Tai Kwun: The Big House is Finally Open

Christopher DewolfAugust 2, 2018

What's behind the largest and most complex heritage conservation project Hong Kong has ever seen....

ArchitectureArtDesignHeritageHistoryUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments3033 views 08 min read

The Mystery of Hong Kong’s Ghost Pillars

Christopher DewolfJuly 25, 2018

Hong Kong's ghost pillars speak to a time when the city was dominated by shophouses. But why were they left behind?...

Uncategorized0 Comments4576 views 06 min read

Hong Kong on Instagram: @kingymak’s Urban Space

Christopher DewolfJuly 12, 2018

Architect Kevin Mak explores the spaces that define Hong Kong as a city. ...

ArtPeoplePhotographyPortraits0 Comments585 views 15 min read

What Happened to Hong Kong’s Underwater Villages?

Christopher DewolfJuly 11, 2018

Beneath some of Hong Kong's reservoirs are villages with centuries of history. You can still find traces of them in unexpected places....

Uncategorized0 Comments4897 views 08 min read

A Rural Escape Just Steps from One of Hong Kong’s Busiest MTR Stations

Christopher DewolfJune 27, 2018

In Pai Tau Village, historic stone houses, Buddhist temples and one of the city's best bee farms overlook the high-rises of modern Hong Kong....

A Little BreakInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments5160 views 18 min read

Hong Kong’s Vanished Beaches

Christopher DewolfJune 20, 2018

Some of Hong Kong's most popular beaches were once located in the heart of the city....

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments10229 views 05 min read

Hong Kong Wants You to Hang Out at the Recycling Depot

Christopher DewolfJune 13, 2018

A new network of Community Green Stations bring together neighbourhood recycling facilities, public gathering spaces and attractive design – all in a bid to reduce Hong Kong's wastefulness....

ArchitectureDesignUrbanism0 Comments742 views 07 min read

The Vertical City, Part VI: A Hundred Hong Kong Towers at the Venice Biennale

Christopher DewolfMay 31, 2018

Hong Kong brings its skyscrapers to the world’s largest architecture exhibition, asking how high-rise living can become more humane...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments661 views 19 min read

Hong Kong’s Concrete Stories: The Rooftop Photos of Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze

Christopher DewolfMay 29, 2018

A new book by Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze explores Hong Kong's rooftops....

ArtBooksCulturePhotography0 Comments947 views 07 min read

Sham Shui Po: The Future of Hong Kong’s Maker Hub is Rooted in the Past

Christopher DewolfMay 18, 2018

Sham Shui Po has always been a neighbourhood that made things – and a new generation of businesses is tapping into that legacy, if redevelopment doesn't get in the way....

HistoryInspring ItinerariesUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1092 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s War Ruins, Hidden in Plain Sight

Christopher DewolfMay 11, 2018

The last remnants of Hong Kong’s bloodiest day of fighting are now hidden behind an Esso station on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road. Walk past the fuel dispensers and the mini-mart and you’ll notice a weather-worn path leading up to a group of concrete bunkers tucked into the thick vegetation of the hillside. When Japanese […]...

HeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments10038 views 111 min read

Why a Canadian University is Fascinated by Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfApril 25, 2018

As local identity becomes a sensitive topic, the University of British Columbia has launched a new Hong Kong Studies Initiative that examines Hong Kong's culture, history and language. ...

BooksCultureHeritageHistoryLanguage0 Comments1309 views 010 min read

The Jamia Mosque, an Unexpected Oasis in Central Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfApril 18, 2018

Inside the lush historic compound that is home to Hong Kong's oldest mosque – and a surprising community of squatters. ...

HistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanism0 Comments7081 views 07 min read

The Vertical City, Part V: An Art Village Full of Hope for Hong Kong’s Future

Christopher DewolfApril 12, 2018

An ordinary building in Wan Chai is home to a surprising creative cluster....

ArtInspring ItinerariesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments651 views 06 min read

Hong Kong’s Independent Bookshops Nourish the Soul

Christopher DewolfMarch 29, 2018

Hong Kong's independent bookshops give the city a place to think, talk and exchange ideas....

A Little BreakBooksCultureWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1698 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Street Art Festival Returns to its Roots – But With Some Cutting-Edge New Tools

Christopher DewolfMarch 23, 2018

HKWalls is back for another round of live mural painting – along with new enhanced reality projection mapping that takes street art to a new level....

ArtInspring ItinerariesStreet ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments686 views 03 min read

A Hong Kong Wet Market is Reinventing the Apron

Christopher DewolfMarch 15, 2018

In Tsuen Wan, an overlooked piece of wet market apparel is being rethought by a team of designers and hawkers....

CultureDesignFashionFood0 Comments1204 views 06 min read

How the Blue House is Keeping Hong Kong’s Heritage Alive

Christopher DewolfMarch 7, 2018

After years of renovations, a landmark tenement building in Wan Chai is once again home to a close-knit community. ...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments8114 views 19 min read

Hong Kong’s Jewish Governor and the Road that Bears His Name

Christopher DewolfFebruary 28, 2018

There's a surprising history behind the concrete façades of Kowloon's most famous street....

HistoryPeoplePortraitsUrbanismUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments15140 views 17 min read

Hong Kong on Two Wheels: Can Cycling Thrive Here?

Christopher DewolfFebruary 21, 2018

Thousands of people get around by bicycle every day in Hong Kong, but it has never been considered a cycling-friendly city. The arrival of new bike share systems could change that....

A Little BreakCultureSportWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2651 views 18 min read

How a Hong Kong Designer Transformed Shenzhen

Christopher DewolfFebruary 8, 2018

A pioneering Hong Kong designer helped turn a Shenzhen industrial park into a cultural destination....

