Hong Kong Clays and Kaolin Company (香港磁泥有限公司) – Kaolin Mine, Cha Kwo Ling

York Lo: From 1903 to 1983, kaolin clay was mined in a quarry in Cha Kwo Ling, a village near Kwun Tong facing the harbor. The 19 acre mine was operated by Hong Kong Clays and Kaolin Company (香港磁泥有限公司)…

…In post War Hong Kong, George McBain operated out of the South China Morning Post Building in Central and the primary operation was HK Clays & Kaolin Co.

hong-kong-clays-and-kaolin-co-ltd-legco-minutes-21-aug-1947

Hong Kong Legislative Council Minutes 21st August 1947

YL: According to a description in a 1956 report, the product of HK Clays & Kaolin “is used in making ceramics locally and there is a flourishing export trade to Japan for the manufacture of high-grade porcelain ware, dinner sets and high voltage insulators. More recently there has been a big demand for this clay for fire bricks and fire clay.”

According to the 1977 Minerals Yearbook, the firm also produced 3378 tons of feldspar that year from its Cha Kwo Ling mine.

hong-kong-clays-and-kaolin-co-ltd-image-from-york-lo

Undated. Source: 吳昊(老花鏡)

hong-kong-clays-and-kaolin-co-ltd-recent-image-from-york-lo

The Kaolin Mine, Cha Kwo Ling post-closure. Undated. Source: York Lo

This article was first posted on 29th December 2016.

See: Fire at Cha Kwo Ling village – 400 people evacuated SCMP 29th December 2016

Related Indhhk articles:

  1. From No 1 on the Bund in Shanghai to a Kaolin Mine in Cha Kwo Ling, Hong Kong – the Century Old China Coast Saga of the McBains

7 Comments

  • Bonnie Manzon

    Thank you for posting this article.

  • Bonnie Sellars

    As a very young mother of three, we were living in ” the Bungalow” on mining site Hk Clays and Kaolin Co. in the Cha Kwo Ling Village. 1980-1983

    I have bittersweet and life changing memories. I often wonder how things have changed.

    Four years ago I made a journey to visit the grave of Ko Ming Fan who ran the Flat Hill Quarry.

  • Bonnie Sellars

    It s interesting that the case lists 6th son Ko Kok Tung as being disabled due to an “industrial accident “. The accident took place at HK Clays Co. while he was at work.

    It happened during Christmas season.

  • Bonnie Sellars

    Being a notary for the State of California, I find the narrative regarding the notary in the case Ko Ming Fan vs. Ko Kok Kue et al, suspicious. In California, at least a notarization would not take place if the signer was not aware of what he or she was signing. I d be interested in knowing how much the notary public received for services
    On face value this sounds like elder abuse…

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