A Central fixture for almost 70 years, now this tiny umbrella stall is a monument to fast-changing Hong Kong

The workplace of late umbrella mender and maker Ho Hung-hee will be preserved and taken in by the Hong Kong Museum of History, for its cultural significance and testament to the fast-changing nature of a fast-paced city.

Perched on the sloping Peel Street in Central for almost 70 years, the little hawker stall stuffed full of tools was the place where the man dubbed the “King of Umbrellas” worked his magic on brollies from his arrival in Hong Kong in 1947 until his death last year at the age of 87.

Now Ho’s stall and all the umbrellas in it are to be moved to the museum, and possibly held in a permanent exhibition on Hong Kong history.

“Umbrella menders and makers were actually quite a common profession in the post-World War II era in Hong Kong,” said the museum’s assistant curator, Carol Lau – part of the team identifying possible artefacts – on the stall’s significance. “It is also a testament to the changing face of Hong Kong’s hawkers and the policies involved.”

Ho – who was identified as a master of his craft in an intangible cultural heritage list of 63 local traditions and customs – was well known in his industry. He mended umbrellas for famous people including the British royal family.

He also held the record for making the most expensive umbrella in the world. It was made out of American ox skin with a 100-year-old German frame, and he sold it to an Englishman for around HK$2,400 in 1994.