Leung So Kee Umbrella Factory (Chinese: 梁蘇記遮廠) is the most famous umbrella manufacturer and retailer in Hong Kong.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Founder | Leung Chi Wah (梁智華), also known as Leung So (梁蘇) |
| Headquarters | Shop G36,G/F, Site B & C Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard, 111-181 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong |
| Products | Umbrellas |
| Services | Umbrella repair |
| Owner | Leung Man Shing (梁孟誠) |
| Website | leungsokee |
The history of Leung So Kee can be traced back to 1885, when its first shop was opened in Guangzhou by Leung So (梁蘇). Leung So Kee was famous for its steel-frame umbrellas and lifelong guarantee. The current owner of Leung So Kee is Leung Man Shing (梁孟誠), the great grandchild of Leung So (梁蘇).
History
editLeung So Kee Umbrella Factory was founded in 1885 (or 1886, according to some sources) in Huiai Xilu, Guangzhou (廣州惠愛西路) by Leung So (梁蘇). Mr Leung imported materials overseas to manufacture western style umbrellas which cost about a half-month salary of an average worker at that time.
In 1920, the first branch of Leung So Kee was opened in Guangzhou.[1] A branch was opened in Macau in 1923.[1]
In 1950, following the Chinese Communist Revolution, the whole family business moved to Hong Kong.[2] Business was brisk, with the company selling 20,000 umbrellas a year in the 1950s.[2] The durability of their products earned the firm contracts with the Urban Services Department, Hong Kong Telephone, and Hong Kong Tramways.[2]
In 1987, the Leung So Kee business (stores in Sham Shui Po, Mang Kok, San Po Kong) was passed on to the fourth generation member of the Leung family, Leung Man Shing (梁孟誠).
In 1994, the flagship shop of Leung So Kee was opened in Dragon Centre, Sham Shui Po.
In 2006, the branch of Leung So Kee was opened in Sha Tin Centre, Sha Tin when its shop in New Town Plaza, Sha Tin was closed.[1]
On March 4, 2023, the Leung So Kee branch in Dragon Centre in Sham Shui Po has been relocated to Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Products and services
editLeung So Kee is a handmade umbrella store with a wide range of umbrellas and repairing service, from sun umbrella to mini folding umbrella. It offers custom-made umbrella services, which took about four hours to finish. The most expensive umbrella sold by Leung So Kee costs HK$1,380. The umbrellas of Leung So Kee are still handmade. Leung So Kee still provide a lifetime warranty on its umbrella frames.[3]
In the 1960s to 1970s, Leung So Kee had several retail shops in Hong Kong, including one in Mong Kok. Leung So Kee currently only has one retail shop in Hong Kong. It is located at Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard, Tsim Sha Tsui.
In popular culture
edit- A drama film called The Umbrella Story (人間有情) was written by Raymond To and based on the story of Leung So Kee (The story is purely fictional).
- The drama was later made into a film of the same title, and was directed and produced by Clifton Ko.[4][5]
- There was also a stage play performed based on the script written by Raymond To.
- A Beautiful Misunderstanding: In 1986, one of the third generation members of the Leung family decided to end Leung So Kee's business in Hong Kong Island and used a drama story as a closure of its store operation in Central at that moment. The story led many Hong Kong people to believe that Leung So Kee's business had completely shut down, when in fact it is still being operated by other third generation members in Sham Shui Po, Mang Kok, San Po Kong.
- Leung So Kee umbrellas were utilized in Tsui Hark's martial arts film Once Upon a Time in China (1991) as a weapon wielded by the protagonist Wong Fei-hung, played by Jet Li. Leung So-kee remembered that the movie's props department ordered 26 umbrellas over the course of filming, saying that the first two they ordered broke during a fight scene. So-kee's response was to laugh and say, "Of course! The umbrellas are not for kung fu."[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c "History". Leung So Kee Umbrella Factory. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ a b c Li, Francis (2 June 1986). "Trademark puts all others in the shade". South China Morning Post. p. 21.
- ^ "遮風擋雨 - 新浪旅遊". Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
- ^ The Umbrella Story
- ^ Film Review of "the Umbrella Story"(1995)
- ^ Chak, Ashlyn (2024-04-27). "How 139-year-old Hong Kong umbrella maker weathered storms from political instability to the Japanese – but not Jet Li". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
External links
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