Swire opened the doors of its first Hong Kong office on 1st May 1870. Over more than a century and a half, the group has grown and evolved with the city, pioneering businesses that have helped put Hong Kong on the map as a global commercial hub. Today, Swire is a leading player in Hong Kong’s property, aviation and beverage sectors. As a developer and landlord, as an airline operator, manufacturer and retailer – as well as an employer – the Swire group’s operations touch the lives of most Hong Kong people.
The exhibition tells the story of how Swire has grown and evolved with Hong Kong and features a wide range of historical artifacts and products, including sugar cube packaging from the 1980s, Coca-Cola bottles from various and Cathay Pacific airline seats. Visitors can go on a simulated steamship voyage in the 1870s that takes them back to the Taikoo Dockyard, which opened in 1907.
Six themed zones – Early Entrepreneurship, Refining Industry, Maritime Evolution, Transforming Communities, Building an Aviation Hub and Realising Potential show how Swire’s pioneering businesses have helped put Hong Kong on the map as a global commercial and aviation hub. Guy Bradley, the chairman of John Swire & Sons (HK), said, “Our history is inextricably linked with this city’s growth and success.”
You can visit the exhibition virtually here and see a time-lapse film of how it was put together here.
