Hong Kong Snapshot (105) - Causeway Bay 005 Japanese Department Stores 香港隨拍(105) - 銅鑼灣005 日資百貨公司

Hi Guys! In the newest Hong Kong Snapshot series, I will introduce the story of Causeway Bay. Causeway Bay is at the HK Island. When HK is a world known city, Causeway Bay is a tourists known district. It is a centre of tourism, shopping, culture, entertainment and business, and is a must go place for every HK local and tourist. Causeway Bay has the second most expensive street in the world, and countless international brands. It is the first choice for many international companies to settle in Asia. To introducing Causeway Bay, I firstly have to introduce it’s history of development. Last time, we talked about the horse racecourse built in Happy Valley next to Causeway Bay. And now, we go back to Causeway Bay. In the previous posts we had talked about the development of Causeway Bay from 1840 to mid 20th century. Since 1960, Causeway Bay started to develop rapidly and became an international tourist spot. >大家好！在最新篇的香港隨拍，我將介紹香港的銅鑼灣區。銅鑼灣為於香港的港島區，當香港是全世界都認識的城市時，銅鑼灣就是每一個遊客都認識的地區。它集旅遊、購物、文化、娛樂、商業於一身，是每一個香港本地人及遊客的必到之處。銅鑼灣擁有現時全球第二貴的街道，國際品牌多不勝數，是很多國際企業落戶亞洲的首選之地。介紹銅鑼灣，先要介紹它的發展歷史，在之前的章節，我們說了銅鑼灣在十九世紀到二十世紀中期的發展，而到了大約1960年開始，銅鑼灣開始急促起飛，成為了今天的國際旅遊地區，在這一回且讓我一一道來。

What turns Causeway Bay from a simple industrial and residential area to a spot of international brands? It’s Japanese Department Stores. In around 1950 just after the World War II, 張玉麟, a businessman, became wealthy by his drugs business. Then he started to develop the property industry and targeted on the potential of Causeway Bay. He bought the land of Paterson Street from the British.

是什麼讓銅鑼灣由一個普通的工業及住宅區變成了國際頂級潮流品牌進駐的地方？原來就是日資百貨公司。大約在1950年代，亦即二次世界大戰之後，有一名叫張玉麟的商人因從事西藥生意致富。有了錢之後想幹什麼？當然是賺更多的錢，張玉麟開始染指地產業，他看中了銅鑼灣發展的潛力，便購入了銅鑼灣的百德新街一帶。

1970s’ Paterson Street. It’s already quite developed. 1970年代的百德新街，已很熱鬧 （Photo Source: Apple Daily)
The same view today 今天的同一景像 At that moment, there’re only warehouses, docks at Paterson Street. No one went there for entertainment. Cheung built up a high-end residential area in Paterson Street, and at the same time thinking how to attract people to the area. Thanks to the help of his social network, he met Daimaru Department Store in Japan and open its first oversea store at Paterson Street. Daimaru brought a completely new shopping experience to HK people. At that time, HK fashion shops didn’t allow fitting or returns and exchange. And the employees even thought their social position was even higher than the customer and their attitude was bad. Daimaru brought HK people a new customer experience: super good manners and attitude, free fitting, free goods return with a period, live demonstration of clothes and cosmetics, instalment plan, free delivery and telephone shopping, etc.

如前文所說，當時的百德新街只是倉庫、碼頭等，一片荒涼，張玉麟在這裡興建高尚住宅區，同時也在想如何讓這本來的荒地變得更吸引。在人脈的幫助下，張玉麟找到了日本老字號大丸百貨公司，在銅鑼灣百德新街開設第一家海外分店，為香港居民帶來全新的購物體驗。原來在那個時代的香港，所有的時裝店都是不設試身和退換貨的，故當時買衣服可說是很大的投資，而受僱於時裝店的僱員更只感地位比客人更多，服務態度奇差。而大丸的日式禮儀帶來了全新的衝擊：賓至如歸的服務態度、免費試身、一定時間內免費退貨換貨、真人模特兒即場示範化妝品、分期付款、免費送貨、電話購物等。

