Why You Should Care About Brutalist Architecture

Christopher DewolfJanuary 14, 2022

A spotlight is being shone on Hong Kong's few examples of a controversial form of architecture...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUrbanism0 Comments1028 views 014 min read

The Man Who Fought for Public Education in Hong Kong: Hilton Cheong-Leen

Christopher DewolfJanuary 10, 2022

Hilton Cheong-Leen was one of the postwar civic activists who helped shape modern Hong Kong. Now 94 years old, he still takes an active interest in the city's well-being....

CultureHeritageHistoryPeoplePortraits0 Comments2349 views 07 min read

Jingle Bells: The Surprising Story Behind TST’s Silent Clock Tower

Ilaria Maria SalaDecember 22, 2021

There’s a bell inside Hong Kong’s most famous clock tower, but it hasn’t been used in 71 years. Why not? ...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistory0 Comments421 views 13 min read

The Castle Peak Dragon Kiln: A Hidden Reminder of Hong Kong’s Ceramics History

Ilaria Maria SalaDecember 8, 2021

Tuen Mun’s soil once provided the raw material for a thriving pottery industry. Now, a single disused kiln is all that is left...

CultureDesignHeritageHistoryProduct DesignTradition0 Comments481 views 06 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part XV: The Chinese YMCA’s Chicago Roots

Christopher DewolfNovember 16, 2021

A handsome brick landmark on Bridges Street is a testament to the global spread of a Christian health and wellness movement....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1111 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part XIV: The Rural Decay of Yu Yuen

Christopher DewolfOctober 28, 2021

The country estate of Heung Yee Kuk founder Tsoi Po-tin has fallen into ruin, despite its remarkable history....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments2383 views 09 min read

Modern Before Its Time: A Hong Kong Gallery Embraces Ming Dynasty Furniture

Billy PottsOctober 27, 2021

Once overlooked, the elegant simplicity of Ming Dynasty furniture is now highly coveted – and a Hong Kong gallery was at the front lines of its renaissance....

DesignHeritageInterior DesignInterviewsPeopleProduct DesignTradition0 Comments564 views 010 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part XIII: Pun Chun Yuen, a Buddhist Oasis

Christopher DewolfOctober 7, 2021

Thanks to the success of the Wing Lee Wai distillery, the Wong family built a tranquil estate that now serves as a Buddhist retreat. ...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistory0 Comments1399 views 06 min read

Tea, Roasted to Order Over Charcoal: The Story of Ming Heung

Ilaria Maria SalaOctober 7, 2021

Ming Heung Tea Shop has been sitting in exactly the same position in Kowloon City since 1963. Chen Dak, the founder, had been in Hong Kong and in the tea business for about 10 years when the shop was established, following in the footsteps of his father, with whom he fled to Hong Kong in […]...

A Little BreakCultureFoodHeritagePortraitsTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments603 views 09 min read

When the Fire Dragon Dances Under the Full Moon: Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong

Tom BillingeSeptember 19, 2021

Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the liveliest and most cherished holidays in Hong Kong. Its history stretches back thousands of years....

CultureHeritageHistoryTraditionUncategorizedUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments1486 views 18 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part XII: Fat Tat Tong, a Window Into Rural History

Christopher DewolfSeptember 8, 2021

Hidden in a seemingly unremarkable village, Fat Tat Tong is one of Hong Kong's few declared monuments...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments2587 views 07 min read

Lo Ting: The Legend of Hong Kong’s Rebellious Human-Fish Hybrid

Ilaria Maria SalaJuly 28, 2021

For centuries, a tribe of merpeople called Lo Tings have been said to inhabit Hong Kong's waters. They are increasingly becoming a symbol of the city's contentious relationship with power....

ArtCultureHeritageHistoryPerforming ArtTraditionVideo artVisual Art0 Comments2299 views 012 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part XI: Cassels Block and Hong Kong Park

Christopher DewolfJuly 19, 2021

What is now vA!, the Visual Arts Centre, was once part of a 19th century British military barracks. How did it end up as Hong Kong Park?...

