1. The History
Not too much history about on this place. The factory belonged to Mayar Silk, a premier Shanghai-based silk manufacturer, which first formed in Shanghai back in 1917. Tsai Shengbai was appointed General Manager of Mayar Silk Mills in 1937 and in 1956 he was sent to Mayar's factory in Hong Kong. Other than that, there appears to be no information on this place or the plans for its future. It's been abandoned for at least 20 years and occupies extremely valuable real estate land in down-town Tsuen Wan.
2. The Explore
This place is a bit of an unusual one. It’s an old silk mill is in the middle of Tsuen Wan. It must represent very valuable real estate so it’s strange it has been left empty for so long. I’ve been passing this place for years and first remember seeing it right back in the late 1990s. All this time little has changed, and it has been locked up and in a disused state, although there was hints that there was a live-in caretaker on-site. Hence all I’ve ever got is external pics.
I mentioned this place to @drhowser . He didn’t know about it but was very interested, given the general lack of industrial stuff to explore in HK. After he reccied it I got a message back saying he’d spotted a way in, much to my excitement. So, on a very rainy August weekday we met up at Tseun Wan MTR station and made our way down to the factory. Although far from obvious, the good Doctor was very right and after negotiating the perimeter and inner fences we were in. The big red brick building that faces the main street was locked but we improvised and took the ‘goods’ entrance. We were a little surprised with what we found went we got in. We had held out hopes of there being old machinery in there. Instead we found the exact opposite. The place was completely empty and had been fitted out for storage and lined with concrete – in complete contrast to the building’s crumbling red brick exterior. Having looked around the vast floors and briefly ventured onto the roof we found our way back out and moved on to the back factory. This was a straight walk in, and despite looking a little less modern, was also completely empty. The way out was, how shall we put it, a lot more relaxed than the way in, almost to the point of comedy.
So great to have done this building after so many years but slightly disappointing that it was pretty empty. And big up to @drhowser for cracking this one.
3. The Pictures
Front view:
Godown 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And some externals from earlier times when it was sunny and back before the "M" dropped!
img0397 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Maykong 12 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0403 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0408 by HughieDW, on Flickr
So, along here:
img3029 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And down here:
Godown 22 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And we’re out of the rain and we’re in!
Godown 05 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 07 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 08 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img2975 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img2979 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img2982 by HughieDW, on Flickr
This bit looks really modern:
img2984 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img2998 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Obligatory supermarket shopping trolley shot:
img2985 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img2987 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img2989 by HughieDW, on Flickr
On to the other No.2 building:
Godown 10 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 09 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And up:
Godown 15 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 12 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Love the old stencilled signs:
Godown 13 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 21 by HughieDW, on Flickr
More vast empty spaces:
Godown 14 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 16 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 17 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 20 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Godown 18 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Up on to the roof:
img3018 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Not too much history about on this place. The factory belonged to Mayar Silk, a premier Shanghai-based silk manufacturer, which first formed in Shanghai back in 1917. Tsai Shengbai was appointed General Manager of Mayar Silk Mills in 1937 and in 1956 he was sent to Mayar's factory in Hong Kong. Other than that, there appears to be no information on this place or the plans for its future. It's been abandoned for at least 20 years and occupies extremely valuable real estate land in down-town Tsuen Wan.
2. The Explore
This place is a bit of an unusual one. It’s an old silk mill is in the middle of Tsuen Wan. It must represent very valuable real estate so it’s strange it has been left empty for so long. I’ve been passing this place for years and first remember seeing it right back in the late 1990s. All this time little has changed, and it has been locked up and in a disused state, although there was hints that there was a live-in caretaker on-site. Hence all I’ve ever got is external pics.
I mentioned this place to @drhowser . He didn’t know about it but was very interested, given the general lack of industrial stuff to explore in HK. After he reccied it I got a message back saying he’d spotted a way in, much to my excitement. So, on a very rainy August weekday we met up at Tseun Wan MTR station and made our way down to the factory. Although far from obvious, the good Doctor was very right and after negotiating the perimeter and inner fences we were in. The big red brick building that faces the main street was locked but we improvised and took the ‘goods’ entrance. We were a little surprised with what we found went we got in. We had held out hopes of there being old machinery in there. Instead we found the exact opposite. The place was completely empty and had been fitted out for storage and lined with concrete – in complete contrast to the building’s crumbling red brick exterior. Having looked around the vast floors and briefly ventured onto the roof we found our way back out and moved on to the back factory. This was a straight walk in, and despite looking a little less modern, was also completely empty. The way out was, how shall we put it, a lot more relaxed than the way in, almost to the point of comedy.
So great to have done this building after so many years but slightly disappointing that it was pretty empty. And big up to @drhowser for cracking this one.
3. The Pictures
Front view:
And some externals from earlier times when it was sunny and back before the "M" dropped!
So, along here:
And down here:
And we’re out of the rain and we’re in!
This bit looks really modern:
Obligatory supermarket shopping trolley shot:
On to the other No.2 building:
And up:
Love the old stencilled signs:
More vast empty spaces:
Up on to the roof:
Last edited:
