The missing gear : formulating a comprehensive assessment of industrial heritage in Hong Kong through a comparative study on Eastern Cotton Mills and Nan Fung Cotton Mills

Abstract

Industries have played a significant role in the development of Hong Kong in the 1950s to 1980s, along its role as a world financial center. Currently in Hong Kong, the architecture used for performing industrial operations, such as factories, requires a greater understanding, in order to interpret the past history of Hong Kong. However, the idea of recognizing industrial heritage has not been widely spread among the general public in Hong Kong, with a similar situation of modern architecture, as a large number of industrial buildings in Hong Kong were built and designed in modern style in the 20th century. This paper focuses on two case studies: Eastern Cotton Mills and Nan Fung Cotton Mills, which the former one is being demolished while the latter one is being revitalized. Their historical backgrounds, architectural descriptions and future development plans are discussed. Analysis of the differences between these two buildings in terms of redevelopment considerations such as background of the owners and zoning in Outline Zoning Plan, are addressed, as well as their current grading as assessed by the Antiquities Advisory Board. These analyses hope to explain why there are different treatments adopted onto the future plans of these two industrial buildings. Mapping tools have been proposed as one of the recommendations to formulate a systematic way to better understand the context and distribution of the industrial businesses, and to test whether the industrial buildings have significance needing to be recognized as industrial heritage. This paper is to raise the awareness of conserving industrial heritage in Hong Kong and provide insights on deciding what to conserve with the remaining industrial buildings. As Hong Kong was full of different types of industries in the past decades, it is advisable to establish theme-based revitalization plans, in giving a new lease of life to those remarkable industrial buildings.