Secrets of Peng Chau Leather Factory no longer off-limits
Creative industry returns to the quiet island of Peng Chau
History of Peng Chau island
It is easy to imagine that the secluded community of Peng Chau, with a current population of approximately 6,500, has always been as serene as a post card.
As sunlight pours through tall branches, low-level housing transforms the sky into a giant canopy and locals travel at a leisurely pace on foot or by bicycle.
But only sixty years ago, the island of 0.99 square kilometres was a hub of industrial activity and working-class economic prosperity.
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The limekiln industry was a steady business that existed in Peng Chau as early as the seventh to tenth century.
It developed building materials and eventually, quicklime, a key ingredient in cement. While the industry was challenged in the mid-nineteenth century by imports of cement and lime from China and Japan undercut local costs, it wasn’t until the 1950s that Peng Chau’s limekiln industry declined.
Long established as a supply station for neighbouring islands and trading ships, various industries flourished in Peng Chau.
In the 1930s, leather, lime, and matchsticks were Peng Chau’s major export industries. The island’s first leather factory, named the Fook Yuen Leather Factory, was established in 1936.
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While the 1941 to 1945 Japanese Occupation forced the leather factory to temporarily cease operations, the latter half of the 1940s saw a resurgence in industrial prosperity.
Residents were spoiled for choice when it came to work. Besides leather, they delved into the production of everyday items such as matchsticks, light bulbs, ceramics and knit ware.
Revived industry on Peng Chau
In 1956 the Kwong Fat Yuen Leather factory was built by the Choi family, its size and production capabilities much smaller than Fook Yuen. At the time, there was enough market demand to warrant two leather factories.
By the 1960s, the golden era of Peng Chau’s industrial period, the island housed a hundred active factories of varying sizes.
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Even with island residents fully employed by local businesses, labour demand was so high that residents of other islands, including Hong Kong island, commuted to Peng Chau for work.
This economic prosperity did not last for the Fook Yuen Leather Factory. The introduction of faux leather footwear heavily cut the demand for the genuine article. Rising labour costs and rent prices also contributed to Fook Yuen’s shut down in 1975.
The Kwong Fat Yuen Leather Factory continued the work. As more factories were set up in mainland China and Hong Kong Island became more structurally developed, Peng Chau’s age of industry came to a close.
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Growing up in Peng Chau, Sherry Lau was a witness to the disappearance of the Kwong Fat Yuen Leather Factory and the more prominent Fook Yuen Leather Factory.
Grade III Monument Site
Wanting to protect the original leather factory from demolishment, she is now a tenant of the old site. On 17 May 2010, the Antiquities and Monuments Office recognized the leather factory as a Grade III Monument Site.
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This recognizes that the space should be preserved in some form and has given Sherry the freedom to alter it and create the public art space that it is now, the “Leather Factory”, a nod to its heritage – or the “Secret Garden” for its concealed location.
In 2012, Sherry began the labour-intensive process of repairing and conserving the dilapidated space. While major works were completed in 2014, improvement is an ongoing process in a space comprising three modest one-storey buildings.
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Designed in the traditional Chinese vernacular style, much was in shambles when Sherry began her conservation efforts. Believing in recycling and reusing materials, she salvages whatever she can.
Most of the six structural pillars have been destroyed over time, making metal support beams a necessary, if aesthetically … Sherry Lau has charged the Leather Factory with a vibrant spirit that has reignited public interest in the small island misplaced, addition.
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The concrete pathway that connects the main Wing On Street to Chi Yan Street was a pathway within the initial design. Crossbeams used to connect the two now separate sides of the open space.
Coming onto Wing On Street, the peculiarly wonderful sight of 100 Years’ Café – named “Grandpa’s Coffee and Milk Tea” in Chinese – sits beside the entryway into the Leather Factory, in colourful imitation of a sentry.
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Loud pink plastic flamingos are haphazardly arranged atop the tin roof. A to-go stall with a cosy interior, bright childhood toys from the 1980s to the present day decorate the space.
The recognizable faces of Power Rangers, Sailor Moon and members of the Marvel Comics pantheon grace the walls and provide the take-away café with the decorative innocence of nostalgia and childhood. A select few drinks are offered at the single price of HK$30, milk tea and coffee chief among them.
