HISTORY OF TAI HANG
Tai Hang is situated at the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, facing a gong-shaped bay. There are two steep mountains to the south of Tai Hang, namely Jardine’s Lookout and Mount Butler. Tai Hang got its name as there was a “big pit” passing through the two mountains and brought the waters north to the sea. According to records, there were already inhabitants lived at Tai Hang before the foundation of Hong Kong in 1841.
Tai Hang was originally situated at a low-lying area. In order to protect the farmland and habitats from water tides, the residents built a stone embankment in front of Causeway Bay. In the late 1880’s, the government conducted reclamation at Causeway Bay and the farmland near the shore of Tai Hang was all filled, thus push the coastline further north to the stone embankment. The reclamation land eventually became the Causeway Road.
In 1898, the government decided to develop the newly reclamation land to be Queen’s Playground in order to provide sports facilities for the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong to hold sports activities and training programmes. The playground also dedicated certain time slots for government schools and subsidized schools to have football events, thus enabling Tai Hang to become a famous incubator of renowned footballers in Hong Kong.
In the Hong Kong Football team that participated in the 1936 Games of the XI Olympiad which was held in Berlin, Germany, it was said 9 footballers came from Tai Hang, including Asia’s best footballer Mr. Li Wai Tong, the best left wing Mr. Yip Pak Wah and the best tackler Mr. Lee Tin Sang – whom were all teammates of the South China Football Team.
After the Second World War, many Mainland refugee fled to Hong Kong. These refugees could hardly find a place to live. Many of them built simple squatters as their homes along the hillside behind Tai Hang Village. These squatters eventually forms Ma Shan Village and Nga Choi Hang Tsuen. These residents cultivated the land at the hillside to earn their living through growing vegetables.
In the late 1960’s, following the squatter control and clearance arrangements, these squatters were removed and the location was developed as the current Lai Tak Tsuen.
STORY OF STREET NAMES
Wun Sha Street
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, there were many little puddles at the upstream of Tai Hang. Laundry workers and inhabitants usually gathered at these little puddles to wash clothes. The Chinese word “wun sha” is an elegant wording to describe the clothes washing practice. Most of these puddles were covered to become closed nullah in the 1960’s. Eventually a road was built above the nullah and was named Wun Sha Street.
Fire Dragon Path
In 2011, with the aim to improve the surrounding environment, the Drainage Services Department embarked on the “Improvement Works of the Nullah at Tai Hang” project. The scope of works included decking the nullah between Causeway Road and Tung Lo Wan Road, utilizing the new land to widen the old footpath, as well as greening and landscape works along the widened footpath. The new footpath was specially named “Fire Dragon Path”. Since then, all the puddles in Tai Hang and the previous small bridging disappeared.
School Street
Most of the streets at Tai Hang were named after previous government officials. However, due to the contribution of “Hung Shing Yi Hok”, “Confucius free school for the poor”), the street in front of the school was named “School Street” to highlight the historical significance of the building.
Ormsby Street
Robert Daly Ormsby was the second Director of Public Works of Hong Kong from 1897 to 1901.
FAMOUS LANDMARKS
Tai Hang Lin Fa Kung
Tai Hang Lin Fa Kung (literally means Temple of Lotus), which as situated at the Lily Street at Tai Hang, was constructed in 1863 and has over 160 years of history. It was protected as Declared Monument in 2014. It was said that Kwun Yum (the Goddess of Mercy) had been appearing on a huge rock and was witnessed by a Hakka merchant called Tsang Tai Yuen in 1860. Villagers therefore built a temple on the rock to worship Kwun Yum. The rock is now commonly called the "Lotus Rock". Lin Fa Kung is a vernacular building with two halls. Its front hall is in half-octagonal shape with a double-eaves-tended roof and a verandah with western-style balustrades. Unlike most traditional temples where the main entrance is constructed in the middle of the facade, access to the temple is through the two staircases on the left and right side of the front hall. The rear hall is rectangular-shaped and consists of two levels, in between is where the Lotus Rock situated. Lin Fa Kung has close connection with the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance. On the 14th night of the eighth lunar month, the officiating guests perform rituals inside Tai Hang Lin Fa Kung to bring the dragon alive for the dance. The commander of the dragon dance worships and prays in Hakka dialect to the deity before the dance commences.
Causeway Bay Tin Hau Temple
The Causeway Bay Tin Hau Temple is situated at the Tim Hau Temple Road at Causeway Bay. The original temple was built by members of the Tai family, a family of Hakkas from Guangdong, who first settled in Kowloon Bay. The temple became a declared monument in 1982. The oldest relic housed inside the temple is bronze bell cast in 1747, the 12th year of the reign of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The temple was renovated in 1844 (under the reign of Daoguong) and extended in 1868 (under the reign of Tongzhi). Donors for the renovation included Tai Hang stone shop Luen Shing Hong and laundry shop Luen Tsui Tang, which portraited a clue that many Hakka residence at Tai Hang Tsuen were engaged in stone chisel and laundry works in those days. The temple is in a two-hall three-bay structure, with the two halls on both sides flanking the central main hall which enshrines Tin Hau, Bao Kung (Judge Bao) and Choi Sun (God of Wealth). The temple is famous for the fine Shiwanceramic figurines on its roof and eaves, and the quality of its stone carvings around the entrance. The plaque, couplet, incense burner, rock lion and many historical relics are still nicely kept from the Qing Dynasty.
