Re/composing Sai Wan

Re/composing Sai Wan

To walk uphill is also to trace time in reverse. Since the 19th century, people have carved terraces into the hillside, creating layer upon layer of ground on which different trades and communities could take root. Situated on the western edge of the city’s coastline, this area has, across different periods, borne the traces of public facilities, everyday working-class life and entertainment culture. Today, old shops and new businesses, old routines and new scenery stand side by side along its streets.

Through interviews and research, artists move between memories from different eras: “Zaat Hap” presents the contemporary transformation of traditional bamboo craft; Swing Lam traces the lingering echoes of Shek Tong Tsui’s entertainment past; Larry Shuen explores the past and present transformations of historic buildings; and Yim Sui-fong reconstructs the sound memories of the neighbourhood.

Sai Ying Pun Community Complex (Old Victoria Mental Hospital)

The historical monuments in the Sai Ying Pun area bear witness to the early development of psychiatric medical services in Hong Kong. Built in 1892, this Baroque-style granite building was originally constructed as quarters for the staff of the Civil Hospital. In 1939, to relieve overcrowding at the adjacent lunatic asylums, it was converted into the female ward of Victoria Mental Hospital. Later, following the opening of Castle Peak Hospital in 1961, the facility was repurposed into a psychiatric day outpatient clinic. Owing to its storied past, residents refer to it as the "Old Mental Hospital", and it is also widely known as the "High Street Haunted House".

Following a period of vacancy beginning in the 1970s, the building was demolished and redeveloped in 1998 into the Sai Ying Pun Community Complex, retaining only its granite facade and arched verandas. It was officially declared a Hong Kong monument in 2015. 

Eastern Street Methadone Treatment Clinic (Old Lunatic Asylum Chinese Block)

The Old Lunatic Asylum Chinese Block was completed in 1891, specifically to accommodate Chinese psychiatric patients, with an initial capacity of 16 people. The two-story building features Neo-Georgian architectural style, constructed with red bricks and granite. Its modest exterior, featuring pitched-roof arcades, contrasts with the grand architecture of the "High Street Haunted House" across the street.

In 1906, the Chinese and European mental asylum facilities were merged into the Victoria Mental Hospital, providing specialised accommodation and treatment for psychiatric patients. Following the opening of Castle Peak Hospital, the building was successively converted into a leprosy clinic and cholera hospital. In the 1970s, it was repurposed as the Eastern Street Methadone Clinic until its decommissioning in 2022.

The building was listed as a Grade II Historic Building in 2010.

Centre Street Market

Centre Street is one of the steepest streets in Hong Kong. In its early days, it was a bustling open-air market packed with hawker stalls and street vendors overflowing with goods. To bring order to the street and improve the area's appearance, the government gradually moved vendors indoors and opened the two-story Centre Street Market in 1976.

For half a century, the market served the neighborhood's daily needs with 46 stalls selling traditional groceries, household wares, and clothing alteration services, alongside a cooked food market on the first floor. As part of urban planning, the government decided to merge Centre Street Market with the nearby Sai Ying Pun Market built in 1999. Centre Street Market officially ceased operations in 2026, freeing up the building to be repurposed for community healthcare facilities.

Hill Road

Hill Road was a central part of Shek Tong Tsui’s entertainment past, tracing Sai Wan’s shift from an entertainment hub into a modern transport corridor. During its peak in the 1920s, Hill Road was lined with entertainment places and grand restaurants.

Today, the Hill Road Flyover, completed in 1981, is one of the area's landmarks. The year “1981” is carved directly into the span crossing Des Voeux Road West to mark the occasion. Standing as Hong Kong's highest urban flyover, it stretches a total length of 680 meters, dropping dramatically from Pok Fu Lam Road in Mid-Levels, soaring above Queen’s Road West and Des Voeux Road West before reaching Connaught Road West by the waterfront.

The Flyover is in a sweeping S-curve due to the steep drop in elevation, resembling a giant dragon winding down to the sea. The shaded space underneath the flyover serves as a recreational spot for residents and hosts bamboo-shed temporary venues during the annual Hungry Ghost Festival (Yu Lan Festival) in the seventh lunar month.

Tai Ping Theatre

The Tai Ping Theatre was an important entertainment landmark related to the entertainment past of Shek Tong Tsui. In the early years of Hong Kong’s establishment as a free port, the Sheung Wan and Sai Wan districts served as the main entertainment hubs for the local Chinese community. In 1903, reclamation in Central extended towards Shek Tong Tsui. The government then relocated the entertainment places to the area. 

