The Story of "Made in Hong Kong" - HKTDC

The Story of "Made in Hong Kong" - HKTDC 

http://www.supertrader.com.hk/en/wheel_6070.htm

By the 1960s, Hong Kong's industries, from textiles to plastics, metals, toys and electronics, were developing steadily; the foundations laid in the 1950s were starting to bear fruit.

Cottage industries were also developing. Small by nature, they were highly adaptive and central to Hong Kong's economic vitality. One day, an order for artificial flowers would need to be assembled. The next day, it might be a set of plastic dolls. The 1960s also meant factories with demanding bosses and female workers; production workshops and cargo wharves; cubicles and bunk beds; herbal tea houses and jukeboxes. And poverty was still prevalent. The 1960s were, for many, an era in which a family of eight would share a single bed.


[HKTDC is the global marketing arm for Hong Kong-based manufacturers, traders and service providers.]

Introduction 

The story began in the 1950s, when the outbreak of the Korean War triggered an embargo which disrupted Hong Kong's re-export trade. The disruption, however, was a double-edged sword, as it led to the rise of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry in the 1960s and 1970s. By 1979, the implementation of the mainland's open-door policy and related reforms provided unprecedented opportunities for growth in Hong Kong's manufacturing industry, and a booming service industry emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. Within a span of 40 years, Hong Kong had transformed itself into a service economy and a world-class financial, trade and logistics centre.

The Kingdom of Plastic Flowers

While the textile industry was Hong Kong's first major industry, plastics soon became the next rising star. Plastics developed into a necessity in the post-war era. Apart from plastic toys and daily goods, plastic flowers were a fashionable home decoration item much sought after by European and American consumers. Hong Kong set its sights on the market opportunity and turned itself into the world's leading supplier of plastic flowers.

For many families, assembling plastic flowers at home for factories was a means of supplementing income and characterised a unique era in Hong Kong's history.

Later, Hong Kong manufacturers turned to plastic dolls. Their production laid the foundation for the dramatic development of Hong Kong's toy industry in the 1970s.

Hong Kong today is the world's second-largest producer of artificial flowers and toys.

Made in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's manufacturing industries developed at a rapid rate in the 1960s. Major product categories emerged, including imitation jewellery, plastic products, enamel ware, carpets, denim jeans, wigs and toys. The scale of production ranged from a dozen workers in small workshops to several hundred in large factories. To keep up with growth, factory districts mushroomed in the areas of Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong, and the buildings started heading skyward.

The relocation of production facilities to Hong Kong from Europe and the US also helped local industry. Hong Kong's advantages, including geographic location, legal and financial systems, technology and labour resources, made it attractive to European and US companies. While continuing to focus on production, Hong Kong manufacturers also began to explore overseas markets.

Although "Made in Hong Kong" was synonymous with cheap products in the 1960s, the label began to make its mark in world markets, giving "Made in Hong Kong" a whole new meaning.

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