# Maykong Godown Silk Mills, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, August 2019



## HughieD (Oct 17, 2019)

*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 my non-forum member exploring meet-up in HK. 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, he 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 Dr Howser for cracking this one.

*3. The Pictures*

Some externals from earlier times when it was sunny!


Godown 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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
 

And a quick look across to building No.1:


img3021 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3019 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And back down:


Godown 19 by HughieDW, on Flickr

One final shot…


Godown 23 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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## Sam Haltin (Oct 18, 2019)

Interesting building. I can only assume that the areas marked 24F, 23E, etc were working areas where a certain task would be done.


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## Sabtr (Oct 19, 2019)

Looks quite out of place with newer buildings surrounding it. Saying that, I reckon that with not too much effort it could be cleaned and re-used again.


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## King Al (Oct 19, 2019)

I like the pillars in the first building with the flared tops, they give the appearance of holing up something very heavy! Excellent find Hughie


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## HughieD (Oct 20, 2019)

Hugh Jorgan said:


> Interesting building. I can only assume that the areas marked 24F, 23E, etc were working areas where a certain task would be done.


Think you are rightmate.



Sausage said:


> Looks quite out of place with newer buildings surrounding it. Saying that, I reckon that with not too much effort it could be cleaned and re-used again.


It could but in HK the value of the land as a rebuild is more valuable than the building. That said, just up the road and round the corner a former silk mill has been turned into a really cool multi-purpose museum/arts centre and retail space. 



King Al said:


> I like the pillars in the first building with the flared tops, they give the appearance of holing up something very heavy! Excellent find Hughie


Cheers mate. Think this is the longest ever gap between coming across a place and finally exploring it for me ever!


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## Dirus_Strictus (Oct 20, 2019)

King Al said:


> I like the pillars in the first building with the flared tops, they give the appearance of holing up something very heavy!



More likely due to the fact that the floors will be quite thin - hence the low floor loadings. The flare-out will stop the pillar punching its way through the floor, if overloading occurs. Quite a common feature in this neck of the woods, seen similar in other buildings in HK - some of the old building regs are rather strange.


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