From Isaac Stern concerts to Jackie Chan movies to a snooker hall, the history of State Theatre, Hong Kong’s oldest theatre

Once the city’s biggest and most architecturally daring theatre, the State Theatre building was also home to many shops that people in North Point frequented

Hongkongers who grew up in and around the area recall the impact the heritage building had on their lives

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The State Theatre building in North Point on Hong Kong Island holds a special place in hearts of many Hongkongers, like Wendy Ng Wan-yee, a conservation architect. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 12:15pm, 5 Nov 2020Updated: 7:11pm, 5 Nov 2020

High above King’s Road in North Point on Hong Kong Island, Wendy Ng Wan-yee gazes at the roof of the defunct State Theatre, the city’s oldest theatre and a building that has – in many ways – defined her life.

As a child, she explored the theatre’s shopping arcade, where her mother ran a children’s clothing boutique; as an architect she campaigned to upgrade the 68-year-old building’s official status; and she was one of many who rejoiced when it was announced that the theatre would be restored and reborn as a cultural centre instead of being bulldozed and turned into yet another skyscraper.

“The State Theatre is one of a kind. There’s no other building like it in Hong Kong, or Asia for that matter,” says Ng, who is director of Hong Kong-based Revival Heritage Consultants.

“That it’s being given a new lease of life is a triumph for the city’s heritage – some very good news in what’s been a very tough year.”

Ng is an architect who grew up near the State Theatre in North Point. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

After being acquired by New World Development for HK$4.77 billion (US$615 million) last month, in an initiative led by the property company’s CEO Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, the State Theatre is set for a renovation programme intended to revitalise and transform it into a community asset.