How one of Hong Kong's most powerful families built a suburban oasis in the heart of Kowloon
- Some of the city’s biggest movers and shakers live in the low-rise homes on leafy Kadoorie Hill, which they rent for up to US$41,000 a month
- A Kadoorie family-invested firm bought the land in 1930 as a hedge against a downturn in its main business, construction
As minibuses grind into low gear on Argyle Street, the scene just 100 metres uphill could not be more different. The streets are lined with bougainvillea, camphor trees and historic houses. When you stroll through the leafy avenues of Kadoorie Hill, it can be hard to imagine the crowds, traffic and stinky-tofu vendors of Mong Kok in Hong Kong’s urban heart are just a short walk away.
This unique combination of peace, quiet and convenience does not come cheap. Rents on the hill range from HK$50 to HK$80 per square foot (US$69 to US$110 per square metre), which puts the monthly bill for a typical 4,000-square-foot house at as much as HK$320,000. Unusually for such an exclusive neighbourhood, nearly all the properties are for rent; that’s because most of Kadoorie Hill is still owned by its namesake family, as it has been for nearly 100 years.
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Some of the area’s tenants have lasted nearly as long. They include 98-year-old Arnaldo de Oliveira Sales, the godfather of Hong Kong’s Olympic team and a stalwart of Hong Kong’s political establishment; he has lived in the same Kadoorie Hill house since it was built in 1953.
Another long-time resident was Shanghai-born textile magnate C.C. Lee, who moved into St. George’s Court when it was built in 1956.
