Afong (A Fong, Ah Fong, Lai Afong), Hong Kong Chinese studio whose founder apparently started in the profession c. 1859, leaving his son to continue c. 1890. The firm continued into the third generation, until 1941. As with most Chinese studios, the man behind the commercial name is elusive. However, his business activities are clear, because from the mid-1860s he was advertising heavily in the local foreign-language press. Aiming, like his fellow countrymen, at the most profitable part of the business, he endeavoured to take photography out of Westerners' hands, undercutting their prices while offering similar products. Afong is one of the few Chinese photographers who did views; his Hong Kong series compare with Floyd's or Thomson's in subject matter (if not quality). While Afong the man seems to have owned the studio, how much of a photographer he himself was is unclear, since he employed Western assistants/managers, as well as Chinese staff. Ultimately, as in all Chinese ports, he and his colleagues in Hong Kong remained masters of the game.
— Régine Thiriez
