Then & Now | Drying cupboards were a household essential in colonial Hong Kong

Methods for man­aging everyday life in climates that are hot, wet and humid for much of the year developed over time. Drying cupboards were among them. Once standard fittings, especially in govern­ment quarters, some older houses and flats in Hong Kong still have them.

Drying cupboards had a wire mesh opening at the top of the door and contained a low-wattage light bulb left permanently on during the summer to provide constant dry heat, which helped evaporate atmospheric moisture.

Stored in these cupboards, instead of a wardrobe, serge suits and tweed skirts would not acquire a greenish tint and leather shoes did not resemble greyish suede after a week.

Permanent drying cupboards were an innovation that spread from Calcutta to Canton. Eighteenth century memoirs and domestic management manuals from Bengal and elsewhere in India all reference these items. By the early 19th century, they had reached the China coast, and had a growing European presence.

Early types were meshed-in to keep out insects, but were otherwise as open as possible. Garments were taken out periodically and aired for a few hours, usually in direct sunlight. This dried and freshened heavier, unwashable items and greatly prolonged the lifespan of expensive clothes. Similar contrivances were used in the Caribbean and parts of West Africa, where the climate could be even more destructive than in South China or Bengal.

Dry rooms were a related innovation, and were especially important for books. As any bibliophile knows, the Hong Kong climate can be ruinous to books. As well as paper-rotting humidity, mould and fungus, insects would tunnel through and silently perforate volumes from cover to cover. Certain kinds of bookbinding glue were particularly palatable to silverfish, beetles and similar vermin.