Completed in 1904, Tai Ping Theatre was situated between Queen’s Road West and Des Voeux Road West in Sai Wan. The three-storey theatre had more than 1,000 seats and was one of the largest theatres in Hong Kong at the time. As a multi-purpose performing arts stage, Tai Ping Theatre initially focused on Cantonese opera performances. Renowned performers including Tam Lan-hing and Mei Lan-fang performed there. The Tai Ping Theatre was home to the Tai Ping Opera Troupe led by famous performer Ma Sze-tsang. It also screened foreign silent films. In 1930s, the theatre was rebuilt and equipped with sound-on-film projectors, and began screening Chinese and Western sound films. 

Late 1960s, Cantonese opera performances gradually declined in popularity. The Tai Ping Theatre closed in 1981 and was later redeveloped into present-day Wah Ming Centre. 

Photo 1: Interior of the Tai Ping Theatre, 1909.
Photo Source: Public Records Office, Government Records Service
Image is provided by the Government Records Service. If you wish to use the image, you must submit application in writing to the Government Records Service.

Photo 2: Tai Ping Theatre in 1950s.
Photo Source: The Collection of Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Kam Ling Restaurant

Kam Ling Restaurant was one of the “Four Great Restaurants” during the heyday of Shek Tong Tsui’s entertainment past, and was a popular gathering place for writers, wealthy merchants and stars. 

Opened inside a four-storey tong lau near the tram terminus at Whitty Street in the 1910s, it was one of the most lavish and prominent restaurants of its time. It is said that the name of the restaurant was inspired by poems from the Tang dynasty. 

Restaurants and the entertainment culture of Tong Sai were closely connected. Many visitors to Shek Tong Tsui would first dine at restaurants before visiting nearby entertainment places. At its peak, Shek Tong Tsui had more than 20 major restaurants, alongside theatres, tea rooms and amusement venues, creating a lively entertainment district. In the film Rouge, Fleur, played by Anita Mui, first meets the Twelfth Master, played by Leslie Cheung, at a banquet at Kam Ling Restaurant. 

Kam Ling Restaurant was later moved to Queen’s Road West. After the government introduced a ban on prostitution in 1935, many restaurants closed or underwent transformation. Kam Ling Restaurant closed its doors in 1962.

Invoice from Kam Ling Restaurant.
Photo Source: The Collection of Hong Kong Museum of History

Tai Pak Lau Amusement Park

Tai Pak Lau Amusement Park was a popular leisure destination during the heyday of Shek Tong Tsui’s entertainment past, and one of the few private amusement parks in Hong Kong at the time that brought together dining, entertainment, gardens and scenic views. 

The amusement park was established in 1915 by wealthy businessman Li Po-lung. Built along the hillside and blending Chinese and Western designs, it featured Chinese opera performances, restaurants, alongside amusement facilities such as a carousel and air-gun shooting. Visitors could also go boating on the pond or enjoy distant views of Victoria Harbour. The park was particularly lively at night, with its opening advertisement promoting it as being “as bright as daylight at night”. It became an important part of the entertainment culture of Shek Tong Tsui. 

Tai Pak Lau closed in 1924. The site was subsequently acquired and redeveloped as a residential area, which includes present-day Tai Pak Terrace in the Seven Terraces of Sai Wan.

Tai Pak Terrace, 1974.
Photo Source: Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

The Seven Terraces of Sai Wan, Lo Pan Temple

The Seven Terraces of Sai Wan are a historic cluster of residential platforms in Kennedy Town, set into the hillside between Pok Fu Lam Road and Belcher's Street. They consist of Chi Lan Terrace, Li Po Lung Terrace, Hok Sz Terrace, To Li Terrace, Ching Lin Terrace, Hee Wong Terrace and Tai Pak Terrace. Six of these terraces are named in connection with the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai.

Located at 15 Ching Lin Terrace, the Lo Pan Temple was among the earliest structures built in the area. Founded in 1884 by local labourers and builders and supported by merchant Li Sheng, it was reconstructed on its original site in 1928. The temple features a traditional layout with two halls, a courtyard and a single bay, adorned with murals, plaster moldings, wood carvings and Shiwan ceramic figurines. Its distinctive "Five Peaks Facing Heaven" stepped gables are exceptionally rare in Hong Kong. The Lo Pan Temple was declared a Hong Kong monument in 2024.

