Mining Heritage Centre, ELCHK Grace Youth Camp

“A renovated school and church converted into education centre and local cafe. The education centre briefs the visitors with the mining history of Ma On Shan Area and the livings of the miners. It also provides geotechnic information on Ma On Shan rocks and offers samples of rock collected in the area. Visitors can learn how to distinguish iron ores in the exhibition. Air conditioning is provided in the exhibition hall, making it an excellent place for resting. The cafe offers local herbal drinks, freshly brewed coffee and local food like tofu puddings. A great place to talk with the locals and rest after hiking.”

“The Grace Youth Camp (Mining Heritage Centre) is located within the Ma On Shan Country Park at the far end of the Ma On Shan Country Trail road. It is located within the small village up a few flights of stairs. The Centre is open on weekends and public holidays from 10am to 5pm. Essentially what you find here is a collection of historic buildings and an informal museum (free entry) which aims to preserve the mining history of the Ma On Shan mountain range. The Ma On Shan iron mines started around 1906. During the heyday of the 1950's and 1960's, there were 2-3K miners working the mines and an estimated community of around 10K residents living in the area. The mines closed in 1976 which saw the miners and residents move out to find livelihoods elsewhere. While the mining days are long past, some community preservation efforts have persisted over the decades resulted in this Grace Youth Camp initiative. Within the camp grounds, you will find the old Lutheran Yan Kwong Church building which is now repurposed and used as the Mining Heritage Centre exhibition hall. Inside what was once the main hall of the church, you will find two walls with information (Cantonese & English) displays regarding the old mines as well as the people that lived and worked here during those days. There are some exhibition items that complement the information displays and a video program being played (Cantonese language only). A few panels are also setup to provide historic account of the church and mission efforts which served the religious needs of the people and village in the past. Within the camp grounds there is an old Kindergarten, Primary School, Teacher dormitory and article storage building which collectively has Grade III historical building classification in Hong Kong. Next to the church is a small eatery called I cafe. This is a neat little place and good stop for a quick drink or snack before/after your hike through the Country Park. Note: To find the Grace Youth Camp Mining Heritage Centre and I Cafe, just make your way through the small village in direction of the church you will see from the end of the street, car park and mini-bus NR84 drop off & pick up point. There are a few signs pointing the way from within the village, which is really small so you can't miss it unless it is closed. In the end, this is a genuinely good endeavour to preserve local history and well worth the 20-30 minutes of your time to visit the Heritage Centre and have a coffee and snack at the I cafe if you are visiting the Ma On Shan Country Park on weekends and public holidays when they are open.”

“Discovered this place during hiking. Nice place to visit to understand more about HK History. Friendly curator introduced us the history of the mining industry and also shown us the camping site and hostel. Eco tour can also be orgsnized upon request. A very good attempt to revitalize historical place. The cafe here offers refreshments. The coffee and cookies we ordered are both very nice! tips : worth visit the real entrance of mine 240M.L. which is located near to the center. Walk down to the parking lot, turn right on the road after the lot. Not much distance up the road, on the left hand side, there is a trail blocked by a concrete bar on the ground. The entrance is about two hundred meter inside.”

“After a short hike from the Ma An Shan BBQ site, you will reach Grace Youth Camp. This place used to be a church and school for the village of the mine, and it's a great place to visit and have a cup of coffee before continuing the hike. The Mining Cafe looks like a cabin in the ski resort, and the coffee and snacks are great!”