Revolutionaries' secret base left to decay despite heritage

A century-old heritage building that served as a secret base for the Chinese Revolution of 1911 has stood neglected and decaying despite the fanfare being prepared for the centenary of the revolution this year.

Numerous proposals have been made to save the red-brick building in Tuen Mun over four decades, but some activists believe its neglect may stem from its close association with pro-Taiwan groups in Hong Kong.

Hung Lau, literally Red House, is part of the former Castle Peak Farm, which was used by revolutionaries as a place to store and experiment with firearms between 1901 and 1911. The building, the only reminder of the vanished farm, was rated as a grade-one historic building in 1986.

Despite a government surveyor's assessment in 1968 that the building was a century old, officials now say there are doubts that the structure is authentic. They have plans to conserve other revolution-related heritage sites but not this one.

'Historians have long concluded Hung Lau played a part in the revolution,' Yuen Long district councillor Mak Ip-sing said. 'I think the government just wants to play down its significance because of its association with the Kuomintang and Taiwan,' said Mak, who is chairman of Highwise Yuen Long Service Centre, a pro-Taiwan group that manages the memorial ground next to Hung Lau.

The two-storey block is dilapidated and full of haphazard additions and alterations. The verandah has been sealed off with bricks, cement and wire gates. The balcony balustrades have been replaced. The traditional tiles on the roof have disappeared, replaced by metal sheets. The second floor has been subdivided into seven tiny rooms.