Hong Kong Originals: Turning wood into the saints – the lost art of deity wood carving

Hong Kong's once thriving deity wood carving industry, once a symbol of the city's manufacturing prowess, is now a fading tradition preserved by just one family-run workshop in Kwai Chung. As the city's economic boom waned and production shifted to mainland China, 600 Chinese temples across Hong Kong continued to rely on the craftsmanship of local masters to maintain their sacred statues.

The Siu family, led by 69-year-old Vitus Siu, now holds the title of Hong Kong's last deity wood carving workshop. Alongside his wife, daughter-in-law, and son Sylvester, who is 37, they have been dedicated to the art for decades. Vitus Siu, who learned the craft at the age of eight, explained that the workshop now focuses more on restoring deities and wooden sculptures from Chinese temples rather than creating new ones.

Restoring an antique dragon-shaped candle holder, he meticulously cut new pieces of sandalwood into precise shapes to fill in decaying areas. Another worker at the workshop was restoring a large-scale wooden ceremonial arch, which had turned black from incense smoke. The Siu family's long history in the art dates back to 1938 when Vitus's father immigrated from Guangdong province to Hong Kong, initially working as an apprentice in a deity statue shop before opening his own store named Cheong Kee on Reclamation Street in Yau Ma Tei.