Page 23 - Sphere No.9 (Sep 2003)

retreat, replete with porcelain baths, electric fans, and furniture
of the finest Javanese teak. In these luxurious surroundings,
they enjoyed Amoy oysters, seasonal mango ice cream, curries
“made opiate with powdered poppy seeds,” the noblest wines
of Europe, and mutton brought by Australian steamer from
Queensland.These privileged few also indulged in the refresh-
ing pleasures of Watsons Water, distilled in Hong Kong.
But behind the solid facade of the colonial streets and the
pretty homes that had sprouted on the lower slopes of the
island, poverty lurked. Five thousand Westerners lived in com-
parative comfort while many of the 300,000 Chinese were
packed into tiny houses in the western districts, where poor
sanitation was a constant problem.
As the years rolled on, the prob-
lems intensified. The horrors of the
Japanese occupation (1941–1945)
emptied Hong Kong’s streets and
crushed its economy.
In 1949, Hong Kong was
engulfed by hundreds of thousands of
refugees who crossed the border
attracted by the laissez faire system, or
simply looking for a better life. The
urban areas became the most densely
populated in the world, bringing the
inevitable problems of housing, poor
health and crime. Most serious, perhaps, was the critical
water shortage. At one stage in the 1960s, standpipes on the
streets were turned on for only four hours every four days.
Naturally, the demand for fresh drinking water intensified.
Bottles ofWatsonsWater now made their way from theWatsons
factory into the homes and offices of all who could afford it.
AlthoughWatsons had purchased the colony’s first motor truck
for deliveries, the bottles were transported mainly by barge and
rickshaw, or were carried by men with poles.
In spite of its problems, the city’s businesses and commer-
cial districts flourished again in the 1950s and Watsons’ office-
sized containers started appearing. Made of glass and therefore
needing careful handling, they nonetheless increased in popu-
larity as the city moved into a more sophisticated mode.As well
as providing refreshment for staff and visitors, a Watsons Water
carboy in your office helped your image.
The Hong Kong authorities eventually respond-
ed to the growing water shortage by constructing
a system of giant reservoirs. In 1960 it began
piping in water from
China. The new supplies
were more than welcome
and the government was
acknowledged as doing
its best to maintain quali-
ty, but still there were lin-
gering doubts about the
safety of water coming
from a largely unknown
source. The thirst for
By 1977, as the pace of life quickened, the
company introduced the 500ml plastic bot-
tle, replacing glass versions and making it
handier for people on the move.
In 1979, plastic containers replaced
glass in the commercial sector and
a wider tange of carboys was intro-
duced. The water dispensers pio-
neered by Watsons Water had
become, well, indispensable.
In 1993, Watsons was the first to
introduce a 5-litre bottle. Another
innovation, the unique “Super Seal
System” for water dispensers, was
introduced in 1994, putting an end
to spills and splashes.
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