Hong Kong Calling Magazine - 15th April, 1950

FRANCIS WU – PHOTOGRAPHER by Rene Guimaraes Remedios

Strange as it may seem, the Hong Kong Photographic Society have been able to put out a better “One Man Photographic Exhibition” this year than their International Salon last year.

Francis Wu, who is giving the first of the series of one-man shows. Sponsored by the local photographic Society has been delving into the field of photography for many years and has been amply rewarded for his labors by the many awards and medals he has received from photographic societies all over the world. He holds a Certificate of Merit from the Royal Photographic Society, London, one from the Lincoln Camera Club, Lincoln, England, and another from the “Popular Photography” magazine, and the Memorial Diploma from the First International Salon of Photography arranged by the Jonkopings Fotoklupp, Sweden, among many other gold, bronze and silver medals.

Francis Wu, more than other local, and even foreign. Photographers, has a remarkable knack of catching the being and essence of his models as shown in many studies of old Chinese models. Of course, “Old Butt Delicious” showing a bamboo-hatted Chinese sucking in through old, hollow cheeks, the few puffs left in an old cigarette butt, is an excellent example of his wonderful technique and has won for the proud photographer, two hundred acceptances, a gold and a bronze medal from foreign photographic salons. “His Last Song” taking just before the model starved to death during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, has been well named for all the pathos and resignation to the death that has come, have been excellently caught by the camera and is representivre of the art of Francis Wu. The cigarette certainly satisfied the old Chinese model of “It Satisfies” as his many wrinkles and scars of passing time, have been very expressively portrayed by the photographer.

Old Butt Delicious by Francis Wu

His landscapes and scenery photographs are also very well taken and, of these, “In Taipo Water” and “Early Morning” are outstanding for the peacefully floating junks on the calm, clear water. In the first picture, Francis Wu has caught the transparency and clearness of the calm sea to perfection, and the reflection cast against the shadow cast by the quiet hills. Represent a fine study of life in the many bays dotted about Hong Kong and Kowloon waters.

Francis Wu is a “Chinese Photographer” and he is peerless in this field.

But it is satisfying to know that Hong Kong has managed to produce such a capable photographer, works of whom have been widely acclaimed throughout the world, and who has generated so much glory for Hong Kong in photographic salons in Europe and America

Francis Wu - Permanent Collection - The Mariners Museum - 1954

Francis Wu’s photo “Dawn at Chesapeake Bay” was included in the permanent collection in The Mariners Museum in Newport Virginia in 1954. The vision of the museum is to illustrate mankind’s experience with the sea and the events that shaped the course and progress of civilization.

Dawn at Chesapeake Bay by Francis Wu

Francis Wu - Brother Richard Cheong Yew

Richard Cheong Yew was born in Hawaii on March 17, 1920. He was the fourth child of Ing Wah On and Lau Yee Moy. He lived in for most of his life in Hawaii on 1434 Gulick Avenue in Kalihi.

The Gulick Avenue House had many fruit trees in the front yard (avacado, lychee, long hgan-Dragon Eye, Philipino mango, rose bushes and night blooming jasmine and gardinia) The house was set backand had a wrap-around porch. The back yard was also large enough for a garden and hen coops. A stream marked the back of the property.

Richard love to build balsa-wood model airplanes, covered with silk. He would stay up all hours to finish them, then take them over to his friends house to try them out.

In 1931, Richared moved back to China with his parents when they retired. He stayed in Hong Kong on Bonham Road till 1937, then he moved back to Hawaii with Ken and Hook Mun.

Richard went to Glendale, California for aeronautical mechanics training. He stayed in the YMCA. He finished school in 1939. He wanted to go back to Hong Kong but was told to stay in California. He returned to Hawaii around 1941 via air and stayed with his sister Pearl. He worked as a pattern maker for the ship foundry in Pearl Harbor. During the war, he worked for Ford Island Aviation and worked there all during the war. He met Helen Lau in the late 1944 and he got married in December 1945 at the Chinese Christian Church on King Street in Honolulu. They have two children, Kathleen Garlyn Ing (born November 30, 1946) and Dexter (born November 13, 1949)

Richard was drafted into the army in Sept. 1945 and had basic training in Scofield for a couple of weeks, then assigned to Hickam Air Field 13^th Replacement Division. And then to quartermaster at Scofield.

