Distributors

Distributors of painted porcelains include ceramic shops, Kam Shan Chongs, Nanyang Chongs, trading firms and antique shops, these distributors mostly centre around Central and Sheung Wan. As technology and logistics continues to improve, porcelain factories are no longer just manufacturers but also have their own storefront for retails or act as their own wholesalers and distributors, controlling the whole business flow.

Base marks of renowned porcelain traders in Hong Kong (supplied by the Hong Kong Ceramics Research Society)：

There were four major porcelain exporters in Hong Kong in the early times: Chun Loong Sang Chinaware, Wing Tung Hing Chinaware, Po Cheong Tai, and Kwong Fook Cheong, with Wah Lee emerging as a later contender. The Kam Shan Chongs specialised in transporting various local produce and daily necessities to supply the Chinese community in San Francisco (called Kam Shan in Chinese at that time). Gold was discovered in California in 1848, the following year, large number of Chinese labourers went to San Francisco via Hong Kong to work in the gold mines. This mass migration of Chinese people to North America stimulated the demand of Chinese goods for the local Chinese community, leading to the emergence of Kam Shan Chongs. Those Kam Shan Chongs in Hong Kong were primarily operated by Cantonese merchants, trading commodity painted porcelain wares such as bowls, plates, teapots, and cups. The Nanyang Chongs, meanwhile, catered to Chinese diasporas in Nanyang (Southeast Asia).

Furthermore, export of porcelain was made through trading firms, exporters and merchandising companies, e.g. Associated Merchandising Corporation, Li & Fung, William E. Conner, etc. Retailing locations include chained department stores in USA or Europe, including renowned firms such as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Harrods, etc.

Distribution Network

Before WWII, the main destination of exported Gangcai were European countries such as UK or Portugal, or to Boston and San Francisco in USA. During Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, trade suspended and resumed after 1945 when the factory production slowly recovered. The United Nations imposed embargo on China during the Korean War, Hong Kong, as a free port, can still distribute porcelain to Europe as long as those were not made in China, though cargo ships to USA suspended due to the ongoing conflicts. In response, distributors turn to export Gangcai to new markets such as the Philippines, Singapore, Tahiti, Reunion, Argentina, Brazil and Peru. When the USA market opened again, the orders from there soared, becoming the major export destination in the 1970s and 1980s, in great demand in places like Philadelphia, New York and Honolulu. It is said that there were around 30 porcelain retailers in Honolulu alone.

Painted Porcelain Factories took up Retailing Business

Rather than relying on distributors, some painted porcelain manufacturers took up retailing themselves. From the late 1970s onwards, as Hong Kong faced an uncertain future with the discussion for Sino-British Joint Declaration, several family-run factories diversified their businesses by setting up retail shops in the USA for direct sale of Gangcai. They opened retail outlets across various places in USA, such as Burbank and Los Angeles in California; Houston in Texas; and Steubenville and Columbus in Ohio.

During the 1980s and 1990s, international trade fairs significantly boosted the sales of Gangcai, so those manufacturers who also engaged in retailing actively participated in those events, which were held in places like Highpoint, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York in the United States; European venues included Milan, Frankfurt, and Paris; some were also held in the Middle East such as Jeddah and Dubai in Saudi Arabia. The trade fairs centred around furniture, lighting, interior design, or antiques. The buyers of Gangcai with new floral patterns were mainly interior designers, while antique replica Gangcai were predominantly sought after by antique dealers.

Owing to the reunification of Hong Kong in 1997, some families that ran the Gangcai factories emigrated during the mid-to-late 1990s, bringing the sales of Gangcai to the overseas along the way, such as setting up antique shops in Vancouver, Canada selling Gangcai.

During mid to late 1990s, the family of the owner of An Tai moved to Vancouver, and founded an antique shop selling Gangcai there. (Collection of Lee Wing Chiu)

English Skills help Overseas Sales

Gangcai were mainly sold to the West was related to the colonial rule of Hong Kong by the British. Local Chinese residents, living in a society where East meets West, had the chance to learn English and to understand Western cultures, so were better at pitching sales to westerners than other neighbouring regions. To make it easier for customers in choosing and ordering, many Gangcai catalogues were also in English so the buyer had a better understanding about the products. Those Gangcai sellers who were better in English usually had better business advantage.

Catalogue of Gangcai products by Kam Wah Loong in 1936: Bilingual catalogue and price list of Kam Wah Loong (Collection of Yuet Tung China Works)

The founder of Art Sheen during his time working in USA: Lawrence W. H. Lee and his wife Wong Suet-yi can communicate in English, and went to USA to further the business from the 1980s. (Collection of Lee Woon Hung)

Major Buyer of Gangcai in the Prime Years: USA

At the peak of the Gangcai industry, the biggest buyer of the porcelain wares was USA, Gangcai was available at all the top ten department stores, luxury porcelain retailers, large supermarkets and souvenir shops in museums. The market of USA is huge, some retailing groups can have four to five hundred branches across the country. Gangcai were also sold through many different platforms such as mail orders or teleshopping channels to reach a wide range of customers.

Base marks of porcelain wares made by Gangcai factories as commissioned by luxury department stores in USA:

Local Retail and Wholesale

Turning to local sales, early retail outlets selling Gangcai were centred around Central and Sheung Wan. From around the 1970s onwards, they gradually spread to districts frequented by tourists such as Tsim Sha Tsui and Stanley, establishing presence in major hotels and department stores for Chinese goods, and even set foot on Peng Chau and in Tai Po. Beyond shops selling only porcelain, it was common to find some selling Chinese furniture, crafts, and antiques at the same place. Certain porcelain manufacturers operated their own retail businesses for direct sales, with workshops at the same location, and the owners often doubled as sales representatives, they dedicated themselves to the industry and sometimes had to pay visits to and serve the clients themselves. Customers purchasing Gangcai came from all over the world, besides Europe and America, there were also customers from Australia, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries. Whenever British or American navy ships visited Hong Kong, the sailors and seamen frequently bought ceramics or commissioned armourial porcelain as souvenirs, bringing much business for those shops. Local customers included not only ordinary citizens but also members of prominent families, bank executives, Governors of Hong Kong, and other celebrities. Retail stores sourced their goods from the wholesalers, with To Tsu Kok being a renowned wholesaler for painted porcelain.

To Tsu Kok mainly sells Gangcai products in Hong Kong, and had retail shops in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and outlying islands: