Ada Lum MeiMei and DiDi at Asia with Embroidered Eyes Blogspot
In the process of trying to identify a cloth doll from the late 1980s, I ran across this brief history of Ada Lum. Ada Lum (b. Australia ~1907[?]-d. Hong Kong 1988), sister of the tennis champion Gordon Lum, appears in references to both her brother and in accounts of the actress Anna May Wong and the humanitarian French Jesuit Priest Father Jacquinot de Besange. More people recognize Ms. Lum’s cloth dolls than her name, though. (See examples from asiawee.blogspot.com above.) Cloth doll collectors who own her dolls may not have much more to go on than the “Made in Hong Kong” stamp on the doll or its clothing. The story behind how Ada Lum began her doll, housewares, fashion, and interior design company is well worth reading.
I recommend checking out more of her amazing story at http://asiawee.blogspot.com/.
EffigiPie 
I have a doll I bought in Hong Kong in the 1980’s, it was a Hakka woman with the traditional hat, black top, pants and red wooden shoes. Now my grandson plays with it
LikeLike
Yes, Ada Lum did make dolls wearing Haka costumes. I’m sure yours is very nice. While her dolls are very soft and much safer than many other dolls made in that era, the doll is probably between 50 and 70 years old and is considered collectible. Good condition labeled Lum dolls do sell decently on eBay.
By the way, I have found that some of the fabrics in the dolls have become very delicate due to natural aging processes, so the doll will likely burst its natural cotton batting after very little playtime. Just thought I should let you know, in case it’s an important doll in your family. Thank you for sharing! :)
LikeLike
Nancy, thank you for your comment. What characters are your dolls dressed as? How lucky to have the tags! I’m not really looking for more Ada Lum dolls right now.
If you do not want to use eBay, there are doll sales groups on Facebook. (Note: never use a “Friends & Family” Facebook sales setting, which is not safe. Otherwise, one can still have the protection available with PayPal, just like on eBay.)
LikeLike
They are in red and blue traditional Chinese costume and original embroidered shoes. They are 25″ tall
LikeLike
Big! They sound nice. Good luck with selling them. I’m sure someone will treasure them.
LikeLike
I have a pair from mother
I have the original paper tags with Ada’s name and the dolls names. I’d like to sell, as I have had them many yrs and I am now 75yrs old
LikeLike