In the 1950’s, he had a house on Alohea Ave Apartment in Kapilani Blvd, in Honolulu., and later on he moved to 1359 Uila St. in Honolulu. He worked at different jobs in the 1950’s His last job was with the United States Overseas Airlines (USOA) until 1960. Then switched to the dispatch office with Aloha Aillines until retirement in 1986. Helen worked for the Kamehameha School from 1962 and retired in 1998.

Francis Wu - Photographs On Exhibition - Hong Kong South China Morning Post, August 9, 1940

Those who have seen the fine portraits by Francis Wu, well-known Chinese portraitist. Should not miss his pictorial exhibition. Although Mr. Wu specializes in portraiture, his pictorials are also outstanding and have international recognition.

The works on exhibition show individuality, and Mr. Wu’s keen eye for unusual subjects. He is a student of Mr. Nicholas Haz, F.R.P.S., the well-known composition analyst, and Mr. Wu’s composition can be classified as “Hazian Lines” or “Hazian Curves” The subject are simple and unique, with emphasis on simplicity, unity, and clarity and tone value.

The exhibition begins today continuing until August 25, at the Eagle Photographic Service.

Boston International Salon Of Nature Photography - First Annual - 1940

Is held under the auspices of the New England Museum of Natural History in the Main Hall of the Museum at 234 Berklet Street, Boston Mass. / February 4 to 18, 1940

Judges :
Frank R. Fraprie Editor of American Photographers
Louis C. Graton Harvard University
Charles A Proctor Dartmouth College


The Boston International Salon of Nature Photography was conceived as an exhibition, open to competitors the world over, which would bring together once every year a collection of most interesting and beautiful photographs of the living world around us.

Portrait Of An Old Woman by Francis Wu Circa 1930's

Catalog

SECTION B. ETHNOLOGICAL

Francis Wu Hong Kong, China

Morning Smoke

Portrait of an Old Woman

If I Were King

Ansel Adams San Francisco, Calif

Adobe Church

Francis Wu - His Photography Magazine

Photo by Francis Wu 1950

Francis Wu started his own photographic magazine in Hong Kong. The publisher is David Choy and is published by the Chinese Photographic Publisher. The magazine is called “Chinese Photographer”

Francis Wu is the Editor–in Chief of the magazine and David Choy and Dr. Ernest To as the Associate Editors.

The magazine is published in English and Chinese. In this cover, Francis was asked to photograph Miss Y, Y, Chang, a beautiful and talented Dramatic actress. She was dressed in a Ching Dynasty costume He photographed this photo at the New Photo Salon Studio in Kowloon.

In this issue, David Cohen wrote:

Francis Wu obtained his fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society in 1941, and a few years later in 1948 became a fellow of The Photographic Society of America. Further, The Photographic Society of America has appointed him, as the representative of China and Hong Kong.

Among his activities in the Chinese Photographic circles, there are a number of things we have to mention. He organized a miniature Photographic contest at Canton in the year 1933 which was sponsored by Schmidt & Co.

Francis, starting from Canton in the next year, on which he gave lectures on photography to many audiences, headed an all China photographic trip. He was one of the founders of The Photographic Society of Hong Kong and has been Vice-President for five successive years.

Wu is becoming the most famous of Chinese photographers and his work of such high standard that he is being praised for his masterpieces all over the world.

The Stephen H Tyng Permanent Collection

In 1965, Francis Wu’s “Vanity Fair” was included in the permanent collection of Stephen H. Tyng. The Royal Photographic Society holds the collection.

The late Stephen H. Tyng, a New York businessman joined the Royal Photographic Society in the early years of the century. He paid a number of visits to England during which he practiced landscape work under the guidance of A.C. Banfield and Bertram Cox. In appreciation to the help given him, he established a fund for the acquisition of outstanding examples of pictorial photography.

"Vanity Fair" by Francis Wu 1949

The Pictorial Group Committee, which appoints the Trustees of the Fund and the selectors of the prints. The selectors are appointed annually and are empowered to purchase photographic works, which they deem to be a true cross section of good contemporary pictorial work. This collection started in 1927.

