Jimmy Lee
Owner, Red Pepper
“In 1967, I worked as an apprentice at an architecture office by day and then went to night school. I worked on the first floor of the Lee Garden building when there were a lot of government offices but after three years, realised I wasn’t interested in that. At first, my family had a restaurant called Coffee House on Hysan Avenue and it was popular for western style pastries. Later, in 1971, we opened Red Pepper. Back then, there were not a lot of Sichuanese restaurants in Hong Kong. I would finish work in Central and then come back every night to help my dad. In those days, young people didn’t really have their own lives in the same way they do now and so I spent a lot of time in the family business. Our clients are quite international, even from the start. There were locally based British people and fewer Cantonese. Then later in the 70s and 80s, there were more Japanese – their economy was doing very well and there were a lot of Japanese department stores in Causeway Bay. It gets very full during rugby season every year and people would book multiple tables. People used to get quite rowdy, taking off their clothes and jumping around. We get international press and customers have shown us that we were mentioned in The New York Times. Bruce Lee fans know that Game of Death was filmed here and so we get asked about that. I wasn’t there during filming but my brother was to make sure that the film crew were taken care of over those few days.”
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Causeway Bay: Then & Now
Feature
Causeway Bay embodies the many facets of Hong Kong – the fast pace, fascinating contrasts and dynamic energy. From the city’s very beginning to the present day, its diversity and vibrancy makes it a beloved neighbourhood.
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Yee Shun Milk Company
506 Lockhart Road
Ask anyone in Hong Kong where to get the best steamed milk pudding, and they will likely point you towards Yee Shun Dairy Company.
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Lindsey McAlister
Founder, Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (YAF)
If there is such a thing as kismet, Lindsey McAlister believes it’s what brought her to Hong Kong. Nearly 30 years ago, the young British arts worker…
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Irene Lee
Chairman of Hysan Development
There are very few people who know the origin of a suburb, let alone one as integral to Hong Kong as Causeway Bay. But for Irene Lee, granddaughter of Lee Hysan and current chairman of Hysan Development, she can look back on the neighbourhood’s inception…
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Anita & Miga
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Anita (right): “I moved to Hong Kong when I married my husband, who is Australian Chinese. Miga and I grew up in Taiwan. She’s my cousin and also my best friend…