Daimaru in 1980s 八十年代的大丸百貨 (Photo Source: AM730)
Today it’s Fashion Walk 今天同一地點是名店坊 All these made Daimaru the trend of HK and change the shopping industry of HK. Moreover, as the name Daimaru is similar to “big monkey” in Cantonese, Daimaru was known by all HK people. At the same time, the HK Government was developing HK Tourism and set up the Tourism Association, promoting the slogan of “Pearl of the Orient” and “Shopping Centre”. Daimaru and Causeway Bay became the biggest beneficence. After Daimaru, three more Japanese Department Stores joined the battle in Causeway bay. They were. Matzusakaya, Mitsukoshi and Sogo. But go course Cheung got new plan for it. He brought restaurants from different countries to a small alley between the residential buildings in Paterson Street. It is now a famous “Food Street” in Causeway Bay. Also in the 1980s, He invited different international fashion brands to open store at the ground floor of the residential buildings. We now call the street “fashion Walk”.

這些措施一舉讓大丸成為全港的風潮，改變香港購物業的風氣，同時因大丸的日文名字跟粵語的大馬騮一樣，讓大丸這個名字深入民心，無人不識。碰巧，香港政府開始發展旅遊業，在六十年代成立香港旅遊協會，宣傳著「東方之珠」、「購物天堂」的口號，大丸及銅鑼灣恰好成為了受益者。在多方因素下，在之後的數年間，日資百貨成為香港熱潮，先後有松坂屋、三越及崇光百貨三家日資百貨公司進駐銅鑼灣，挑戰大丸的地位。當然張玉麟不會束手待斃，他於70年代在銅鑼灣一條小後巷引入多國餐廳，打造成一條「食街」，也讓旅遊協會多了一個「飲食天堂」的口號，同時在80年代開始引入多家國際時裝品牌進駐百德新街的地鋪，打造了「名店街」。

Matsuzakaya 松坂屋 (Photo Source: Apple Daily)
Today’s view 今天的同一景觀
Mitsukoshi 三越百貨 (Photo Source: Apple Daily)
Today it’s Hysan Place 今天已成希慎廣場
Food Street in 1980s 八十年代的食街
The entrance of Food Street today 今天食街入口 Unfortunately, in the 1990s, due to the bubble burst of Japan economy, slowing down of the HK economic growth, Great Hanshin earthquake and 1997 Asian financial crisis, those Japanese Department Stores closed their HK business. The only SOGO was also taken over by HK business and has no relationship with Japan SOGO now.

可惜，在1990年代，因為日本經濟泡沫爆破、香港經濟增長放緩、日本神戶地震、亞洲金融風暴等因素，幾家日資百貨公司先後關閉香港業務，僅餘的崇光百貨亦被香港商人收購，與日本崇光再無關係。

Today’s SOGO. There is a LED screen with the size of 5 tennis court 今天的崇光，擁有著五個網球場大小的LED屏幕
Although Daimaru is closed, we still have mini bus with the destination “Daimaru” 雖然大丸已結業，但紅色小巴上的「大丸總站」仍在 (Twins 《下一站天后》歌詞中的大丸，說的就是大丸百貨) After the Japanese department stores, Causeway Bay went to a new era. It’s the causeway bay we can see today and it changes the shopping culture of HK. It’s the mall era of Causeway Bay. Let’s talk about it in the next post.

在日資百貨公司的時代後，銅鑼灣進入了另一個時代，讓銅鑼灣走到了現代的格局，也改變了全香港的購物文化，那是銅鑼灣的商場時代，我們下回再見。

  !steemitworldmap 22.2808013 lat 114.1853818 long d3scr

---

Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going! 謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！

---

Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://aaronli.vornix.blog/hong-kong-snapshot-105-causeway-bay-005-japanese-department-stores/

---