Francis Wu's Studio - 2 Gloucester Arcade - Hong Kong - 1945

Francis Wu's Studio / 2 Gloucester Arcade

Hong Kong

Francis Wu opened his first studio in the Gloucester Arcade buiding in Hong Kong after World War II in 1945.

Between 1945 and 1947, Francis Wu was also:

• Hong Kong Government House Official Photographer
• (The only Hong Kong press photographer admitted to photograph the signing of the Japanese Surrender Ceremony at the Hong Kong Government House.)
• Hong Kong Government Relation Office-Photographer
• Assisted the Hong Kong police with photographic assistance in detection of crime after the liberation of Hong Kong.
• China Mails official photographer (Full assistance until his or her own photographic department is establish
• Sunday Herald Official Photographer – Until their own photographic department is established
• Hong Kong Mirror Official Photographer

Portrait by Francis Wu

Francis Wu’s Studio specializes in portraits, as the logo reads: "Portrait of Distinction", but Francis also does a lot of weddings and baby pictures. Everyone was waiting for the war to be over to get married, making babies (Baby Boomers Generation), starting to travel and need ID’s - passport photos were in great demand.

Francis Wu was so busy he eventually opened branches of his photographic Studio at different locations in Hong Kong with over 22 staff members

Besides his studio work, Francis was also very active with the Photographic Society of America and Great Britain, having one-man shows around the world, giving lectures in photography, and working with different camera clubs in Hong Kong.

Francis Wu - His Brother - Kenneth Cheong Bew

Ing Cheong Bew (Kenneth) was born on March 21^st, 1918. He was the third child of Ing Wah On and Yee Moy. He was a chubby baby, almost 9 or 10 pounds in birth.. He was the father’s pride & Joy. Father would take him to the store and he would play for hours without his brother. Everyone from the store would come to play with him. Cheong Bew stayed fat and chubby all through his life.

Cheong Bew attended St. Louis High School on River Street, and every afternoon he attended Mun Lum Chinese Language School

Mother Yee Moy loved to knit, crochet and embroide. She made pretty dollies, runners, and curtains - even for the car windows. Yee Moy also made all the clothes and dresses for everyone. She made suits for Wah On and for the boys, she made BVDS. (underwear)

Salt chicken on Sundays. (Layer of Rock Salt, capon or chicken, more salt, seal and slow cook) They also ate jook (rice congee) with straw mushrooms, lotus seed, chicken and orange peel.

On June 18, 1931, Wah On retired and Kenneth moved back to China with the family. They took the Tatsuta Maru of the NYK (Nippon Yukon Kaiser) Lines. The boat trip took 14 days. His mother Yee Moy got very sea sick and Kenneth took good care of her.

In 1937, Kenneth, Richard and Hook Mun returned to Hawaii. Kenneth fulfilled his father’s wishes to become a civil engineer, in Angola, Indiana. He graduated from Tri-State College in Civil Engineering in June, 1941. He joined the US Army and took basic training in Ft. Lee VA. Eventually, Ken was in the ASA, top military security.

Kenneth married Helen Hong on November 2, 1949. Helen (Hong Kee Huoy, #3 daughter of Hong Yi Siu), Born October 5, 1919. They had one son and two daughters.

Their son is Paul Stephen Ing, and daughters Nancy Connie Ing and Deborah Judy Ing.

Kenneth died on February 21^st. 1985.

Francis Wu - Opening His Branch Studio - February 1949

Sun Ying Ming Studio

Mr. Wu opened his branch photography studio on Hennessy Road in Hong Kong. Here are some of the things Mr. Wu thinks how a studio should operate :

The comfort of the customer is considered very important now, and nearly all the large studios in Hong Kong are equipped with air conditioning units in the summer, and heating units in winter. Furniture is simple, modernistic, and streamlined in design, and is artistically and simply arranged. Decoration is plain, and unlike the ornate trend followed in the past, now shows more simplicity and taste.

