Shek Kip Mei: a haven for refugees, and now for artists
Site of Hong Kong's first public housing estate, this corner of Kowloon has preserved some of that past, and its sense of community, while creating space for arts and crafts
It started with scrap woodand sheet metal. In the late 1940s, as the first wave of refugees arrived in Hong Kong from the civil war in China, many settled on the slopes of Shek Kip Mei, building crude shacks on the barren outcrop that overlooked the factories and shophouses of Sham Shui Po. Then, a shack caught fire on the night of Christmas 1953. The flames engulfed the whole shanty town, leaving 53,000 residents homeless.
The disaster forced the government to implement a public housing programme, which defined the history of Shek Kip Mei — until now. In recent years, this working-class bastion has taken on new life through a host of government-sponsored cultural initiatives that have converted historic structures into an art school, museum and artists' village, in turn attracting new art spaces and cafes.
This is no headlong rush into gentrification, however; Shek Kip Mei is still dominated by public housing, which has slowed the rate of change to a more reasonable pace than in other neighbourhoods. "These small-scale interventions that keep existing buildings are a great asset to the area, allowing change but preserving some of the character," says Jeanne Lambin, a storyteller and heritage conservationist who has lived in Shek Kip Mei since 2013.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Of all the recent heritage projects in Shek Kip Mei, the one that Lambin loves most is Mei Ho House, the only block of the original 1950s housing estate that has been preserved. In 2013, it was converted into a youth hostel, with a cafe and free museum dedicated to Shek Kip Mei's history. "I like that it brings tourists and travellers into a part of the city that is sometimes overlooked," says Lambin.
Iris Tsang, CEO of the Hong Kong Youth Hostel Association, which runs the complex, says she was struck by how fondly the housing estate's former residents recalled their old neighbourhood, despite the poverty and spartan living conditions. "Neighbours were very close with one another," she says. Evoking that atmosphere was one of the goals for the architects who restored Mei Ho House. The rear courtyard of the H-shaped complex is filled with café tables and chairs; there's a see dor selling beer, soft drinks and confectionary, along with a branch of Mong Kok's Full Cup Cafe, whose decor is a throwback to Hong Kong of the 1960s.