Located right next to the Bethanie in Pok Fu Lam, the Old Dairy Farm of Pok Fu Lam is a wonderful lesser-known heritage that tells plenty about the history of Hong Kong’s milk production. Along with the Former Cowsheds, which is now within the administration of the Academy of Performing Arts (HKAPA) at the Bethanie, the Old Dairy Farm of Pok Fu Lam was a large ranch with complex production facilities. Cattle was raised and milked there. The company also processed the milk on site.

The Old Dairy Farm and Pok Fu Lam

The Old Dairy Farm was Hong Kong’s first dairy farm.  The ranch came into being as the Dairy Farm Company’s production facility in 1886, when Scottish surgeon Patrick Manson persuaded five businessmen in Hong Kong to invest in a ranch. The first dairy business in Hong Kong began its first page in Pok Fu Lam.

In those times, this part of Pok Fu Lam was very much rural in character. Both the existence of the cattle ranch and the Pok Fu Lam Village are ample indications of that fact. A few favorable factors made Pok Fu Lam perfect for the ranch. It was far enough from Sheung Wan, which was heavily populated with terrible hygiene conditions. Yet it was also close enough to the foreigners that lived in Central. Pok Fu Lam was also located on a higher point of the island, the seaside, hillside location supplied plenty of cool breezes, which would be essential in keeping the cows happy. Good milk came from happy cows.

Finally, the (very) nearby Pok Fu Lam Reservoir, established in the 1860s, supplied a steady source of water to the ranch. This was critical because cows consume a whole lot of water. Production facilities also required an enormous amount of water for both hygienic and production purposes.

The premises of Dairy Farm spanned 120 hectares. Initially, the company kept 80 milk cows here, at first they were imported from America. Thereafter, other breeds arrived at the ranch, as they were imported from Scotland, Australia and the Netherlands. By 1910, there were 35 cowsheds on site. The farm practiced segregated rearing, and these cowsheds were separated by 100 yards in distance. Each cowshed had its own staff to handle feeding and cleaning as well. The count of cowshed by 1950 had grown to 50. By now, only two such cowsheds have been preserved within the APA premise next to the Bethanie.

Although the site showcases other-era heritage, the Old Dairy Farm continued its operation in Pok Fu Lam until 1983. Thereafter, the villagers of Pok Fu Lam Village played a pivotal role in the conservation effort.

Architectural Features of the Old Dairy Farm

The revitalized Pok Fu Lam Old Dairy Farm is consisted of two buildings. One was the former Servants’ Quarter, and the other was the Main Office Building.

Both buildings have pitched roofs with double layered pan and roll tiles and a timber roof system. This feature is one of revitalization. The original structures were of pitched roofs, which were replaced with flat roofs at a later time.

The Main Office Building shows a half-hexagonal extension as its centerpiece. The wall of the lower floor is made of granite blocks, and the wall for the upper floor is made of bricks.

The windows have timber frames and blinds, and some of the original frames were preserved. By and large, the building shows classical features.

There is a veranda on the side, beaneath which there are three bullseye windows. These bulleye windows look a bit like the caged windows of a ship’s cabin. Both the veranda and the bullseye windows are intended to enable better airflow within the building.

The Servants’ Quarter is a one-story building that features also simple classical elements. Pay attention to the moulded copings and the horizontal moulded bands at the roof.

The Pok Fu Lam Village

The Pok Fu Lam Village is likely the most famous village in Hong Kong. The century-old village is on the World Heritage Building Foundation watch list of 2014-2016. It is also deemed the first settlement in Hong Kong, before the British took the island under its wings. It lies a stone’s throw away across the highway from the Old Dairy Farm.

A lot of villagers in Pok Fu Lam Village grew up with fond memories of the farm. They grew up being tied to the land and the animals therein.  For the village children, the Old Dairy Farm was once their playground. For the adults, the farm provided job opportunities. The farm represented every part of the rustic life that is now properly within near-forgotten memory in that part of Hong Kong.

As such, the museum on site showcases the history of Pok Fu Lam Village. The villagers were key players in the revitalization and conservation of the heritage site.

Milk Production in Hong Kong Now

Hong Kong companies that stayed in the dairy business have had to adapt to the urbanization in Hong Kong that made our environment no longer suitable for large scale cattle rearing. There are a few local names, both still claim to deliver their milk fresh.

Trappist Dairy

Trappist Dairy began its first page as a dairy business in Lantau Island in the early 1960s. A group of Catholic priests ran this business as part of the Trappist Monastery.

Trappist Dairy still markets itself as Hong Kong’s fresh milk. Its operations are now in Tai Sang Wai, Yuen Long, and it also gets supplies from a ranch in Tai Po.

Kowloon Dairy

The Kowloon Dairy Farm was established in 1904. It was run upon scientific principles. In the beginning, the company set up its operations on Boundary Street. At some point, it moved to Clear Water Bay, and now draws upon supplies in Guangzhou. The milk is processed in Tuen Mun, however.

Both of these local dairy companies maintain that their products are locally produced.

Make it Fun — Pizza Extravaganza at the Old Dairy Farm

Usually at heritage sites the resident businesses feature nostalgic and native Hong Kong themes but at the Old Dairy Farm we get Pizza Express. And you just know what you are going to get there. They didn’t have the pasta that we wanted on the day of the visit, so we ordered a pizza for each of us. We were stuffed with good pizzas and packed some home too. We made a reservation for a weekday lunch and surely enough we were almost the only patrons there.

Sources

Descriptions on site at the Old Dairy Farm.

Hong Kong Tourism Board, Pok Fu Lam Reservoir.

The Official Website of the Old Dairy Farm of Pok Fu Lam.

Anitiquities Advisory Board, Historic Building Appraisal, Old Dairy Farm, No. N314.