We had 90% discount on Cathay Pacific tickets. During peak seasons we might not be able to take wing, but we were on the waiting list. The advantage was that our family was also entitled to the discount. We could fly only in ordinary days; otherwise we might be stuck at the foreign land, unable to get on the flight. 

We brought camera, mushroom and mainland medicine to Taiwan. For medicines, such as Yunnan Baiyao and Sanpien Pills, we had to tear away the package because Taiwan prohibited imports of mainland goods. But without the package they could pass the custom. Several shops in Jordon Road and Kowloon City specialized in parallel trading. The shops were stuffed with parallel goods, and they marked down clearly how much you could earn with them, like $20 and $100. You put down your name and then you could participate in the trade.

I tried to run goods one single time, to Taiwan. Didn’t earn much though. I brought two bottles of liquor, two catties of tealeaf and two boxes of cigarette. It’s not useful at all; I just earned the rental.

I did it one or two times to Taiwan. I brought some suit fabric, and what I earned was more than I normally spent. Everyone was doing it, and it wasn’t illegal.

Taiwan at that time was lacking fashionable goods like cosmetics and clothes. The Taiwanese had to pay tax if they brought the goods themselves. Many HAECO staffs would do the job for them; they brought the goods to the hotel and look for buyers. Later the trade developed, and the Taiwanese buyers would first write a letter to tell them what to bring along, such as Yunnan Baiyao. In ordinary days we could mostly get on the flight. Many of the Wives’ Group went together with the Cathay Pacific staffs; sometimes the wives set off earlier and came back after they finished their food and grocery shopping in Taiwan (台灣).

There were no fruits in Korea, so we brought along the fruits. The Cathay Pacific staffs used to go to Japan, Taiwan and Korea. At that time they worked four in a group; three of them did the duty and one did the import. When they went to Korea they traded Rolex. The practice was that they put on a counterfeit watch when passing the immigration desk. Otherwise, if they were caught without the watch at departure (as it was already sold), they had to pay tax.

Korea was short of bananas at that time, so we could sell bananas there. It was hearsay and I’m not sure if that’s true. In Korea, whenever people saw you with a camera they would ask you whether it was for sale.