Tour the UNESCO-Award-Winning Blue House

Description

Join architect and artist Nick Tsao for an immersive guided tour of Wan Chai’s historic Blue House Cluster. This UNESCO Award of Excellence recipient stands as a living testament to Hong Kong’s success in integrating tangible and intangible heritage. Explore its preserved interiors, authentic architectural details, and co-living histories while visiting Tsao’s own residence and studio, where he creates traditional papercuttings for Lunar New Year. The experience offers rare access to the building’s architectural features and community preservation stories.

An award-winning architect trained at the University of Cambridge and Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tsao has collaborated with international firms such as Foster + Partners and Herzog & de Meuron. Now based in the Blue House Cluster, he bridges architecture, heritage and craftsmanship — transforming his practice into one that celebrates design, tradition and everyday creativity. 

Guided tour: On 7 February, the tour meets at the courtyard behind the Blue House, 72 Stone Nullah Lane, and includes a visit to the third-floor Heritage Preservation Unit, featuring original partitions, tiles and artefacts from residents. It will then move to the nearby Yellow and Orange Houses. 

Two time slots are available — 14:00–15:30 and 16:15–17:45 — each lasting 90 minutes. Complimentary wines and drinks will be served at Tsao’s home, where he designs and produces traditional Chinese papercutting art. His practice has evolved into a full-time creative pursuit that blends handmade craft with modern techniques across design, workshops and installations.