FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10 December 2010 THE PENINSULA CELEBRATES ITS 82 nd ANNIVERSARY WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR HONG KONG An Introduction to Our Home Through the Eyes of The Peninsula Hong Kong Staff On 10 December 2010, The Peninsula Hong Kong celebrated its 82 nd anniversary one day prior to its actual birthday on 11 December with the launch of Our Hong Kong a book introducing the city through the eyes of the hotel staff to guests from all over the world. Our Hong Kong features 50 personal narratives that reveal the interest, passion and knowledge of The Peninsula Hong Kong staff. This book, which will be available in all rooms and suites, will take guests on a journey to learn about the lesser known aspects of Hong Kong, such as 500-year-old villages, the little island where prawn paste is still made by hand using centuries-old techniques and rare festivities such as the annual Fire Dragon Dance that pays tribute to the Dragon King in exchange for protection against the Demons of Disease, to name just a few. Enriched by captivating watercolour illustrations by celebrated artist Lorette E Roberts, the book will offer readers the chance to see Hong Kong anew from 50 of their local friends. The event, held in The Lobby of The Peninsula, was hosted by The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie, Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. In his speech, Sir Michael announced, The Peninsula, a Hong Kong icon, represents much of the spirit of Hong Kong a commitment to excellence, a respect of tradition and an eagerness to embrace the future. I was, therefore, particularly pleased that this new book so clearly conveys our deep roots in this community, our sense of belonging and our great pride in our home. He was joined on stage by three representatives from The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited: Mr Clement Kwok, Chief Executive Officer, Mr Neil Galloway, Chief Financial Officer and Mr Peter Borer, Chief Operating Officer, as well as Ms Rainy Chan, Area Vice President Hong Kong and Thailand, The Peninsula Hotels and General Manager, The Peninsula Hong Kong.
THE PENINSULA CELEBRATES ITS 82 nd ANNIVERSARY WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR HONG KONG - 2 Our Hong Kong was created from the vision of Ms Rainy Chan. She enthuses, I believe that this book will bring a new dimension to visitors experience via personal stories from 50 friends based in Hong Kong. They get to share inside information about neighbourhoods where they grew up, their favourite eateries, local spots and their fond memories, thereby offering knowledge that is rarely found in guidebooks on the city. All members of hotel staff were invited to become a significant part of the hotel s history by contributing their ideas on what they considered representative of their Hong Kong for this book. The selection committee then chose the most interesting ideas and conducted site surveys of the submissions in order to shortlist the final 50 entries that appear in the book. The Grand Old Lady, as The Peninsula Hong Kong is often fondly described, has been an integral part of the city s life for almost a century. The hotel opened her doors for the first time in 1928, and has been welcoming visitors and patrons from all over the world ever since. Many guests see the hotel as their home in Hong Kong and their visits are often with family members who span several generations. Over the years, The Peninsula s guests have developed special relationships with the hotel, with their stays often made exceptional by staff members who share their knowledge of Hong Kong. As she enters her 83 rd year, The Peninsula Hong Kong continues to create special memories for visitors with the Our Hong Kong programme, which will include excursions to unique areas and activities introduced by staff as part of The Peninsula Academy, the hotel s award-winning Chinese Cultural Experience learning vacation programme, as well as special menus in the hotel s Chinese restaurant, Spring Moon, featuring classic, home-grown dishes that represent the true culinary essence and heritage of Hong Kong.
THE PENINSULA CELEBRATES ITS 82 nd ANNIVERSARY WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR HONG KONG - 3 EXCERPTS FROM OUR HONG KONG A COMPILATION OF STAFF ANECDOTES Sam Kuruneru, Assistant Concierge, 35 years of service Tai Ping Ching Tsiu, Tai Wai This sense of community is apparently at its best when the village celebrates the Tai Ping Ching Tsiu (The Pure Rituals of Great Peace), usually simply called Ta Tsiu On an area of open space near the village, a series of great matsheds made of bamboo roofed in with tin sheets, are prepared. One is a huge theatre for Chinese opera seating over two thousand people (opera is staged every day and every night of Ta Tsiu). During Ta Tsiu, the people are supposed to eat only vegetarian food, but most village women do not know very much about preparing this type of food, so the village provides free vegetarian food every day, and the matshed is large enough to accommodate a hundred tables, and up to a thousand people eat there every day of Ta Tsiu. Florian Trento, Executive Chef, 23 years of service Bride s Pool Road, Sha Tau Kok There is something almost magical about a really fine motor vehicle. The immaculate paintwork, the sleek interiors, the power, the authority, the masculinity, the purring sound that it makes. My own particular passion is my Harley-Davidson motorbike. On the occasional Sunday morning I drive it, polished and in perfect condition, out to the New Territories, where, at the northern end of Bride s Pool Road near Sha Tau Kok, at about eight in the morning, droves of connoisseurs of fine motors gather. Members of the Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche Clubs, and the Harley Owners Group (HOG) all converge there. They park their vehicles along the road, and walk up and down admiring the vehicles on show. There s nothing quite like it! To see so many fine cars and motorcycles gathered together is a truly wonderful experience.