ArchitectureArtDesignHeritageHistoryVisual Art0 Comments1040 views 08 min read

Michael Rogge’s Hong Kong: A 1950s Time Capsule

Christopher DewolfJune 29, 2021

After moving to Hong Kong in 1949, Dutch expat Michael Rogge spent his free time filming everything he could. Now those clips form a remarkable YouTube collection...

CinemaCultureHeritageHistoryPeoplePortraits0 Comments3490 views 111 min read

Amazing Images of Old Hong Kong – in Full Colour

Christopher DewolfJune 24, 2021

A group of academics is using its Instagram account, Old HK in Colour, to share an incredible collection of painstakingly enhanced and colourised photos from Hong Kong's past....

CultureHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments2817 views 06 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part X: Maryknoll Convent School

Christopher DewolfJune 17, 2021

How the beguiling architecture of this prestigious girls' school makes it one of Hong Kong's most exceptional educational institutions...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments10165 views 09 min read

How Epidemics Shaped Hong Kong, Part II: The Scars of SARS – and Covid

Christopher DewolfApril 22, 2021

SARS left deep scars on Hong Kong – but it also led to positive reforms in public hygiene, healthcare and urban planning. What will Covid bring?...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUrbanism0 Comments719 views 010 min read

Telling History with Objects: The Mengdiexuan Collection

Edith TerryApril 12, 2021

An impactful new exhibition showcases China's overlooked gold treasures in a spectacular setting. ...

ArtCultureDesignHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1682 views 09 min read

How Epidemics Shaped Hong Kong, Part I: The “Fatal City”

Christopher DewolfApril 12, 2021

Today's Hong Kong is a reflection of the epidemics it has faced. In the first of a two-part article, we look at the legacy of the plague, malaria and the flu....

HeritageHistoryUrbanism0 Comments1663 views 011 min read

L’ÉCOLE Shares 3,000 Years of Chinese Treasures in The Art of Gold

Partner ContentMarch 30, 2021

Extraordinary gold objects from the Mengdiexuan Collection come to light in a new exhibition....

A Little BreakArtDesignHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1690 views 03 min read

The Home Nobody Knows: Vivienne Chow Explores the Soko Islands

Partner ContentMarch 12, 2021

In preparation for a project with Oi!, writer Vivienne Chow dives into her family’s history on two little-known islands on the edge of Hong Kong....

CultureHeritageHistory0 Comments2581 views 08 min read

Why Nobody Knew About the Spectacular Bishop Hill Reservoir

Christopher DewolfJanuary 22, 2021

How a quirky hill became the latest flashpoint in Hong Kong's fight to save its heritage....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments4408 views 112 min read

Keeping Hakka Culture Alive, Part II: Hats and Songs

Annemarie EvansJanuary 14, 2021

There's a link between the distinctive hats worn by Hakka women and the songs they sing in the fields – one a young enthusiast is trying to keep alive....

CultureHeritageHistoryLanguagePeopleTradition0 Comments1188 views 09 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part IX: Kom Tong Hall, the Sun Yat-sen Museum

Christopher DewolfNovember 19, 2020

Sun Yat-sen never visited the building that houses a museum dedicated to him – but there are plenty of other reasons why this grand structure is worth a visit....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1002 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part VIII: Shanghai Street Shophouses

Christopher DewolfOctober 15, 2020

Hong Kong's largest intact cluster of shophouses has been preserved and restored – but only in part. ...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesUrbanismWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1075 views 010 min read

Keeping Hakka Culture Alive, Part I: The Story of Hong Kong’s Mountain Pioneers

Annemarie EvansSeptember 15, 2020

Hakka people are an integral part of Hong Kong history and heritage, but their culture and language is at risk of being lost. ...

CultureHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesLanguageTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1556 views 012 min read

Unswerving Loyalty: Kwan Tai, Hong Kong’s God of Brotherhood

Tom BillingeAugust 4, 2020

How a warrior revered for his loyalty became one of Hong Kong's most respected deities. ...

CultureHeritageHistoryTraditionUsual Suspects & LandmarksWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments4197 views 08 min read

Video: How We Saved a Classic Hong Kong Neon Sign

Zolima CityMagJuly 23, 2020

When a renowned Happy Valley dim sum parlour closed its doors, its vintage neon sign was headed for the landfill – until Zolima CityMag stepped in....

CultureDesignHeritageHistoryProduct DesignTraditionUrbanism0 Comments1255 views 11 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part VI: Green Hub, the Old Tai Po Police Station

Christopher DewolfJuly 22, 2020

Britain's first colonial outpost in the New Territories has become a venue that promotes eco-friendly living....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1362 views 06 min read

An Extraordinary Temple and a Master Builder: Hong Kong’s Lo Pan Festival

Tom BillingeJuly 2, 2020

This July, construction workers will gather at one of Hong Kong's most extraordinary temples – one of only two in the world dedicated to Lo Pan....

A Little BreakCultureHeritageHistoryTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1188 views 08 min read

No Friend of the Government: The Story of Hong Kong’s First Rabble-Rousing Newspaper

Christopher DewolfJuly 2, 2020

How William Tarrant turned The Friend of China into a weapon against government corruption and misdeeds....

CultureHeritageHistoryPeopleSmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments1432 views 09 min read

Enter the Dragon Boat: A New Spirit Hits Hong Kong Waters

Cardin ChanJune 18, 2020

On the eve of Tuen Ng, a dragon boat club considers the spiritual and cultural meaning of these quintessential Hong Kong vessels. ...

CultureHeritageHistoryTradition0 Comments1357 views 09 min read

Dragon Boats from the Past: A Festive Chapter from Gwulo’s New Book

Zolima CityMagJune 18, 2020

We present an excerpt from the latest book published by David Bellis, founder of the popular Hong Kong history website Gwulo....

CultureHeritageHistorySportTradition0 Comments762 views 06 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part V: The HKU Main Building

Christopher DewolfJune 11, 2020

Inspired by the civic universities of England, the University of Hong Kong opened in 1911 with a distinctive central building that contains its architectural DNA....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments3228 views 08 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part IV: The Western Market

Christopher DewolfMay 6, 2020

Hong Kong's oldest surviving market building has a history even older than its Edwardian façade....

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUrbanismUsual Suspects & LandmarksWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments2571 views 08 min read

Meet the Masters Behind Hong Kong’s Most Extraordinary Bamboo Theatre

Cardin ChanApril 16, 2020

Our heritage writer Cardin Chan joins a tight-knit crew of workers as they build an unusual theatre perched on the edge of a cliff on Po Toi....

ArchitectureArtCultureDesignHeritageHistoryPerforming ArtTradition0 Comments4149 views 016 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part III: 1881 Heritage, the Malling of History

Christopher DewolfMarch 26, 2020

Why a project that saved a historic marine police complex is roundly criticised...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistoryUsual Suspects & Landmarks0 Comments2723 views 010 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part II: An Explosive History at the Asia Society

Christopher DewolfFebruary 25, 2020

How a Victorian-era explosives magazine was transformed into a cultural centre....

ArchitectureArtDesignHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments1957 views 010 min read

Hong Kong’s Colonial Heritage, Part I: The Ghost of Murray House

Christopher DewolfJanuary 30, 2020

The first in a new series on pre-World War II architecture looks at how one of Hong Kong's oldest colonial buildings became an example of how not to conserve heritage...

ArchitectureDesignHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments7918 views 07 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part X: How Plastic Flowers Built a Global Metropolis

Christopher DewolfJanuary 16, 2020

Hong Kong once made plastic products that were shipped around the world. What's left of that history?...

DesignHeritageHistoryProduct Design0 Comments241 views 08 min read