Hong Kong Tourism Association Official Guidebook (circa 1977)
Before leaving for Hong Kong, I brought with me this copy of an “official guidebook” distributed by the Hong Kong Tourist Association (香港旅遊協會), the precursor of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (香港旅遊發展局). My dad had given it to me some time ago when he was digging up his junk, and presumably picked it up when he and my mom got married in 1977, at the Lee Gardens Hotel, where the Manulife Plaza now stands (see map).
Flipping through it, I saw that the exchange rate was HK$4.70 for each US$1, compared with the HK$7.77 pegged rate today. It was during a short period of nine years when the Hong Kong dollar floated.
Lee Gardens Hotel, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (circa 1973)
View of the Harbour in late 1973
“Because only Pan Am fly the new Boeing 747SP”
Visit places like Tiger Balm Gardens in Tai Hang
And now the racier parts
Hong Kong Night Life
54 D’Aguilar Street, that’s at the middle of today’s Lan Kwai Fong
Do I need to say that this is an official guidebook produced for and endorsed by a government-funded organisation?
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The Nikkormat EL was Nikon’s first electronic camera…
…but my dad was actually a fan of Minolta and had one similar to the one in this advert. On the right, Braun also made video cameras with sound…
Wearing real fur in the 1970s was still very politically correct. I mean, look at this, it’s imported from Scandinavia!
The Dark Side
View of Kowloon in the 1970s
“Public transport in the 80s.” The Cross-Harbour tunnel and the MTR were still just a project… Wikipedia has a clearer map of the first MTR line that would open in 1979 between Central (Chater) and Kwun Tong. Other retro station names: Waterloo (Yau Ma Tei) and Argyle (Mong Kok).
Finally, we found that the publishers of the booklet, Kwun Tong based A-O-A Offset Press Limited is in business!
Ayoye!!! Super-intéressant!