Hong Kong Red Swastika Society Building
Hong Kong Red Swastika Society is an international charity association which had been providing services in Hong Kong since the 1930’s. In 1940, the three-storey Hong Kong Red Swastika Society Building was constructed at Tin Hau Dragon Road. The front of the building has two symmetric staircases on its left and right sides. Its ground floor was an office and a clinic which provided free dental and internal medicine services. The second floor was a conference room and the third floor is a chapel to worship the God. There was a Chinese style pavilion on the roof named “Nam Kwong Ting”. The building was assessed as a Grade 2 historic building by Antiquities Advisory Board in 2010.
Scouts’ Den at Queen’s College
In 1898, the government developed the newly reclamation land at Causeway Bay to be Queen’s Playground to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Queen Vitoria’s Enthronement. Scouns’ Den was originally a pavilion in the playground. In 1950, Queen’s College was moved to the current Causeway Road school, which was the previous Queen’s Playground. Since then the pavilion was included in the school area and was used as Scouts’ Den. The building was assessed as a Grade 2 historic building by Antiquities Advisory Board in 2009.
No. 4 The Second Lane at Tai Hang: The four-storey Chinese tenement building was constructed in the 1930’s. The building was assessed as a Grade 3 historic building in 2010. Each floor of the building was an independent apartment. The building used Shanghai Plaster style at its outside walls and decorated with imitated stone brick that portraited horizontal stripes. It also used wooden window frames to highlight its Chinese style.
St. John Ambulance Hong Kong Island Command Headquarters
St. John Ambulance Hong Kong Island Command Headquarters situated at No. 2 Tai Hang Road. The building was constructed in 1935 through donation by Mr. Chow Man Chi in memory of his father. Sir William Peel, then Governor of Hong Kog, was the officiating guest for its inauguration ceremony on 9th May 1935. During the Second World War under the Japanese occupation, the building was occupied by the Japanese army. In 1958, Hong Kong St. John Ambulance opened its new headquarters on MacDonnell Road and the existing building became St. John Ambulance Hong Kong Island Command Headquarters. The building was assessed as a Grade 3 historic building in 2011.
Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association
Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association was established in 1946 to become a non-profitable social service organization in Wan Chai District. Under its operation, Tai Hang Residents’ Welfare Association established Li Sing Tai Hang School and Tai Hang Youth Centre to provide a wide variety of social services to the residents.
Chinese Recreation Club Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Government conducted reclamation projects in Hong Kong Island in 1898. Most of the newly reclamation land was developed to be Queen’s Playground. Some portions were used to construct Chinese Recreation Club Hong Kong, which was the first club house for Chinese in Hong Kong. The Club was opened in 1912.
No. 4 The Second Lane at Tai Hang
The four-storey Chinese tenement building was constructed in the 1930’s. The building was assessed as a Grade 3 historic building in 2010. Each floor of the building was an independent apartment. The building used Shanghai Plaster style at its outside walls and decorated with imitated stone brick that portraited horizontal stripes. It also used wooden window frames to highlight its Chinese style.
No. 30 & 31 of Sun Chun Street Tai Hang
The two connected buildings were constructed in 1894 and were assessed as Grade 3 historic buildings in 2010. The buildings were typical Hakka style houses with walls built by irregular rubble masonry to support a Chinese style tile roof. The door frames were made by granites. They are the remaining Chinese style building at Tai Hang and are currently renovated as shops.
Race Course Fire Memorial
The memorial was situated at So Kon Po Caroline Hill and listed as a declared monument in October 2015. The memorial was situated just above the Hong Kong Stadium. It was constructed by Tung Wah Hospital in memory of the victims at the Happy Valley Racecourse fire in 1918 and was completed in 1922. The Memorial combines both the traditional Chinese architectural elements and Western classical building style. There are two octagonal pavilions on the top terrace of the site and a memorial archway on the middle terrace of the site. A pair of traditional Pagodas is constructed on the lower terrace; the Pagodas are octagonal with three storeys.
Haw Par Mansion
South-east Asia Chinese trader Mr. Aw Boon Haw (1882 – 1954) with his younger brother Mr. Aw Boon Par, moved their business headquarters from Singapore to Hong Kong. In 1935, Haw thus purchased a steep rocky lot on Tai Hang Road, and built a residence for the family. The house, which was called Haw Par Mansion and its private garden, Tiger Balm Garden, was completed in 1936. Haw Par Mansion was Aw family’s residence and was not open for public visit. On the contrary, the landscaped Tiger Balm Garden opened for public enjoyment of its traditional Chinese decorations. The Garden was closed in 1999 and the Mansion together with the Garden were donated to the Government in 2001. The Haw Par Mansion T was assessed as a Grade 1 historic building in 2009. In 2019, Aw Boon Haw Foundation and Haw Par Music worked together to revitalize the historic building into Haw Par Music. Haw Par Music has the mission to become a centre for cross-cultural exchange through music, heritage and arts, with a social initiative; providing not only high quality education on Western and Chinese music, but also a nurturing environment for the next generation of arts practitioners and future cultural leaders. Mr. Aw Boon Haw was a very kind to dedicate many donations. For the re-construction of No. 12 School Street as “Hung Shing Yi Hok” (Confucius free school for the poor) in 1949, Mr. Aw donated HK$10,000 to support the project and Tai Hang children.
