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 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.
Undated. Source: 吳昊(老花鏡)
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
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Thank you for posting this article.
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.
Thanks for bringing up Ko Ming-fan (高銘勳). Would love to learn more about him and his involvement in the HK mining industry
Below legal case shed some light on his life and family:
https://www.hongkongcaselaw.com/ko-ming-fan-and-another-v-ko-kwok-kue-and-others/
Is there another earlier case involving ko kwok kue? I recall someone mentioned he had filed suit on behalf of flat hill quarry.
Hk Clays was also referred as ” mining lot 20″
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.
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…