Hong Kong’s first and last hand-painted porcelain factory may be relocated to Guangzhou
For 90 years, the factory has been producing a special kind of ceramic recognised by mainland China as an intangible cultural heritage
Yuet Tung China Works, Hong Kong’s first and last factory for hand-painted porcelain, may eventually be relocated across the border after weathering the city’s highs and lows for the past 90 years.
Established in 1928, the company produces “Guang Cai,” a special kind of Qing dynasty ceramic originating from Guangzhou.
From workshops, first in Kowloon City and later in Kowloon Bay, the prized porcelain goods made their way to the homes of former governors Murray MacLehose and Chris Patten, as well as five-star hotels such as The Peninsula and Shangri-La.
Rare Mao porcelain rice bowl to go under the hammer
At its height, the factory once employed more than 300 workers before the 1940s. But as competition from mainland China increased in the 1980s as its economy opened up, Yuet Tung China Works lost many of its overseas customers and now only has four workers.
“Moving back to Guangzhou may be the only way out,” said Tso Chi-chung, the manager and a third generation owner of the company. “In Hong Kong, all kinds of handicrafts are dying.”
Tso said he hoped they could find other employees in Guangzhou to work for the business, valued at several million Hong Kong dollars a year.
