Exhibitor’s Stories

Louis Ho (Woodware craftsman)

Mallet | Sze Cheung

You can understand what Sze Cheung does by looking at its entrance sign, it says “Wooden Pulley/ Ship Woodware” on the left and “Air-conditioning pipes/ Electrical wood” on the right. They seem to represent works of two eras. Many wooden fishing boats were moored in Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter when it was built in 1916. Sze Cheung started to sell wooden supplies for boats more than 100 years ago. Since the 1970s, boat owners began to transform their businesses and the number of wooden boats decreased. The business of Sze Cheung also declined, so the shop evolved with the focus on producing wooden rings for central air-conditioning pipes.

Louis’ grandfather inherited Sze Cheung from his master, he passed it to Louis’ father and then to Louis. This fourth-generation heir was born in the 1960s, he used to help his father make woodware during summer. He remembered the blissful moment of having his father treating him to a “cream soda and milk mix” drink in the afternoon. After he graduated from secondary school, Louis continued to work at the shop although the ship woodware industry was declining at that time. He always had a mission to carry on this century-old shop which had witnessed the changes of Hong Kong.

Louis uses lathe to make mallets, for tankers, auction houses, leather works, and even massage. Louis designs mallets in different styles, sizes and lengths depending on usage.