Admission is ten cents per adult male visitor, which was redeemable for goods of equal price. Women and children were admitted free of charge.

Besides having Sir Robert Kotewall officiating the opening ceremony as the Chinese representative, the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Geoffry Northcote, and some government officials also attended the exhibition. Sir Geoffry Northcote was the first Governor to visit the industrial products exhibition. The exhibition was held during the Second World War. The last day of the exhibition was then turned into a charity event, with all sales revenue dedicated to the Chinese and British military.