Co-founder of walking tours firm helping preserve Hong Kong’s heritage one step at a time
- Paul Chan believes locals and people from other parts of the world are still interested in discovering another side of the former British colony
- He co-founded Walk in Hong Kong in 2013, organising small-group walking tours around old neighbourhoods
The story of Hong Kong, once frequently described as a place where East meets West, may be getting old. Yet Paul Chan Chi-yuen believes local citizens and people from other parts of the world are still interested in discovering another side of the former British colony.
The fan of cultural travel has woven various strands of the city’s heritage into different narratives. He has organised themed tours of the city’s old courthouses and police stations.
Chan, a former government official, has taken an award-winning television producer to locations featured in The World of Suzie Wong, the 1960 film adaptation of Richard Mason’s bestselling novel.
“I once led a group tour of Hong Kong’s columbariums. I chose this topic because I had spent four years on the front line of studying the life and death issues faced by Hong Kong citizens,” Chan said of his time working as a government official.
“My experience in handling matters concerning the supply of urn spaces provided a wider perspective on the topic.”
Chan, who joined the Food and Health Bureau in 2008 as a political assistant, has long been interested in walking tours.
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He first had the unique experience when he visited Europe in 2004 and immediately set himself a goal of developing culture tours back home.
After leaving his government job, Chan decided to try the idea out, co-founding Walk in Hong Kong in 2013, organising small-group walking tours around old neighbourhoods, such as Sheung Wan and Kowloon City.
Chan said he believed that the business was viable, as the travel industry in the city needed new momentum for growth.
He said he also hoped the group could make a social impact.
“I want to see more social changes,” he said.
Walk in Hong Kong has campaigned for the preservation of the State Theatre in North Point, which opened in 1952.
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The post-war complex, comprising a residential block and a shopping arcade, no longer functions as a theatre, but the site is widely seen as an important part of Hongkongers’ collective memory.
With the help of a number of heritage and architectural groups, Walk in Hong Kong put a lot of work into defining the former theatre’s architectural significance, resulting in the Antiquities Advisory Board in 2016 raising its historic building rating from grade three to grade one – the highest rank.
Work partner Hong Kong Produce Limited recommended him for the Spirit of Culture Award, which recognises individuals who inspire others to preserve Hong Kong’s legacy or celebrate its heritage and traditions.
Chan said he was planning to put more work into saving iconic structures such as the State Theatre from demolition.
He said he also wanted to help major companies in the city to launch corporate social responsibility projects to promote cultural development in Hong Kong.
