HF: This Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) Appraisal mentions that Tsang Koon-man (曾貫萬, 1808-1894), nicknamed Tsang Sam-li (曾三利) came to Hong Kong and “set up his quarry business in Shaukiwan having his shop called Sam Lee Quarry (三利石行)”. Does this mean the quarry was called Sam Lee? The shop [?] was called Sam Lee, and what did it sell? Or both? Or […]
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New information: A Kung Ngam 1846, “The only produce of Hong Kong, for exportation, is granite…it employs many hands, a great number of boats, each about 70 to 100 tons, and capital. There are seldom less than a hundred of the above craft which monthly leave this place with a full cargo for the interior; and it is considered a […]
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HF: This map is from an Urban Council book published in 1991. It shows what a large number of mines and quarries there have been in Hong Kong. Many of these may well have been small operations but it forces me to revise my previous estimation of around 25 commercial mines. Please excuse the highlighting which was done many years […]
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HF: New information in red I am assuming, until corrected, that there was only one To Kwa Wan quarry. The quarry dates back to pre-colonial times. Patrick Hase, in his Indhhk article, Quarrying and transportation of stone in Hong Kong, 1841, says, “The most prestigious stone in Canton and the Pearl River Delta area for such quality buildings was Hong Kong granite, which […]
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Here are the locations of the eight mines which we have posted articles about. Tymon Mellor found the map and Malcolm Morris inserted the mines on it. Many thanks to both. This map can be found in Sewell RJ et al, Hong Kong Geology: A 400-million year journey, CEGG, Gov of HKSAR, 2009. Chapter 8, Economic Geology – Minerals and Mines in […]
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IDJ has sent two more images of stone breaking, or “cutting” as the second image is titled, in Hong Kong. Related Indhhk articles: Stone breaking in early 20th Century Hong Kong Film of quarry stone breaking by hand 1953 – location The Index contains several articles about quarrying and the transportation of stone in Hong Kong.
» Read moreHF: This is shown in our article, Quarries in Hong Kong – a list I added it to the list but I have no idea where I saw it mentioned. Can anyone supply further information about it? And why was it a “Government” quarry?
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Tymon Mellor: It has never been clear why if there was a lead mine at Lead Mine pass, no one has developed the site when exploration has been undertaken all over the territory. There are references to the mine location on the contemporary maps and within Government reports following the take over of the New Territories in 1898. But no further […]
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Thomas Ngan and HF: Quarrying and Stone Breaking have a very long history in Hong Kong. Firstly providing dressed building stone and later aggregate for concrete. Before 1966 there were many small ‘permit’ quarries scattered across Hong Kong. These mainly produced dressed building stone. The last of these quarries closed in 1974 after which only larger, licenced quarries were in […]
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HF: I keep finding references to mines that I hadn’t come across before. The most recent is Stuco mine on Lantau, which popped up without further details in an article in a Geological Society Newsletter. Where was it? What did it produce? When was it operating? I thought it would useful to compile a list of HK mines that can […]
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