THE PENINSULA CELEBRATES ITS 82 nd ANNIVERSARY WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR HONG KONG - 4 Johnny Chung, Senior Bartender, 53 years of service Local Favourites, Tsim Sha Tsui I first came to work at T he Peninsula in 1957 and after more than 53 years of service, I am now the longest-serving staff member. T sim Sha T sui -- where T he Peninsula is located -- today is so very different from that of 1957. I n those days the area was only just beginning to develop as a modern tourist centre and was still full of men who made a living hawking small things to boys with a few cents in their pockets. Sadly, most of those men have since long gone, swept away by the relentless forces of non-stop modernisation. T here used to be a man who traded from a tiny stool which he set down on the pavement just down from the hotel. H e had a large black umbrella which he opened beside him and then he would take fresh bamboo leaves and weave and twist them into marvellous grasshoppers with bright red eyes, and very realistic wings and legs. As he finished each one, he would pin it to the umbrella. I used to be able to watch him at work for as long as I could, but if you bought one of his grasshoppers, it would only last for a day or two because when the leaves dried out they curled up and the grasshopper no longer looked real. IN THE BEGINNING Every great lady has a history and The Peninsula Hong Kong is no exception. Hers is a remarkable story of vision and evolution. The architects who, in the early 1920s, drew up plans for the finest hotel east of Suez did so at the behest of men whose foresight and confidence in Hong Kong set them on what was considered an audacious path. But, from the moment The Peninsula Hong Kong opened on 11 December 1928, it was evident that the seeds of progress sown by the Directors of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited had indeed found fertile ground. Almost immediately, The Peninsula Hong Kong transformed Kowloon from a sleepy backwater to the focal point of a vibrant social life.
THE PENINSULA CELEBRATES ITS 82 nd ANNIVERSARY WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR HONG KONG - 5 As luxury ocean liners began to steam into Victoria Harbour, she welcomed the rich and the famous, the titled and the tycoons, with an embrace of unsurpassed luxury and warmth. Hong Kong and The Peninsula became synonymous. Over the years, The Peninsula Hong Kong has been witness to and a participant in the history of Hong Kong, celebrating its dramatic progress, weathering the turbulence of war and military occupation, and meeting the challenges posed by the changing needs of the international traveller. She has endured and beautifully so in a city that possesses precious few remnants of a rich and colourful past. Through her wonderfully pukka Lobby have strolled myriad stars of stage and screen, renowned authors, musicians and political figures. Hong Kong dubbed her The Pen and she is referred to thus around the world. Photo caption (Left to Right) Mr Clement Kwok, Chief Executive Officer, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited Sir Michael Kadoorie, Chairman, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited Ms Rainy Chan, Area Vice President Hong Kong and Thailand, The Peninsula Hotels and General Manager, The Peninsula Hong Kong Mr Neil Galloway, Chief Financial Officer, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited
Mr Peter Borer, Chief Operating Officer, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited THE PENINSULA CELEBRATES ITS 82 nd ANNIVERSARY WITH THE LAUNCH OF OUR HONG KONG - 6 ### About The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH) Incorporated in 1866 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (00045), HSH is a holding company whose subsidiaries, associates and jointly controlled entity are engaged in the ownership and management of prestigious hotel, commercial and residential properties in key destinations in Asia, the USA and Europe, as well as the provision of transport, club management and services. The hotel portfolio of the Group comprises the Peninsula Hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Tokyo, Bangkok, Manila and Paris (opening in 2012). The property portfolio of the Group includes The Repulse Bay Complex, The Peak Tower and The Peak Tramways, St. John s Building, The Landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the Thai Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand. For further information, please contact: Ms Stephanie Sim Director of Public Relations The Peninsula Hong Kong Salisbury Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone : (852) 2315 3010 Fax : (852) 2722 4170, 2315 3124 E-mail : stephaniesim@peninsula.com Website : www.peninsula.com Digital Photo Library : www.peninsula.com/pdl Broadcast Video Library : www.thenewsmarket.com/thepeninsulahotels