A Little BreakArchitectureDesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments554 views 05 min read

The Shenzhen Village That Once Ruled Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfJanuary 31, 2018

The latest edition of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture is shining a spotlight on Nantou, a 1,700 village that was once a regional capital....

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments1148 views 010 min read

Grey Metal Fences Are Taking Over Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfJanuary 18, 2018

They're everywhere – and they're becoming more common. As roadside fences proliferate around Hong Kong, some people have come up with ingenious ways to make them useful....

HistoryUrbanism0 Comments9989 views 07 min read

How to Live in Extreme Density: Hong Kong’s Architecture Biennale Has Some Ideas

Christopher DewolfJanuary 9, 2018

This year's edition of the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture looks at innovative ways Hong Kong designers and architects have responded to the city's high density. ...

ArchitectureDesignHistoryUrbanism0 Comments654 views 06 min read

Gérard Henry, Hong Kong’s Quiet Observer

Christopher DewolfJanuary 3, 2018

After documenting Hong Kong's cultural scene for more than three decades, Gérard Henry makes his own contribution to the city's artistic legacy....

ArtBooksCultureVisual Art0 Comments999 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Skyline Gets Dressed Up for Christmas

Christopher DewolfDecember 20, 2017

Thousands of people once flocked to Tsim Sha Tsui East to see the Christmas lights. While the crowds have thinned, the displays still shine....

CultureSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments1046 views 05 min read

The White Girl and the Precarious Village: Jenny Suen and Christopher Doyle’s New Film

Christopher DewolfDecember 14, 2017

Jenny Suen and Christopher Doyle imagine Hong Kong as a brooding fishing village in a new film about a ghostly girl, a Japanese drifter and a street kid....

CinemaCulture0 Comments567 views 04 min read

December 1941: Hong Kong’s Christmas Tragedy

Christopher DewolfDecember 7, 2017

The Battle of Hong Kong cost 10,000 lives and plunged the city into a brutal occupation – and yet little is done to commemorate it....

Big StoriesHistory0 Comments17249 views 010 min read

A Plague, a Cure and Some Art: the Museum of Medical Sciences

Christopher DewolfNovember 30, 2017

Founded as a laboratory to prevent disease, the Museum of Medical Sciences is now dedicated to the history of medicine in Hong Kong – with some surprising art exhibitions on the side, including a new show by artist Daphné Mandel....

ArtHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUrbanismVisual Art0 Comments826 views 07 min read

Eric Yim and the Business of Design

Christopher DewolfNovember 30, 2017

At the dawn of another Business of Design Week, designer-entrepreneur Eric Yim reflects on his role in bringing people together...

ArchitectureDesignInterior DesignPeoplePortraitsProduct Design0 Comments759 views 07 min read

A Historic Alleyway Barbershop Prepares to Say Goodbye – But Why?

Christopher DewolfNovember 22, 2017

As Wan Chai gentrifies, a quintessential Hong Kong barbershop may be forced to close....

CultureHistoryTraditionUrbanism0 Comments1323 views 19 min read

Spicy Hong Kong, Part I: Yu Kwen Yick, Sai Ying Pun’s Century-Old Chilli Sauce

Christopher DewolfNovember 15, 2017

In the first of a new series on Hong Kong's homegrown hot sauces, we look at Yu Kwen Yick, a family business that has survived for nearly a century....

CultureFood0 Comments2497 views 07 min read

Clockenflap 2017: Mike Hill and the Business of Culture

Christopher DewolfNovember 1, 2017

This year's Clockenflap brings Feist, Massive Attack and others to Hong Kong – and in the background, Mike Hill makes sure it all happens according to plan....

ArtInterviewsMusicPeoplePerforming Art0 Comments394 views 05 min read

Waterfall Bay, Where Ghosts, Gods and Speedo-Clad Swimmers Converge

Christopher DewolfOctober 26, 2017

Hidden on the edge of Hong Kong Island is one of the city's most spectacular — and spiritually significant — stretches of shoreline....

A Little BreakHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments3724 views 09 min read

The Lines Between: Madeleine Thien on Writing, Language and Family

Christopher DewolfOctober 18, 2017

After a year of touring the world to promote her acclaimed novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien is back in Hong Kong, a place loaded with meaning for the Chinese-Canadian author....

BooksCultureInterviewsLanguagePeopleUncategorized0 Comments460 views 011 min read

Bathed in Neon: Greg Girard’s Nocturnal 1970s Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfOctober 11, 2017

Canadian photographer Greg Girard unveils a new collection of Hong Kong photos from the 1970s and 80s. ...

ArtBooksCultureHeritageHistoryVisual Art0 Comments2303 views 08 min read

Why Do Hong Kong Restaurants Serve Borscht? The Overlooked History of Russian Hong Kong

Christopher DewolfOctober 4, 2017

As many as 20,000 Russian refugees passed through Hong Kong in the 20th century. They left behind a fascinating historic legacy....

Big StoriesHeritageHistory0 Comments25163 views 112 min read

Take a Peek Inside King Yin Lei, Hong Kong’s Chinese Renaissance Landmark

Christopher DewolfSeptember 27, 2017

With no plans for its future, the historic King Yin Lei mansion sits empty – but visitors are allowed inside on a few rare occasions....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments3781 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Literary Freedom Fighters

Christopher DewolfSeptember 21, 2017

Hong Kong 20/20 takes the pulse of present-day Hong Kong, bringing together a diverse group of 41 writers and illustrators to share their thoughts on the city....

BooksCulture0 Comments538 views 18 min read

The Heroes Behind a Mysterious New Hong Kong Brewery

Christopher DewolfSeptember 14, 2017

More than 500 craft beers will be available at this year's Beertopia – including Heroes, which taps into the community of beer lovers for ideas....

A Little BreakCultureFoodWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1240 views 16 min read