small valley
TAI HANG

Christ the King Chapel

Christ the King Chapel, also known as the St. Paul's Convent Church, is a Grade I historic building. It was built by the French Catholic group, the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres. The site was originally the Hongkong Cotton-Spinning, Weaving and Dyeing Company Ltd of the Jardines, later purchased by the Sisters in 1914 and eventually developed into a complex including a retreat house, a hospital, an orphanage, a school, serving the residents of Causeway Bay and Tai Hang.

The chapel adopted the classical revival style, with significant features such as the Corinthian columns at the exterior of the building. A statue of Christ the King is established on the top of the pediment at the front, holding the earth in His hand, symbolising His care towards the world. Shifting downwards is a phrase written in Latin, “REGEM REGUM VENITE ADOREMUS", which means "Let us adore the King of kings”.

If observe the chapel from a bird-eye view, you may identify its Latin cross-structure, which can accommodate around a thousand people. Made from Italian marble, the main altar depicts the famous Last Supper, carved by a French artist. All these features displayed classic Western architecture and artistic style.

St. John Ambulance Brigade Hong Kong Island Command Headquarters

The Hong Kong St. John Ambulance was established in 1916. There was not a proper office established until 1933, when businessman Chau Man Chi made a generous donation, and the government allocated a piece of land by the hillside in Tai Hang as the headquarters. The building demonstrated a combination of classical and Art Deco architectural styles. Apart from the building, ambulances were donated by the famous businessmen Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par. The headquarters building was officiated by then Hong Kong Governor Sir William Peel on 9 May 1935. The main building was named after “Chau Yue Teng" to commemorate Chau’s father. It was once the tallest building in the area.

The ground floor of the building is the clubhouse for officers and team members. The second floor is the lobby, leading to the semi-circular main entrance. In 1949, a monumental stone was inlaid in the centre of the lobby, engraved with the list of members who died in the line of duty during the war. The loft is used as an office, and the top floor is used as classrooms for various courses. 

In 1958, a new headquarters of St John Ambulance was established at 2 MacDonnell Road, thus the building in Tai Hang was changed to the Hong Kong Branch Headquarters of St. John Ambulance in 1997 and was listed as a Grade II historic building in 2011.

Tai Hang Fire Dragon Heritage Centre

The building at 12 School Street was originally a school called “Hung Shing Yi Hok” (Confucius free school for the poor) during the late Qing dynasty. It was founded by the Hong Kong Confucian Society, which was led by the renowned Chinese community leader Lau Chu-pak. Constructed through donations from the residents of Tai Hang, it served as a free school for the community.

The school suffered severe damage during the Japanese Occupation. Luckily, thanks to the donations from local residents, the reconstruction was successful after the war. The names of the donors from both contributions are engraved on a stone tablet, which is currently displayed in the main hall on the ground floor.

Over the years, the building has been used for educational purposes. From 1984 to 1999, it was the Confucian Society Victoria English Primary School, and from 2007 to 2010, it served as the office of the Eastern District Children's Choir of the Eastern District Cultural and Recreational Association. Currently, it has been transformed into the "Tai Hang Fire Dragon Centre" as part of Revitalisation Scheme, showcasing the history of the Tai Hang Fire Dragon and the evolution of the Tai Hang Hakka Village.

The building features modern architecture style with a cubic structure, white exterior walls, a flat roof, iron windows and decorative iron railings. The interior design is simple and practical, in line with the modernist emphasis on functionality.

4 Second Lane

4 Second Lane of Tai Hang (currently known as THE SHOPHOUSE) is a pre-war tong lau (tenement building) that has been listed as a Grade III historic building. The exterior of the building is constructed using the "Shanghai plaster" technique, which involves a mixture of gravel and cement to imitate the appearance of a stone-built structure.  "Shanghai plaster" is not actually derived from Shanghai but was commonly used in architecture from the 1920s to 1930s, combining Western techniques with Eastern characteristics. The interior decoration of the building also reflects the features of the 1930s, with popular elements such as coloured encaustic tiles and terrazzo flooring and the decorative edges on the ceilings.

This building has undergone several changes of ownership and has been used for various purposes, including residential, car garage and beauty salon. In 2020, the art space called THE SHOPHOUSE took over the premises and decided to restore its original features. As a result, the exterior walls which was painted in pink by the previous owner was uncovered, displaying the layer with "Shanghai plaster" technique. The interior space has also been restored to its original look. Regular exhibitions are held to showcase works of artists from around the world. Furthermore, a retail concept store named Otherthings was added, offering a variety of art pieces for purchase.

30-31 Sun Chun Street

The premises at 30 & 31 Sun Chun Street is one of the oldest buildings in Tai Hang. Tracing back to the land records in 1894, it used to be part of the old Hakka village named Tai Hang Village.

The one-storey house keeps its significant Chinese village house structure, including walls of plastered and painted granite blocks, pitched roofs of Chinese tiles and granite doorframe.

Today, most of the village houses have converted into shops, yet still one of them remained to provide a glimpse into lives of residents from over a hundred years ago. The building was listed as Grade III historic building in 2021.

Concord Villas

In the 1950s, the government launched a civil servant housing scheme.  Civil servants are allowed to set up co-operative societies and apply land grants and low-interest loans from the government for self-use residence. Located at 65-71 Wun Sha Street, Concord Villas is one of the premises built by the Civil Servants' Co-operative Building Society. Each household is about 1,000 square feet.

Designed by architect N. J. Chien, the building is modern and practical. The ceiling is high, with large terrace and glass windows. "Shanghai Plaster" is adopted on the exterior wall and the gate. You may even see traces of the handmade patterns at the border of the gate when observed closely. Many movies have chosen Concord Villas for filming with regard to its long history and unique architectural style, such as “I Corrupt All Cops” starring Anthony Wong and “Funeral March” starring Eason Chan.

Li Kwan Avenue Pre-war Tong Lau

There are several pre-war tong laus (tenement buildings) on Li Kwan Avenue, dating from around the 1930s. The earliest recorded transaction of No. 3-4 Li Kwan Avenue was in 1933. The houses at No. 2, 3 and 4 Li Kwan Avenue are now listed as Grade III historic buildings. The buildings demonstrated Neo-classical style with intricate decoration and symmetrical structure. There are two households on each floor, and the exterior wall was built using the “Shanghai plaster” technique.