Four hills of Kowloon

At the end of the 18th century, Hakka settled into the Cha Kwo Ling area, and quarrying became their main occupation. By that time, the villages of Cha Kwo Ling, Ngau Tau Kok, Sai Tso Wan and Lei Yue Mun were collectively called Sze Shan ({{zh|t=四山|labels=no}}, "Four Hills").Civil Engineering and Development Department, [http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia_1112005/PDF/EIA/PDF/Volume%201/Sec_13%20CHIA.pdf "Further Development of Tseung Kwan O. Feasibility Study. Environmental Impact Assessment. Chapter 13"] July 2005 According to a missionary who visited the area in 1844, tens of quarries were in operation along the two miles stretch in eastern Kowloon.[https://projecterrae.wordpress.com/research/the-four-hills-of-kowloon/ Four hills of Kowloon] at ProjecTerrae In the early 20th century there were said to be more than 10 quarries in the Ngau Tau Kok section of the "Four Hills" alone, each employing 10 to 20 people, all Hakka with origins in the East River area of northeastern Guangdong.{{cite book |last1= Hayes|first1= James|author-link=James W. Hayes|editor1-first= Maria|editor1-last= Jaschok|editor2-first= Suzanne|editor2-last= Miers|title= Women and Chinese patriarchy: submission, servitude, and escape|date= June 15, 1994|publisher= Zed Books|isbn= 978-1856491266|pages=52–54|chapter= Chapter 3: San Po Tsai (Little Daughters-in-Law) and Child Betrothals in the New Territories of Hong Kong from the 1890s to the 1960s}}

The Qing government appointed a headman for each "hill", in charge of ruling the area and collecting tax. The four headmen were collectively referred to as the Sze Shan Tau Yan ({{zh|t=四山頭人|labels=no}}, "Headmen of Four Hills"). The four villages also formed the Sze Shan Kung So ({{zh|t=四山公所|labels=no}}, "Communal Hall of Four Hills"), managing the quarrying business. The headmen system ended before World War II.Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal: [https://www.aab.gov.hk/historicbuilding/en/1242_Appraisal_En.pdf Law Mansion, Nos. 50A, 51 & 51A, Cha Kwo Ling Road, Cha Kwo Ling]{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The granite blocks extracted from the Four Hills were exported via sailboat, and several piers were built along the coast. The one at Sai Tso Wan was the biggest. Today, only parts of the Lei Yue Mun pier remain.

The Old Quarry Site Structures at Lei Yue Mun (Kowloon) have been listed as Grade III historic buildings.Antiquities Advisory Board. [https://www.aab.gov.hk/form/list_new_items_assessed.pdf List of new items for grading assessment with assessment results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514110807/http://www.aab.gov.hk/form/list_new_items_assessed.pdf |date=2020-05-14 }}

• Mining in Hong Kong
• Sacred Heart Cathedral (Guangzhou), built with granite from the Four hills of Kowloon.
• Choi Hei Road Park ({{zh|t=彩禧路公園|labels=no}}), Choi Fook Estate ({{zh|t=彩福邨|labels=no}}), Choi Tak Estate and Choi Ying Estate in Ngau Tau Kok, a granite theme park and a public housing estates built on the site of the former Ping Shan Quarry.Film Services Offices. [https://www.fso-createhk.gov.hk/en/locations_search_details.php?File_No=01591 Choi Hei Road Park]{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |title= The Hong Kong region, 1850-1911: institutions and leadership in town and countryside|last= Hayes|first= James|author-link=James W. Hayes|year= 1977|publisher= Archon Books|isbn= 9780208016263|pages=151–162 }}

{{commons category|Four hills of Kowloon}}

• Antiquities Advisory Board. Historic Building Appraisal. [https://www.aab.gov.hk/filemanager/aab/common/historicbuilding/en/N86_Appraisal_En.pdf Old Quarry Site Structures, Lei Yue Mun, Kwun Tong, Kowloon] [https://www.aab.gov.hk/filemanager/aab/common/historicbuilding/photo/N86_Photo.pdf Pictures]
• [https://www.hfc.org.hk/filemanager/files/TFK_05_2013_item6.pdf Planning Review on Development of Ex-Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site (2013)]
• [https://www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/p_study/comp_s/kaolin_mine_site/WP4%20Final%20Report_Text_20140411_final%20for%20printing_1_20150430.pdf Planning Review on Development of Ex-Cha Kwo Ling Kaolin Mine Site (final report)]
• [https://industrialhistoryhk.org/hills-elementary-school-cha-kwo-ling-kowloon-quarries/ Four Hills Elementary School, Cha Kwo Ling] at industrialhistoryhk.org
• [https://industrialhistoryhk.org/moving-mountains-the-life-and-mines-of-ko-ming-fan-%E9%AB%98%E9%8A%98%E5%8B%B31906-2012-proprietor-of-flat-hill-quarry-%E5%B9%B3%E5%B1%B1%E7%9F%B3%E7%A4%A6-and-hk-clays-kaolin-co/ Moving Mountains: the Life and Mines of Ko Ming-fan] at industrialhistoryhk.org
• {{Cite web|url=https://www.rthk.hk/tv/dtt31/programme/hkcc/episode/849039|author=RTHK: Hong Kong Connection|title=茶果嶺的餘暉}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j4afuBXgGw RTHK: Hong Kong Connection. "茶果嶺的餘暉".]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87poGNVfVn4 RTHK: Hong Kong Connection. "茶果嶺的餘暉".]

{{Kwun Tong District}}

{{Hills and Mountains in Hong Kong}}

{{coord missing|New Kowloon}}

Category:New Kowloon

Category:Mountains, peaks and hills of Hong Kong

Category:Kwun Tong District