John Lennon lends a hand to TDC promotion during a London toy fair in 1968
	Promoting Hong Kong fashion in Paris, 1975
	Dancers recreate Hong Kong’s early cottage industries during the Supertrader exhibit marking the 40th anniversary of HKTDC
	A garment display shows Hong Kong’s rise as a global fashion capital

John Lennon, Jackie Chan, Margaret Thatcher and the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat have one thing in common: they’ve all lent a hand to promote Hong Kong trade during four heady decades of economic development.

An historical record of one of the world’s great business success stories was laid out before tens of thousands of international visitors when Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) celebrated its 40th anniversary last month. Fittingly, TDC’s Supertrader display coincided with one of the busiest weeks for business networking, with World SME Expo, the Hong Kong Forum, International Business Convention and Innovation & Design Expo all being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (November 27 – December 1).

Supertrader provided a walk down memory lane through words, pictures, exhibits and performances. Starting in the 1960s, it recalled how few, if any in Hong Kong at the time could have realised they were part of an emerging economic powerhouse. Those tiny cottage industries turning out ubiquitous plastic flowers in the crowded industrial estates of Kowloon and the New Territories were destined to be the SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) of the future, forming the start of one of the world’s biggest toy industries. The housewives who sewed jeans at night to help feed their families were leading Hong Kong to produce the most fashionable garments for overseas markets.

First mover advantage

From the 1960s to the 1980s, the city was “a tiger in the making”. China opened its doors and Hong Kong manufacturers marched right in, grasping their chance to be competitive global players. As the significance of the open-door policy sank in, overseas investors also rushed to take advantage of Hong Kong’s unique position at a gateway for business with China.

Hong Kong finessed two momentous transitions over the next 10 years. Economically, the city accelerated its shift from a manufacturing to a service hub. Psychologically, it prepared for its return to China, and planned how to further prosper within the framework of one country, two systems. In this decade there was a 12-fold increase in Hong Kong’s China trade, and more than half of the mainland’s exports were channelled through Hong Kong for overseas markets.

Since the 1990s, deeper interaction with the Pearl River Delta has further benefited businesses doing business in China via Hong Kong. A bridge spanning the Pearl River estuary and the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (Cepa) formed part of the master plan to facilitate co-operation.

Economic lifeblood

Forty years on, Hong Kong SMEs still account for more than 98 per cent of the companies in Hong Kong. They are now preparing for the next stage of Hong Kong’s development – that of an advanced services economy which generates higher value from creativity, innovation and knowledge, anchored by technology.

And no-one doubts that the spirit of those small companies which were behind the economic miracle that is Hong Kong will continue to take it to the next level and beyond.

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