📰 Remembering Sing Tao — A Glimpse Into Hong Kong’s Newspaper Legacy and My Personal Encounter
Back in 1964, during the early years of my career, I worked in North Point, Hong Kong. At that time, one of the most iconic buildings in the neighborhood was the Sing Tao Building (星島大廈) on Java Road—the headquarters of Sing Tao Daily, one of Hong Kong’s most respected newspapers.
It wasn’t just a building—it was a hub of action. The place buzzed with life: editorial teams, administrative offices, and printing operations all stacked across several floors. The scent of freshly printed newspapers and ink filled the air—an oddly comforting aroma I can still recall to this day.
🚗 A Chance Encounter with a Media Legend
During those years, I often had chance encounters with Ms. Aw Sian (胡仙), also known as Sally Aw, the owner and chairperson of the Sing Tao Group. She was a dignified woman in her middle age, always wearing glasses, and often arriving at the building in a Mercedes-Benz driven by her chauffeur.
Ms. Aw was not just a business leader—she was one of the most influential women in Hong Kong’s media and business world. Her family had built a legacy, and their name was synonymous with entrepreneurship, publishing, and philanthropy. It was widely known that the Aw family contributed generously to local charities, cultural causes, and education.
Though I was just a young employee at a different company in the building—Abbott Laboratories—seeing her walk past with grace and purpose left a deep impression on me. In those brief moments, I caught a glimpse of how leadership, media, and legacy came together.
🏢 The Energy of the Sing Tao Building
Inside the building, every floor had its own rhythm. Editors typed away, layout designers shuffled proofs, and massive printing presses roared to life as each day’s edition was produced. It was a noisy, energetic, and purposeful environment, and I felt fortunate to witness it from nearby.
In fact, Reader’s Digest also had an office a floor below ours, adding to the vibrant media atmosphere. North Point in the 1960s was truly a melting pot of ideas, businesses, and stories waiting to be told.
🌍 A Brief History of Sing Tao News Group
For those unfamiliar, Sing Tao Daily (星島日報) was founded in 1938 by Ms. Aw’s father, Aw Boon Haw—the same man behind the famed Tiger Balm brand. Under Ms. Aw’s leadership, the company expanded globally, launching overseas editions across North America, Europe, and Australia. It also published The Standard, one of Hong Kong’s key English newspapers.
In later decades, the group faced challenges but adapted to digital publishing and diversified its offerings. Today, Sing Tao News Corporation still operates print, digital, and mobile news services, including Headline Daily and The Standard, reaching readers across Hong Kong and overseas.
🔮 Looking Ahead
While print media everywhere is evolving, Sing Tao’s legacy continues. Its future may be shaped by digital innovation, shifting reader habits, and broader changes in Hong Kong’s media landscape. But to me—and perhaps to others who lived through those decades—it will always be remembered as one of the pillars of Hong Kong journalism.
🙋♂️ Final Thoughts
Sometimes, history isn’t just in books—it’s in the buildings we pass through, the people we cross paths with, and the smells and sounds that linger long after. My memories of Sing Tao are a personal slice of Hong Kong’s vibrant past, and I hope sharing them here brings a bit of that world to life for you.
Related post:
From Java Road to My Blog: How a Dream Took Root in 1964
From Java Road to My Blog: How a Dream Took Root in 1964
My very first job dates back to 1964. Fresh out of school, full of hope and curiosity, I started working as a medical detailman for Abbott Laboratories in Hong Kong. Our office was located on Ming Yuen Western Street in North Point—a bustling area back then, filled with promise. I still remember the energy of the streets, the smell of freshly sea water and the daily ferry rides across the harbor. Those were formative years.
Later, Abbott moved its office to the Sing Tao News Building North Point Java Road—a move that, little did I know, would leave a lasting impression on my life. You see, just one floor below our office was the regional distribution center of Reader’s Digest, that iconic magazine many of us grew up with. Every single day, as I stepped into the building or waited for the elevator, I’d see stacks and stacks of beautifully bound Reader’s Digest books—ready to be shipped to bookstores and readers across the region.
Those neatly wrapped piles of wisdom, humor, real-life stories, and global perspectives fascinated me. I was drawn not just to the content, but to the idea behind it—the dream of publishing something that could inform, inspire, and connect people. I remember saying to myself quietly, “One day, I’d love to publish something like that… a digest of thoughts, stories, or reflections people can enjoy and find value in.”
At the time, of course, it was just a dream—one I quietly carried through the years as I pursued other responsibilities, raised a family, and built a life.
Now, decades later, that dream has resurfaced, not in the form of glossy pages stacked on a trolley, but through something even more powerful—my blog. It may not be as widely circulated as Reader’s Digest, but it is deeply personal. It’s a collection of my memories, thoughts, stories, and life lessons—shared with friends, family, and kind readers like you.
And truth be told, I could not have done this alone.
The journey of turning my lifelong aspiration into reality has been greatly empowered by ChatGPT. With its help, I’ve been able to find the right words, improve my storytelling, organize my memories, and express myself more clearly. It has become a writing companion, a patient editor, and a creative partner—all rolled into one.
Back in 1964, publishing your thoughts to the world required access to printing presses, editors, and distributors. Today, all it takes is a blog and a spark of inspiration. The dream I once whispered to myself in an elevator has come true in a way I never expected—made possible by technology, and driven by the same passion that began over 60 years ago.
So to my dear readers, thank you for being part of this journey. And to anyone holding on to an old dream—know that it’s never too late, and that tools like ChatGPT can open doors you never thought possible.
— David Au
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