The Ma On Shan (MOS) Iron Mine is the only iron mine that had undergone large-scale mechanical operation in Hong Kong’s industrial history. From the early 20th century (when it was discovered that MOS contains a large amount of iron ores) to 1976 when the Mine was closed, its 70-year history witnessed socio-economic and political changes in Hong Kong and Asia before and after the Second World War (WWII). The post-WWII era brought mainlanders from different provinces of China, Japan and even Europeans to MOS, for various reasons and together they co-wrote a unique chapter of the history of MOS as well as Hong Kong.

 

The MOS Iron Mine has a lot of rich heritage and cultural assets: its geology, engineering technology, history, architectural landscape or religious legacies. You may have heard about the involvement of Japanese investment but do you know that this has to do with the international context and the Cold War after WWII? Besides a curiosity about the underground caves in the Mine and the wonder of nature, would you like to learn more about the history of how iron was mined in MOS? Can you imagine that half a century ago, before the birth of the MOS New Town, there was a pier where more than 10,000 tonnes of iron ore were exported to Japan on a yearly basis? Let us begin our journey to explore the industrial heritage in the MOS Iron Mine landscape and its historic and cultural stories!