Tough times ahead for survivors of Hong Kong’s industrial past

Jul 23, 2021

South China Morning Post

Once central to Hong Kong’s identity, local manufacturing is now increasingly seen as a sunset industry for the city. In its heyday, manufacturing comprised 31 per cent of Hong Kong’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but today it represents only around 1 per cent of GDP. Only six of nearly two dozen government-subsidised industrial buildings that used to house mini factories are left. And by mid-2022, only two will remain as the Hong Kong Housing Authority converts most industrial spaces into subsidised flats. For the tenants of these factory estates, the government’s plan to close some of the last subsidised industrial spaces may deal the final blow to a dying industry.