The wide arch of history
The old slaughterhouse in To Kwa Wan - still in operation until 1999 - is worth a visit for many reasons.
In 2001 some members of the former Oil Street Artist Village were relocated from North Point to the studios of the newly renovated Cattle Depot. Their ateliers are spread across a large number of old buildings that once were the main slaughterhouse, a fodder store, offices, quarters, and a “room for Indians.”
Info
Address 63 Ma Tau Kok Road, Ma Tau Wai, Kowloon | Public Transport MTR East Rail Line, Mong Kok East, Exit B; Buses 3B, 5C, 5D, 11B, 11K, 12A, 21, 61X, 85A, 85X, 106, or 106P - Bus stop H.K. and China Gas or Jubilant Place | Hours Daily: 10am–10pm| Tip Because of its proximity to the former Kai Tak Airport, the building height in this area was restricted to 12 floors, and when you walk through the surrounding streets you’ll see very few neon signs because flashing lights were also strictly prohibited.
This last room seems strange at first glance, as religion prohibits the slaughter of cattle in India. However, the staff were Indian Muslims from the Colonies, where the British had built slaughterhouses for cattle since 1760. But with their dairy products, manure for the fields, and cattle urine as a natural pesticide, the cow had provided the Indian population with a livelihood. Coupled with severe droughts and the forced conversion of pastures and farmland into opium fields, this caused one of the greatest famines in Bengal, where an estimated 10 million people died between 1769 and 1773. The opium in turn was smuggled into China, which triggered the Opium Wars and the cession of Hong Kong.
Together with a number of studios, the site houses the enterprising not-for-profit gallery 1a Space with its temporary exhibitions, workshops, and lectures, as well as the Cattle Depot Theatre and On and On Theatre Workshop, which both put on a wide range of events, from concerts to experimental theatre.
During the week it’s rather quiet at the Cattle Depot so you can stroll around, visit the different buildings and intriguing outdoor exhibits, and, if the opportunity arises, talk to the artists about their work.
From the grounds of the Depot there is a good view of a typical 1950s’ housing estate on Ma Tau Kok Road, still preserved as a whole complex – a rarity in Hong Kong. If you look a bit higher up, you can even see signs of a rooftop village.
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