KATOL LO •
SILVER AGE
This installation is inspired by Tsuen Wan's rich culture, traditions and history, bringing visitors on a visual journey through the local stories of this fascinating district.
Katol Lo's Silver Age is an artistic time travel tunnel along the Tai Chung Road Footbridge. This installation is inspired by Tsuen Wan's rich culture, traditions and history, bringing visitors on a visual journey through the local stories of this fascinating district. Through his unique blend of font design and street art, Katol delivers an immersive experience with a subtle juxtaposition of cutting-edge art style and historical information.
ABOUT THE CREATOR
Katol Lo
Graphic Designer
Katol Lo is a renowned Hong Kong artist who has made a name for himself through his exceptional graphic design, having worked with over 100 brands from all corners of the globe. He is also the co-founder of several local cultural and creative units. In recent years, Katol has been extensively studying hand-painted signboard fonts and developing a distinctive personal style by incorporating his vast graphic design experience. His works are featured in various shops and restaurants around the city. He strongly appreciates Hong Kong's authentic culture, from which he draws inspiration when creating his pieces.
Lo Wai Village
About 300 years ago, the Cheungs, the Wongs, the Huis, the Tsangs, and the Tangs were among the earliest Hakka residents in the Lo Wai Village, also known as Lo Wai, leaving it a testament to Tsuen Wan's rich history. When the village was built, most homes were single-story brick houses at the hillside facing the sea and lined up next to each other to guard against pirates. Currently, the Cheung Ancestral Hall is the village's only remaining ancestral hall, and it was rated a Grade III Historic Building in 2010. It was once the village school. The clansmen of the village now gather there to worship their ancestors and perform traditional ceremonies.
Sam Tung Uk
Sam Tung Uk is a more than 200-year-old Hakka walled house declared a monument in 1981. It was converted into the Sam Tung Uk Museum in 1987 and later the Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre opened there in 2016. This is a location that should not be overlooked!
The couplets on Katol's hand-painted art were rewritten versions of the ones on the main door to Sam Tung Uk. They portray the former surroundings of Sam Tung Uk, a house located on the foothills of Tai Mo Shan and once faced the waterfront.
This building is called "Sam Tung Uk" because inside it is the Chan Ancestral Hall, which is made up of three "halls" (a "hall" is a space with a pitched roof), and each "hall" has a "tung," which is the top piece of wood that holds the ridge purlin in place. Each of the three spaces in the Chan Ancestral Hall has a "tung". So, this house was dubbed "Sam Tung Uk," meaning "three ridge purlins building".
The couplets on Katol's hand-painted art were rewritten versions of the ones on the main door to Sam Tung Uk. They portray the former surroundings of Sam Tung Uk, a house located on the foothills of Tai Mo Shan and once faced the waterfront.
This building is called "Sam Tung Uk" because inside it is the Chan Ancestral Hall, which is made up of three "halls" (a "hall" is a space with a pitched roof), and each "hall" has a "tung," which is the top piece of wood that holds the ridge purlin in place. Each of the three spaces in the Chan Ancestral Hall has a "tung". So, this house was dubbed "Sam Tung Uk," meaning "three ridge purlins building".
Pineapple Dam
Tsuen Wan used to be a place for pineapple plantations. The place where the Shing Mun Reservoir is today was previously home to the Hakkas of the Cheung family, who migrated there and founded multiple villages that farmed rice and pineapples—hence the dam's name.
The Pineapple Dam is the starting point of the Shing Mun Reservoir Walk, a 7.5-kilometre loop trail that runs around the Reservoir. This scenic trail passes by the Butterfly Garden, Waterside Paperbarks and the Shing Mun Leisure Deck, allowing hikers to take in the breathtaking views of the entire Shing Mun Reservoir.
The Pineapple Dam is the starting point of the Shing Mun Reservoir Walk, a 7.5-kilometre loop trail that runs around the Reservoir. This scenic trail passes by the Butterfly Garden, Waterside Paperbarks and the Shing Mun Leisure Deck, allowing hikers to take in the breathtaking views of the entire Shing Mun Reservoir.
Rambler Channel
The Tsuen Wan Promenade offers a beautiful vista of the Rambler Channel. Rambler Channel, which sounds poetic, refers to the HMS Rambler, a British navy ship that performed soundings and triangulation surveys in Hong Kong’s waters as early as 1902.
The Rambler Channel is well-known for its sunset gazing and stunning bridge view. There are seven bridges across the channel: the Ting Kau Bridge, the Tsing Tsuen Bridge, the Tsing Lai Bridge, the Cheung Tsing Bridge, the Tsing Yi Bridge, the Kwai Tsing Bridge and the Stonecutters Bridge.
The Rambler Channel is well-known for its sunset gazing and stunning bridge view. There are seven bridges across the channel: the Ting Kau Bridge, the Tsing Tsuen Bridge, the Tsing Lai Bridge, the Cheung Tsing Bridge, the Tsing Yi Bridge, the Kwai Tsing Bridge and the Stonecutters Bridge.
Temples Abound
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, numerous Buddhist monks migrated southward to Hong Kong and settled on the hillside of Tsuen Wan, where they established temples and lived in solitude and retreat. As a result, there are over 100 temples atop the mountain in Tsuen Wan's centre area, resulting in an astonishing Hong Kong phenomenon.
Katol's hand-painted graphic design interprets several iconic temples, including the Yuen Yuen Institute, which was established to spread the principles of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in one location, the Western Temple, which is a pseudo-Chinese palatial architecture, and the Chuk Lam Sim Yuen, which was built with references to famous Chinese ancient temples.
Katol's hand-painted graphic design interprets several iconic temples, including the Yuen Yuen Institute, which was established to spread the principles of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in one location, the Western Temple, which is a pseudo-Chinese palatial architecture, and the Chuk Lam Sim Yuen, which was built with references to famous Chinese ancient temples.
The Glory Days of Tsuen Wan’s Textile Industry
In the 1960s, Tsuen Wan went from being a small market for nearby Hakka farmers to a large industrial city in the New Territories. By 1961, Tsuen Wan had 205 factories, making up 70% of the factories in the New Territories and employing 60% of the cotton-spinning workers in Hong Kong.
Nan Fung Textiles was one of the enterprises that witnessed the glory days of Hong Kong’s textile industry. The company was founded in 1954 and was one of Hong Kong’s largest spinning mill operators, with six factories employing around 2,000 to 3,000 workers by the 1980s. Nan Fung Textiles is now The Mills, transforming the company’s historic textile mills into a destination for innovation, culture, and learning, beloved by design and culture lovers.
Nan Fung Textiles was one of the enterprises that witnessed the glory days of Hong Kong’s textile industry. The company was founded in 1954 and was one of Hong Kong’s largest spinning mill operators, with six factories employing around 2,000 to 3,000 workers by the 1980s. Nan Fung Textiles is now The Mills, transforming the company’s historic textile mills into a destination for innovation, culture, and learning, beloved by design and culture lovers.