The Exportation of Hong Kong’s Quality Granite in the 19th and 20th Centuries: A Historical Re-Evaluation

Abstract Since British colonization in 1841, Hong Kong was described as a “barren and rocky” fishing town in the South China Sea. Archival evidence indicated that local granite blocks had been shipped to mainland China for construction purposes as early as 1844. In 2014, the unearthing of an ancient well made of granite kindled a fresh interest in tracing how these primitive, quality and abundantly available stones had been pursued locally and globally. This paper aims to unearth the ignored facet of Hong Kong in the 19th and 20th centuries by unveiling the exportation history of granite to various destinations. Extensive archival research in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the UK has been conducted, quarry-related historical places visited, and operatives or their descendants in the old quarries interviewed. Both tangible and intangible evidence indicated that, after the initial use of granite blocks as a principal building material in local construction, quality granite was gradually exported to Mainland China and other Asian countries, and further across the Pacific Ocean. With the expanded supplies and the concurrently exported stonemasonry, Hong Kong’s granite played a unique role in shaping the global cityscapes. It is therefore suggested that Hong Kong, at the start of her development, be re-evaluated as a world-class granite producer and exporter.