Wan Chai temple and Stanley Mosque set for highest level of heritage protection
Hung Shing Temple on Queen’s Road East is among oldest in Wan Chai, while mosque is one of just two surviving Islamic buildings built before war
A nearly 180-year-old temple nestled in the heart of Wan Chai and Hong Kong’s only mosque inside a prison are poised to receive the city’s highest level of heritage protection under a government proposal.
In a paper submitted ahead of a board meeting on Thursday, the Antiquities and Monuments Office recommended that Hung Shing Temple in Wan Chai and the Stanley Mosque at Stanley Prison be declared statutory monuments. Both buildings currently hold Grade 1 historic building status.
“The two historic buildings … have significant heritage value,” the office said, adding that both met the “high threshold” required for statutory monument protection under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.
“Consent for the intended declaration has been obtained from the respective owners and management bodies.”
If endorsed by the board and approved by the chief executive, the two buildings would be declared monuments through publication in the Government Gazette, granting them permanent statutory protection.
Hung Shing Temple, located on Queen’s Road East, is believed to have been built between 1847 and 1852, making it one of the oldest in Wan Chai.