Chee Kee Sawmill & Timber Yard and its demise

HF: The owner of Chee Kee Sawmill & Timber, Wong Hung-kuen describes the 75 year old business as a ”temple of carpentry” in Hong Kong. But the city is about to lose its last temple.

The 72 year old carpenter inherited the sawmill from his father who founded it in 1947. It survived the city’s economic transition from manufacturing to finance and growing environmental awareness – but was finally felled by a government development plan.

The sawmill is located in the village of Ma Tso Lun in Sheung Shui, an area that falls under the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy proposed by the former chief executive Carrie Lam last year. The plan intends to link several existing towns and to develop rural areas in the city’s northern district into a megalopolis which will become part of the Greater Bay Area, Beijing’s development for Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities.

The Chi Kee Sawmill is the last of its kind in the financial hub, but the owners have been told to move out before September 13. [HF: in which year not known] ”Look at this timber how could we possibly empty the sawmill by the deadline?” Wong asked.

Like many people in the 1940s, Wong’s father came to Hong Kong from the mainland in the hope of putting down roots in what he saw as a ”land of freedom.” Wong was born shortly after the business was established.

This article was first posted on 20th April 2025.