July 5, 2023
Have you been to a place to supposedly enjoy the day, but something happened that ruined your plans? I was supposed to visit an island last Saturday, but when I was at the pier and waiting for the ferry going to the island, the rain fell heavily and halted me from going. So my plans changed from visiting an island to finding a place nearby where I could stay while waiting for the rain to recede. Then I found The Mills where CHAT (Center for Heritage Arts & Textile) is located. I thought it would be a perfect place to kill time and might be worth visiting.
It was an unplanned visit to The Mills, and I have no idea what I could see there except for the fact that it is a center for heritage arts. The publications I took from the reception counter helped me learn more information about the place. I sat on the bench at the corner and read the publication. The place has an interesting history, which made me want to explore all corners.
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From the story I read, I found out that The Mills is the former Nan Fung Cotton Mills factory that was established in 1954. And a year later, the Hong Kong Spinners Association was established, and textiles became the largest manufacturing industry in the country.
From a textile factory, the Nan Fung Group revitalized the place into CHAT, not for chatting but an acronym for the Center for Heritage Arts and Textile, which was launched in 2014. Since then, it has become a hub for art, culture, heritage, dining, and learning.
Outside The Mills building is a carved portrait of a woman. As the information says, she's a former worker at the textile factory. This artwork was made by an urban artist, Alexandre Manuel Dias Farto, also known as Vhil. He used hammer drills and chisels to form the portrait. This became one of the main attractions of the place.
As mentioned above, this former factory has become a creative hub for learning, art, culture, and heritage, as well as shopping and dining.
The CHAT is currently holding an exhibition entitled With the Sun, She Quells the Night which is a tribute to Hong Kong's popular actress and singer in the 1950s — Rebecca Pan. This exhibition will run until October this year.
There are nostalgic portraits of the actress taken from her different albums and shows suspended from the ceiling of this hall.
I went to the higher floor and came across the CHAT shop, where different items made from textiles are displayed. That's when I found the way to the art exhibition hall in the former Spinning Factory.
Welcome to the Spinning Factory
The exhibition is open to the public for free, especially since it was a holiday. I am uncertain, though, if it has admission for nonpublic holidays. I was assisted by the staff to the reception, and I was given a ticket pass. One of the rules is not to touch any of the displays in the exhibition hall.
This area was one of the Mill Factory production sites that was converted into an exhibition area for the Welcome to the Spinning Factory exhibition. Inside are machines and traditional spinning instruments from the former textile factory. The place also shows products made from textiles, old portraits taken from former factory production sites, and DIY products made in different workshops conducted here.
These are raw cotton fibers that were separated into fiber and reeled into yarn. Video installations are showing the step-by-step process of making yarn, which takes up to 48 hours. As the information stated, the process goes through various quality tests, such as checking the quantity of moisture in the cotton and determining the quality of the woven fabric using indicators for strength and elasticity.
I was hesitant to take photos of all the instruments on display as the staff kept looking at me. Taking photos probably wasn't allowed, so I took them so quickly. Here are some instruments and machines used in the former factory to produce textiles.
This is Draw Frame which is used to reduce the thickness of slivers and enhance evenness by combining multiple strands into one.
This is a manual Wrap Reel used to create bundles of yarn.
Meanwhile, this Yarn Twists Tester places yarn under a fixed distance and tension to measure the number of turns required for untwisting.
This Winding Board allowed yarns to be equally spaced in parallel for visual examinations.
These are Textometer and Precision Balance. The tachometer is used to measure the moisture content of raw materials. Meanwhile, the precision balance is used to weigh cotton fiber equally.
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From the factory exhibition site, I proceeded to the next exhibition in tribute to Rebecca Pan. As mentioned above, she's one of the most successful singers and actresses of her time. The exhibition displays different portraits of hers, as well as stories taken from different magazines, newspapers, and other forms of publications. It shows how the media revolved around her during her time. She seemed to be the brightest star in the entertainment world back in the day.
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I passed through a dark alley with neon lights and costumes with snake designs hung on the side, and entered the Just like snakes exhibition room.
This dark room exhibits the multichannel audio-visual installation Just Like Snakes inspired by the long-term conversation of the artist - Enoch Cheng with Rebecca Pan.
You can check the short reel I posted on FB taken at this exhibition room. Click here.
Some of the actress' costumes are also displayed in this exhibition. Those costumes are also made from cotton fabric.
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In this hallway are more photos and stories about her.
And more displays about cotton fabric linens and pillows, as well as machines used in the factory that seemed to be repainted.
That's where my tour of this former mill factory ended. I've been to Tsuen Wan, where this place is located, but I never thought it existed. It was opened to the public in 2019, but I learned about it just last weekend. The Mills also has creative shops, dining, and workshop centers.
The ruined plans of island hopping became a discovery of this place, and it was indeed worth visiting.
(All photos are mine)
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