The show-window, like the furniture, is simple and plain, and certainly much more artistic. There are fewer pictures in the show window, but these pictures are bigger in size. Photographers in Hong Kong read many articles in magazines, and in addition to trying to improve the quality of their prints, also try to beautify their studios. They realize that vividness and attractiveness is not necessarily due to quantity, but to quality and taste in arrangements and this realization has made studio show windows conform more to the artistic viewpoint.

Crowds Anxiously Waiting for the Opening

Francis Wu - His Sister Dolores/Meg - Yuk Quon

Dolores/Meg – Yuk Quon was born on July 10, 1916 in Hawaii.

Dolores was born after Francis Cheong Kin. She was born in Hawaii when her father Wah On moved her mother and Francis from Buk Toy, China. Doloes attended the Sacred Hearts Academy in the mornings on Fort Street, and every afternoon they attended Mun Lum Chinese Language School.

Wah On, her father was kind, honest and generous. His concern was to take care of anyone who needed his help and he had contributed generously to the schools and community. Although he was always working such long hours, he an his wife was able to raise their children to abide by the golden rule. Strict in dicipline, yet enough to be a pal whenever he could be free.

Weekends were memorable times as relatives would drop by to spend a day with the family, and most of the time, they would have capons for dinner. They raised their own chickens, squabs (pigeons) and even pigs at one time until the Board of Health put a stop to it.

Yuk Quon (Dolores) had the whooping cough one year. Just when she was recovering, Mother was making Jin Dui (Chinese Donuts) for Chinese New Year. Mother warned Yuk Quon not to eat any as they would make her cough worse. So when mother had her back turned, Yuk Quon took a jin dui and hid behind the door and at it. Behold, her cough disappeared!!!

On June 18, 1931, Dolores moved back to China with her parents. She stayed in the house in Hong Kong on 51-53 Bonham Road with her parents, her other brothers and sisters, Francis, Daisy and their family.

After her father died in 1939, Dolores stayed with her mother Yee Moy and her brother, Francis’ family in Hong Kong. In July 1940, because of the war, Daisy and her two daughters returned to Hawaii.

Yee Moy died of TB in 1942. Delores stayed in Hong Kong with Francis.

After World War II, Francis & Dolores set up Francis’ Photographic Studio. Daisy returned to Hong Kong with her children in 1947. Dolores returned to Hawaii in 1949, and died on February 1, 1959.

Francis Wu - His First Camera

Man With A Camera / Man At Work / July 21, 1959 / Tuesday

When he was eight or nine years old, Francis Wu Cheong-Kin used to spend a weekend in a public park in Honolulu enjoying the scenery, the people and “all the things that appeared strange to me”

One day young Francis came across something “strange” – something he had never seen before. There it was a sign saying “Your Picture While-U Wait” and there was a crowd milling around a man with a big camera. Young Francis was curious. He mingled with the crowd, waiting patiently for something to happen. In a few minutes, this man tucked his hand into the camera and out came a picture in black and white! Young Francis was stunned and thrilled by this strange feat.

That night young Francis couldn’t sleep, a wink, thinking and wondering about the ”strange thing” This went on for a couple of nights until finally he heaped up enough courage and made a decision : to buy a folding vest pocket Kodak with his $6.00 savings.

A proud owner of the $6 camera, young Francis immediately bought a roll of film, inserted it into the camera and playfully clicked away. He just couldn’t wait to show his brothers and sisters what his camera could do. He opened his “treasure” , looked at the film, expecting to see the pictures all finished on a “while You Wait” basis, but found to his disappointment that there were no pictures but a roll of blank film!

Francis Wu who is now one of the world’s top photographers still laughs about the incident. The 38 year old world famous Chinese cameraman recalls nostalgically the kind and generous drug store clerk who gave him a few pointers in photography and let him have access to the store’s photographic laboratory

In 1912, Kodak introduced the Vest Pocket Kodak. Small enough to carry anywhere, the VPK produced eight tiny 1½ x 2½ inch prints per roll of film. Because of its small size and equally small price ($6.00), these cameras were very popular. Many soldiers, including Kendrick family friend Lt. Harry Henderson, carried them to the front during World War One, making that conflict the first seen through the eyes of the soldiers themselves.