The last sawmill in Hong Kong : Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber as an industrial heritage

Abstract

Hong Kong has a rich industrial history, but industrial heritage has long been neglected in Hong Kong. In the list of 114 declared monuments, there are only 11 industrial heritage building / sites. In the list of 1444 historical buildings, there are only 95 entries can be regarded as industrial heritage. Within these 95 items, only 3 are factories, while 80 of them are reservoir-related structures. Since late 1980s, labour-intensive factories in Hong Kong started to relocate to mainland China. The process of deindustrialization and pressure for urban renewal have led to rapid disappearance of industrial buildings without leaving any records. As the last sawmill which is still operating until now, Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber is facing pressure to close down due to decline of the industry and new development plan posed by the government. There is an urgency to document the only sawmill left in Hong Kong. This research will be focusing on Chi Kee as the only surviving sawmill left in Hong Kong, which has been running for 70 years since 1947. The study will look into both tangible and intangible aspects of Chi Kee as a case study, in order to have a better understanding of sawmill as an industrial heritage. The tangible aspect consists of the factory layout and its machineries and tools, while the intangible aspect includes the history and daily operation of Chi Kee, and how it has survived the challenges of urban developments. Base on this, the study will try to investigate possibility of sustaining the sawmill, as well as to seek ways to raise awareness on conserving industrial heritage in both tangible and intangible aspects.