Photo 1: General view of seven terraces in Sai Wan, looking south at the roof top of No. 7 Sands Street, 1974.
Photo Source: Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Photo 2: Looking south at the roof top of No. 7 Sands Street; Tai Pak Terrace (left), Hee Wong Terrace (middle) and Ching Lin Terrace (right). 
Photo Source: Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Forbes Street Slaughterhouse and Poultry Pens

From the late 19th century, Kennedy Town was an important wholesale centre for fresh food, known for the “Nine Major Stalls” — cattle, pig, chicken, duck, goose, fish, shrimp, vegetables and fruit stalls.

In 1894, the government established a slaughterhouse at Forbes Street, together with three separate sections for cattle, pigs and sheep. It supplied most of Hong Kong’s meat products in the early days. Adjacent to it on Smithfield were the cattle quarantine depot and cattle market. Poultry stalls were later established around the junction of Forbes Street and Davis Street, where live chickens and ducks were traded wholesale.

In the early years, the facilities were relatively crude. There were escapes by cattle occasionally. As the surrounding residential community grew, the slaughterhouse and other related facilities were gradually relocated to the new reclamation land in the 1960s.

The Forbes Street slaughterhouse has since been demolished, the former sites include Forbes Street Temporary Playground and a range of restaurants, while the old stone wall tree on Forbes Street has become a popular photo spot.

Photo 1: Kennedy Town abattoir in the 1950s,
Photo Source: The Collection of Hong Kong Museum of History

Photo 2: Kennedy Town abattoir in the 1950s,
Photo Source: The Collection of Hong Kong Museum of History

Photo 3: Photographed in 1973, the first-generation Kennedy Town Slaughterhouse.
Photo Source: Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Kennedy Town Abattoir and Incinerator

After reclamation works were completed in the 1960s, the Kennedy Town Abattoir and the Kennedy Town Incinerator commenced operations in the late 1960s. As the city developed, the original Forbes Street Abattoir gradually became inadequate, prompting the government to build a larger-scale, modern slaughterhouse on Catchick Street. The abattoir remained in operation until the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse opened in 1999.

Situated adjacent to it, the Kennedy Town Incinerator was Hong Kong's first modern waste incineration facility. Its towering chimneys became a highly iconic landmark of the era. The heat generated from waste incineration was converted into electricity, providing most of the hot water and boiler power for the abattoir.

Due to issues such as odour and environmental pollution affecting residents' livelihood, facilities were subsequently demolished, and the site was used for various purposes, including temporary works for the West Island Line, gardens and car parks. In 2024, the Cadogan Street Promenade opened on part of the waterfront.

Photo 1: Aerial view of Kennedy Town, 1968.
Photo Source: Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Photo 2: Kennedy Town Incineration plants, 1981.
Photo Source: Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government

Photo 3: Kennedy Town Abattoir, 2003.

Tung Wah Smallpox Hospital

An early hospital once stood on Ka Wai Man Road, bearing witness to the city's history of combating infectious diseases.

In 19th century, as epidemics raged through Hong Kong. The Tung Wah Hospital established clinic on Ka Wai Man Road which was later expand into the Tung Wah Plague Hospital. In response to the smallpox outbreak, the facility was converted into an anti-smallpox hospital in 1910, namely Tung Wah Smallpox Hospital. It offered both Chinese and Western treatment to smallpox patients, and vaccinated the Chinese population.

Following the eradication of smallpox, the facility was returned to the government in 1938 to serve as an infectious disease hospital and was demolished after World War II. Its former site is now the Ka Wai Man Road Garden. The archway and foundation stone of the Smallpox Hospital were preserved and relocated in 1978 to a site adjacent to the Kennedy Town Bus Terminus on Sai Ning Street. Due to urban development, the relics were removed from their location in 2024 for temporary storage, pending future relocation and reinstallation at another site.

Photo 1: The Tung Wah Smallpox Hospital in Kennedy Town, inaugurated in 1910.
Photo Source: Collection of Tung Wah Museum

Photo 2: Arch and memorial stone of Tung Wah Smallpox Hospital.
Photo Source: Collection of Tung Wah Museum

Sai Wan Estate

Sai Wan Estate was completed between 1958 and 1959, making it the third public housing estate built on Hong Kong Island. Built into the hillside, it consists of five “old slab” residential blocks. The ground-floor entrance of East Terrace is located at the foot of the hill, while the other four interconnected blocks stand on the slope. The mountain-backed, sea-facing setting of Sai Wan Estate, together with its criss-crossing stairways, forms one of Sai Wan’s distinctive landscapes.

In February 2026, the Hong Kong Housing Authority announced the clearance and rehousing arrangements for the redevelopment plan of Sai Wan Estate, under which over 600 affected households will be rehoused in the nearby Phase 1 public housing development at Ka Wai Man Road.