The woodworkers keeping a traditional art alive in Hong Kong
Against the backdrop of fallen timber businesses, a determined band of craftsmen sparks new interest in the old ways
His hands protected by industrial gloves, Wong Hung-kuen eagerly ushers us inside the premises of his Chi Kee sawmill in Kwu Tung, Sheung Shui.
The 67-year-old deftly cuts a plank from a massive log using a storey-high band saw. "We are one of the few, if not the only, people still doing it in Hong Kong," he tells visitors.
It was a thrill to see Wong at work and tour his 10,000 sq ft sawmill, chock-a-block with assorted logs of different species, age and sizes. But just a few decades ago, timber businesses such as Chi Kee were common.
Wong and his seven siblings grew up playing in their father's lumber yard, Chi Kee Sawmill & Timber, which began operations in North Point in 1947 before relocating to Chai Wan and then its current site in 1982.
But the timber business in Hong Kong has steadily declined in recent decades as cheap, imported furniture became readily available and manufacturing shifted to mainland China. Chi Kee is a rare survivor in the twilight industry.
This has given Wong more time for his personal pursuit of sculpture and carpentry. However, he has been a lot busier of late after his business came to public attention as one of the first slated to be cleared for the controversial North East New Territories Development Plan.