Soy Sauce in Hong Kong: From Sun-Dried Sauce to First-Brewed Premium

Abstract

If we say Hong Kong people cannot afford soy sauce, it might sound a bit exaggerated. However, most of the soy sauce produced domestically in Hong Kong during the early years was exported to Europe and the United States. Historically speaking, many soy sauce manufacturers started their business in Hong Kong, beginning around the 1920s. With the establishment of a guild association, local sun-dried soy sauce became one of Hong Kong’s home-grown industries. In the 1950s and 1960s, Hong Kong seized the opportunity to earn foreign revenue because of the Korean War, which limited exports from many Asian countries to Europe and the United States. However, by the 1990s, consumers began to look differently at local soy sauce products, especially first-brewed soy sauce. Today, Hong Kong producers get recognition not only for quality but also for something produced locally. So soy sauce produced in Hong Kong in fact has witnessed many social changes in Hong Kong over the last century. This article explores the changing meanings of local soy sauce and consumption patterns of Hong Kong consumers, and provides a viewpoint on the construction of cultural identity in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover.