Taikoo cable car, also known as the reservoir, ‘No. 3 Dam’, and operating daily bamboo and canvas screens on wooden ‘aerial ropeway’ or ‘wire tramway’, was between 6am and midnight. frames used to partition space for individual Taikoo in constructed in 1892 to carry staff members families. Although Taikoo Village was The upper terminal was the up to the Sanitarium, a summer Taikoo electrified by 1892, oil lamps were used to at Tai Fung Au, where two Taikoo Sugar Refinery at Quarry Bay began managers, was built and Taikoo Free School (now retreat at Tai Fung Au – ‘Big Wind Gap’. It was Sanitarium provide lighting at the Sanitarium throughout barrack-like buildings were completed in operations in 1884. Built in the early 1880s, the Taikoo Primary School) was established. A modern the first cable car in the world “erected its 40-year history. 1892 for the Taikoo Sugar Refinery. These main factory building, with its massive stone and more compact refinery was completed by exclusively for carriage of individuals” and 1925, making Taikoo the largest single unit sugar provided summer accommodation for By the late 1920s, the threat from disease had chimney, emerged from the empty landscape – as was built by Messrs Bullivant & Company, a did terraced housing for its local workforce. Of refinery in the world. expatriate staff and their families to escape lessened and increasing use of electric ceiling London firm, at a cost of £5,000. Note 1 necessity, because of its isolated location at the from the heat and humidity, as well as fans made the summer months more Development of Quarry Bay was intertwined with eastern end of the island, Taikoo became one of the Two open cars, each with bench seating for frequent outbreaks of bubonic plague. A third tolerable in Quarry Bay houses. The construction and opening of the first large-scale employers in to four-storey block was added in 1912, for staff Sanitarium fell into disuse, and in 1932, both in 1907. Expansion of this ship repairing and six passengers back-to-back, operated on a provide housing for its employees. shipbuilding business led to construction of more counterweight system, powered by a of the Taikoo Dockyard. the cable car system and the Sanitarium itself steam-driven winch. Steel pylons supporting were demolished, owing to the high cost of Alterations and additions were carried out over staff quarters and Chinese employee welfare The blocks were built from red-brick, on a the steel overhead cables were built some their upkeep. the years, including new buildings to expand facilities in later decades. huge stone foundation, with supporting production capacity, and reservoirs to cope with 200 yards apart, and the cars reached World War II dealt a major blow to both the inclined buttresses. They were flat-roofed and the water requirements of increased production heights of 200 feet off the ground at the refinery and dockyard, which were extensively decorated with granite detail on the arched and increased population around the refinery. steepest part of their ascent. The entire bombed in 1945. Nonetheless, post-war windows and cornices. The interior was ‘’, a house on a high bluff, was built for the journey was 2.3 km long, crossing Taikoo’s clearing-up operations advanced rapidly, bringing subdivided into large, high-ceiling flats, with first manager of the Refinery Dr. Korn; a summer more employees and their families to Quarry Bay, house, ‘the Sanitarium’, was built for senior staff, which once again became a thriving, close-knit Taikoo Recreational Club and a rifle range for community. Taikoo Sugar Refinery and Taikoo European staff provided recreational activities. Dockyard both closed down in the 1970s and the Further expansion and modernisation was seen in area was redeveloped by Properties. The the 1920s. New buildings were erected: the ‘Taikoo industrial businesses gave way to today’s Taikoo Village’ for workers was pulled down and rebuilt Place, and , establishing a on the original Taikoo Recreation Ground, after the vibrant new business, residential and retail government decided to reroute neighbourhood in the east of . (now King’s) Road; ‘Woodside’, a new house for Taikoo Dockyard Kornhill (now Taikoo Shing) (now EAST Hong Kong) (now Kornhill Garden)

S ( h n a o u w k e K i i w ng an ’s R Ro oa ad d (now ) ) TAIKOO CABLE CAR & HISTORICAL TRAIL

The production of this leaflet is: Initiated by: Jade Ling

Sponsored by: Swire Trust S ( h n a Staff housing o u Supported by: Swire HK Archive Service w k W e i (later Taikoo Club; now Westlands Gardens) e w Printed in: April 2020 s a t l n a Stanley Terrace

n R d All reasonable efforts have been made to trace the copyright owners of all material o

R a (now Parkvale and part of o d reproduced in this leaflet. Any issue or update about the material, please email a d Nan Fung Sun Chuen) [email protected]. )

Taikoo Sugar Refinery Contact: (now Taikoo Place) Swire HK Archive Service Email: [email protected] Jade Ling Email: [email protected]

