[14] On the back of financially successful Sing Tao Daily and Tiger Balm, he attacked the English-language newspaper market by launching the paper on 1 March 1949 to give a Chinese voice to the world and to advance the interests of Chinese in all their endeavours and defend them against all kinds of inequalities, challenging the pro-colonial establishment press.

Its bold headlines and large photographs provoked a radical redesign at the Standard, which also suffered the loss of a great many reporters, sub-editors, and advertising to the Eastern Express, tempted by its boasts of generous pay.

The Standard adopted a distinctive orange and black masthead and an advertising campaign that used a carrot logo and the maxim "clearer vision."

Meanwhile, an emergency recruitment drive brought in new staff from the UK and Tasmania, mostly from regional newspapers and on fixed contracts.

[citation needed] On 27 May 2000, facing challenges from its biggest competitor the South China Morning Post,[17] the Hongkong Standard was renamed Hong Kong iMail (Chinese: 香港郵報) and reduced to tabloid size[17] to attract more younger readers,[17] and was refocused on business issues.

[18] In August 1996 the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong found that 14,000 copies of the paper had been discarded at Wan Chai Pier and therefore started an investigation.

Circulation figures had always been somewhat obscure, owing to the Sing Tao group's longstanding agreements with hotels and clubs where the newspaper was distributed free.

As a result, the ICAC arrested three staff members of the Hongkong Standard and investigated Aw Sian as co-conspirator.

Aw Sian was not charged, after the secretary of justice Elsie Leung decided not to prosecute her owing to insufficient evidence and in the public interest.