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To the left of the kitschy café, a narrow passageway is decorated with stunning works on the expressive nature of the human body and movement.
Chiefly displayed are the photographed works of Nicolas Lemal and married artistic duo Doris Lam and Dr Daniel Lam.
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Lemal’s exploration of the naked frame, titled Symbiosis, was exhibited in Western European cities such as London, Brussels and Paris, from 2008 to 2009 before settling as a permanent piece in the Leather Factory
Dawnxisoul 393 by the Lams focuses on one startling colour to enliven the koi fish, caught in motion, that dances across pristine white pages.
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At the end of the passageway, bicycle parts decorate the entry point, climbing high above visitors’ heads as they reach towards the sky.
Original factory
For the most part, the site maintains the aesthetic of its past. The outer walls of the housing structures to the left were made of stone and have remained relatively intact. Maintaining the same style of surrounding buildings, the height of the original leather factory does not extend past the one-storey houses that dot Wing On Street.
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A red wooden door situated near the narrow passageway stands out against the stark white exterior paint. It is the last standing back door of the original factory. The back two doors are etched with “no smoking” signs in Chinese and English from its factory days.
Through the door, a man in his early thirties named Kwai works feverishly to complete construction for the opening of “Chill Chill Country”. A collaborative effort shared with three of his close friends, the café will be designed with the same mind for recycling materials that pervades the Leather Factory.
“It will be a place for daytime chill, something that Hong Kong needs,” Kwai explained to me.
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Psychedelic music will play softly in the background as guests enjoy coffee and incense. The cosy café will also sell products, such as handmade chokers made of wired cotton. Now two months into developing the space, Kwai and Bob, one of his partners, hope to officially open in two weeks.
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Across from the café-in-progress is a space called Concrete Jungle. A mock-up of the famous Abbey Road connects the future café to the art installation.
Currently Concrete Jungle is home to overwhelmingly tall and unusual found art sculptures, contorted and spray-painted in a way that breathes life into the abandoned items; a splintered log juts out of a cherry-red microwave.
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A camel and sheep, painted on wood and wearing cartoon smiles, likely retrieved from a nativity pageant, are propped beside Concrete Jungle graffiti.
Silver-painted furniture, such as chairs and tables, have been carefully stacked on top and around a gleaming platinum grill.
When Sherry began her transformative work, Concrete Jungle was cluttered with rubbish. Now it is a decorated, reclaimed space that prompts people to challenge the way they view the usage and life of abandoned materials.
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A sliding glass door is located to the right of the future café. Upon entry, a cheery sign in spring yellow declares the spot is Sherry’s Corner.
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The flooring is decorated in the split complementary colour palette of mint green, burgundy red, and white. Sherry incorporated the tiles in the building’s design to stay in keeping with the vintage, eclectic style echoed throughout her reimagined Leather Factory.
Taking primary focus in the small house is a fine banyan tree growing in its centre. Canopying the entryway to the antique store, Sherry has dedicated one-third of the building’s interior to preserve the tree.
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A guest room is set up above the shop, now closed for the holidays. It is occasionally rented out to those wanting to enjoy a minimalist, Bohemian experience on the quiet island.
Across from the store and guest room sits the Secret Garden. The colour green is in abundance; verdant leaves playfully rush against those wandering about.
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An otherwise dull grey wall is made humorous with a mural of the famous Beatles walk on London’s Abbey Road. Two details are changed from the iconic image: John Lennon does not walk at the head of the line, but directly behind the lead, and a UFO is lifting his white-suited figure from the ground.
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Across the way, the overwhelming growth of greenery continues, set in neat rows on the rising ground and climbing up the walls. In an enclosed rectangular fitted with AstroTurf, two turtles spend their days ambling along its soft surface.
Refusing to see the past disappear and be reclaimed into something not in keeping with Peng Chau’s spirit, Sherry Lau has charged the Leather Factory with a vibrant spirit that has reignited public interest in the small island.
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Changing the open displays every month, visitors can see the Leather Factory time and again and never have the same visual experience.
Perfect for people of all ages, the Leather Factory demonstrates how the past can be revitalized for a modern audience.
Sherry Lau’s contact number is displayed on a wooden board by the Concrete Jungle for anyone interested in making a purchase.
Text & Photos Victoria Mae Martyn
