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Pawnbroking is one of the earliest businesses in Hong Kong. The pawnshop is a financial institution that receives movable and immovable property as collateral, lending money to the others. Private sole proprietorship or partnership were the common type of ownership. Clients have to pay interest in order to redeem goods. Pawnshop is a place for people to deal with financial difficulties. There are around three to five employees for a small pawn shop and a dozen of employees for a large one.〔於彥北. 香港當鋪何以經久不衰："押"字招牌后有乾坤 http://hm.people.com.cn/BIG5/42280/42458/42580/3134007.html Extracted on 20 January 2005〕 == History and Development == The business started since Hong Kong had become an entrepot. Jeun Yun Aat (晉源押) was the first pawn shop in Hong Kong.〔Hinhung . 香港風俗/古蹟再尋找 http://blog.yahoo.com/_XA4AIMCZS3HAWYNRS6BUT4SQZI/articles/252809 . Extracted on 4 November 2013〕 In 1926, the Hong Kong government strengthened its regulation on pawnshops and promulgated the pawn legislation. Since then, pawnbrokers had to be licensed in a bid to start business.〔The Hong Kong & Kowloon Pawnbrokers’ Association Limited . http://www.pawn.com.hk/?mod=site_pawn_assoc_history . Extracted on 4 November 2013〕 And this industry became more and more popular. The pawnbrokers were undermined by the Second World War during The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong but they flourished again after the war in 1945 because of the inflation and shortage of resources. To circulate and resolve fund and finance, the Hong Kong Government urged the pawn industry to revive itself. With the support of government, The Hong Kong & Kowloon Pawnbrokers' Association Limited was set up in 1947. There were only 11 members at the time. Between 1950 and 1960 the number of members increased to more than 90, reaching 138 in 1994. Today it has more than 161 members and coupled with non-member pawnshops, there are approximately 250 pawnshops in Hong Kong. Pawnshops are mainly located in Hong Kong Island, particularly central, and Kowloon, and since many jewellers and goldsmiths shop are located in Central, the mortgage and loan amount is usually higher.〔於彥北. 香港當鋪何以經久不衰："押"字招牌后有乾坤 http://hm.people.com.cn/BIG5/42280/42458/42580/3134007.html Extracted on 3/4 November 2013〕 In order to prevent the stolen property selling in the pawnshop, the Hong Kong law stipulates that when pawnshops receive the item, people need to provide their identity card. Items are under strict verification and registration nowadays. All data needs to be entered into the computer and a record needs to be kept. If any suspicious items are found in the pawnshop, the pawnshop will immediately notify the police. On 12 March 2013, the first "Pawn shop stocks" Oi Wah Pawnshop Credit Holdings Limited (01319.HK) was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The mode of the pawn shops when the Oi Wah Company went public. These novel sort of pawn shops can cooperate with the market instead of going with the set square to constitute a special private credit market in Hong Kong.〔Oi Wah Pawnshop Credit Limited. http://www.pawnshop.com.hk/?mod=site_oi_wah_tch_about_us Extracted on 4 November 2013〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pawnbroker in Hong Kong」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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