Acknowledgement: Cable car steam room SOAS Library (Ms 381233), University of London and Historical Photographs of China, (now Yau Man Street) University of Bristol (https://www.hpcbristol.net/) (HR01-024) for front page background image; The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, Going to the Isle of Dogs by Lesser Columbus, reprinted with the permission of “Commerce”, August 30, 1893 by Bullivant & Co, Tracts Volume 9 page 252 for Note 1, page 260 for image h and Lower terminal page 273 for back page diagram; Hong Kong History Study Circle; Ruin Explore Club; Jade Taikoo Recreation Ground Ling; Lau Lee Lam; Kenny Tang; Cheng Sai Kit; Ip Yiu Man; Ken Lam Scan for more details (later Taikoo Village; now Oceanic Mansion and others) Quarry Bay, c.1910 A watch tower on the cable car route, with the An open car design with a seating for six people, The Discoveries – remnants of the path leading to the lower terminal platforms in back-to-back circa 1930 The view from Tai Fung Au, overlooking the Taikoo cable car system and a historical trail The lower terminal (with two platforms) reservoir and Taikoo Sugar Refinery in 1892

The cable car’s upper terminal, next to the In 2019, after months of exploration by two interest groups with a great passion for heritage, Hong Kong The cable car crossing Taikoo’s No. 3 Dam in Sanitarium in circa 1930 History Circle and Ruin Explore Club, as well as a few experienced hikers, 24 sets of remnants of the circa 1930 stone foundations for the steel pylons of the cable car system were uncovered – leaving one last set, as The Sanitarium in 1893 A woman with a child crossing a creek below a the group believes, still to be found. The discoveries were the result of estimating and plotting the pylon, while a cable car runs overhead possible locations where the foundations might stand – and thanks to the help of modern technology as The Sanitarium, with the middle block well, an old trail, built along the cable car route, was also uncovered. Remnants of the Taikoo Rifle Range (east of this added in circa 1912 trail), where shooting practice was once one of To explore this historical trail and see the remnant foundations for yourself, follow the GPS information the staff recreational activities Remnants of the buttresses of the Sanitarium given below, or check out the route and its details at http://bit.ly/2HrywjW. The popular starting point Taikoo Village in 1925 for the trail is nearby Nan Fung Sun Chuen. The trip will take you through a number of historical tracks Legal document and boundary stone showing ‘R.B.L. 63’ (Rural Building Lot) where the which are in disrepair and mostly difficult to navigate. You are best advised to be mindful of the hilly ‘Woodside’ in 1925 (today Woodside Sanitarium was located terrain and avoid over-stretching yourselves. The trip going up usually takes about one and half hours – Biodiversity Education Centre) though you may want to stay longer, and maybe find the last set of “lost” remnants? Have fun! 1928 Government Gazette

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‘Terminal’ 22.267077 114.213455 ‘Alone No.1’ 22.267895 24 ‘Brick Stairs’ 114.213412 22.268373 23 114.213425 22 ‘Double L’ ‘Stream’ 22.269690 21 22.271491 20 114.213395 114.213273 19 ‘Rifle Range’ ‘Visible’ 22.275435 ‘Pit-side’ 22.272908 18 ‘Broken-end’ 22.273203 114.214548 114.213239 16 17 22.267403 114.213194 15 114.213533 ‘Platform’ 14 the historical trail by 22.276999 ‘Alone No.2’ Enter ‘Twin Stone’ 13 ‘Single L’ 22.267565 crossing the catchwater nearby the 22.277574 114.213044 ‘Bridge-side’ ‘Tall-short’ 11 12 22.268078 114.213413 114.212950 starting point of Hong Pak Trail 22.280872 22.278271 9 114.213450 nearby Nan Fung Sun Chuen 114.212913 114.213026 8 10 ‘Crushed-4’ 7 22.269324 6 ‘Korn Pak’ 114.213373 4 5 ‘Crushed’ 22.270069 1 2 3 22.272592 114.213304 114.213263 >>>>

‘Pebble Stone’ ‘Big-four’ ‘Roadside’ ‘Military Toilet’ ‘Military Stove’ ‘Slope’ ‘Saddle’ 22.280333 22.279329 22.277826 22.277278 22.275268 22.274732 22.273629 The above is a diagram of 1893. All markings in brown colour are for illustrative purpose. The names of the remnants are suggested 114.212866 114.212844 114.212983 114.213010 114.213132 114.213077 114.213161 by the Interest Group for identification purpose. It is believed that the first few sets of stone foundations no longer exist.