The Tap Mun Kiln Site in Tai Po

The Tap Mun Kiln Site in Tai Po

The Tap Mun Kiln Site in Tai Po is located in Tai Po Tau Tsuen, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong. Covering a total area of over five hectares, it is currently the only discovered blue-and-white porcelain kiln site in Hong Kong. Given its significant historical value, 1,500 square meters of the site were designated as a declared monument of Hong Kong in 1983.

The Tai Po Tau Tsuen area has abundant water resources and produces high-quality porcelain clay. Starting from the Ming Dynasty, the Man and Tse clans operated kilns here to produce blue-and-white porcelain. Although the kilns were abandoned for a time during the early Qing Dynasty due to the coastal evacuation policy, they gradually resumed operation after the policy was relaxed. In the 13th year of the Kangxi reign (1674), the Hakka Ma clan, who had migrated to Tai Po from the south, purchased the kiln site from the Man clan. By the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, the ceramics industry in Tai Po Tau Tsuen had reached considerable scale, with products being sold as far as Jiangmen, earning it the title “Coastal Porcelain Capital” for a time. However, after the establishment of the Republic of China, competition from cheaper products of kilns in coastal counties led to a gradual decline of the ceramic industry in Tai Po Tau Tsuen, which eventually ceased production in 1932.

In 1995 and 1999, archaeologist Au Ka-fat discovered relics of various stages of the ceramic-making process at the kiln site, including mines, mining tunnels, water-powered trip hammer workshops, grinding workshops, washing pools, pottery forming workshops, and dragon kilns — all remarkably well-preserved. Currently, there is an exhibition hall on-site that introduces the history of the kiln site and the archaeological findings, as well as displaying cultural relics unearthed from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Wun Yiu Village

Must-visit reason: The only blue-and-white porcelain kiln site in Hong Kong