Time catches up with a Hong Kong estate that broke the mould

Almost four decades ago, when Ko Kang-ching was asked to take over a Shanghai-style hair salon at Wah Fu Estate in Pok Fu Lam, he considered it a great business opportunity because its population was 50,000 and growing.

“Our golden era was from the 1970s to 1980s, when we had more than 50 customers a day and had eight hairdressers here,” the 70-year-old businessman said in his shop, which was filled with empty chairs. “Now, we have only four hairdressers.”

Ko said he had to downsize his salon seven years ago to save money as fewer people were living in the neighbourhood and his trade was declining.

There were currently 26,000 residents on the estate, according to the Housing Authority.

Completed in 1978, Wah Fu was built for low-income families; it contains 9,100 flats in 18 blocks.

Small businesses such as the Shanghai Wah Fu Beauty Parlour made Wah Fu a self-contained community; it was designed as a “new town” with a market, hair salons and a multi-storey car park.

This was considered a groundbreaking concept for public housing back in those days.