Day 3: Pok Fu Lam > Cyberport > Repulse Bay

Finally, our Pok Fu Lam trip was on today.  The weather was good :) Let's start with dead things.

CCCU Pokfulam Road Cemetery
CCCU Pokfulam Road Cemetery is organized by The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Church Union.  It built along the mountain side and it is facing the sea.  This cemetery inter many famous persons.  Lands in Hong Kong are limited.  Even there is taboo of Hong Kong people, there are many expensive residential near or facing the cemetery.

Many years ago, burial was a popular method to treat dead body.  Traditional people could not accept cremation, they thought it's respect to keep the whole dead body.  Due to limitation of land in Hong Kong, cremation became popular since many years ago.

Nowadays, population in Hong Kong is still increasing.  It is not only cause housing problem, columbarium is not enough too.  Some dead persons are temporary assigned to a columbarium for queue a permanent columbarium.  Some private columbarium providers are selling HK$100k for one columbarium, which is more expensive than housing for living person.  Government is promoting scatter cremated ashes to assigned garden and sea area.  People are welcome to this service.

Main entrance of CCCU Pokfulam Road Cemetery

The cemetery is facing the sea and high end residential.

Jessville
We had a quick walk to pass by the main entrance of Jessville.  Jessville built at 1937 which was a private residential.  The building include garden has 3 million sqft.  The name Jessville is the name of house owner's wife.  The architecture is Italian style with the arch and columns.  Government assigned it as grade 3 historic building in Hong Kong.  The owner cannot dismantle it.  Jessville is going to changed to a club house with high end residential around it.

It looks so elegant.

Pok Fu Lam Village
Pok Fu Lam Village appeared since 17 century.  It is the only Chinese culture heritage under World Monument Fund.  They have traditional folk custom Dragon Dance celebration every year.  People will hold a dragon (with incenses on dragon body) to dance on the street.  There is a Li Ling Pagoda at the entrance of the village to protect the villagers.  Pok Fu Lam Village is different to those villages in town.  There still have certain amount of villagers living here.  They have their markets and shops to supply the village.

Aerial view of the village

Villagers' living place

Vegetable market in village

Meat market in village

Li Ling Pagada

Bethanie
Bethanie is a European style building with French colonial architecture.  It was a sanatorium that built in 1875.  It is a declared monument in Hong Kong.  Bethanie has a chapel, theater and museum that open for public.  Some areas are used by Academy's School of Film and Television.  Bethanie chapel has 19 colored glass windows.  They were lost when start of renovation.  The construction director found them from Zetland Hall and returned them to Bethanie chapel.

Outside the theater

Information counter

Wellcome Theater

Bethanie chapel

The interior corridor in Bethanie

Bethanie chapel

One of the lost glass window

The floors in Bethanie chapel

The studio at roof top of Bethanie

Trees in Hong Kong

Trees and mountains are everywhere in Hong Kong and close to living place.  Hong Kong people built cement wall to hold the soil to protect Hong Kong people and maintain the trees.

Trees broke the road.

Cement wall to hold the soil

Cement wall under construction

Cyberport & Bel-Air Residence

Cyberport is a creative digital community.  It has four A grade office buildings, a five star hotel, a shopping mall and a residential.  It owned by an Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (which owed by Hong Kong government).  Hong Kong government built Cyberport for the rapid increase of information & technology business.  They foresee the growth of the business and try to make a information and technology center of Asia in Cyberport.  Unlucky, the project is still in deficit.  Transportation to cyberport is not convenience, not many companies want to station here.

Bel-Air Residence is a luxury residential at Cyberport.  It include apartment and villas.  It located next to the sea and has a wonderful sea view.  The buildings looks like a big screen, half of the premises can have prefect sea view.  Hong Kong people call it "Screen building".  As it like a screen to block the sea wind go to the land.  

Bel-Air Residence apartments.

It like a screen block the sea wind.

Carparks, shopping mall and other facilities are at platform.
Even premises at first level are is still at high above
the ground.  So, the premises can sell a better price.

Prefect sea view

Cyberport office building's interior used open ceiling.  It make the ceiling looks much higher.

Food court in Cyberport shopping mall is at top floor.  Glazed roof provide sunlight to interior. 

It was a water feature.  Management blocked it for easier maintenance.

Waterfall Bay
Waterfall Bay is next to Bel-Air Residence.  There is an old waterfall connect to the Waterfall Park.  The bottom part is connect to the sea.  The waterfall is very nice.  Many kids like to play here and photographers like to take photos here.  Some people said it is a Fung Shui water to Hong Kong.  Due to accidents happened every few years, government block the road to the waterfall.  It is so pity that it is not a recommended sightseeing and leisure spot.

There are not many waterfall in Hong Kong.

Many rocks and rubbish.

The waterfall is connect to the sea.

The little beach is quite nice and comfortable.

The governmnt block the road to the waterfall.

Wah Fu Estate

Wah Fu Estate is one of the oldest public estates and famous estate in Hong Kong.  It is the first public estate developed with facilities like shopping center, markets, carparks, school and library.  Wah Fu Estate located far to the town, so it is not many Hong Kong people like to live here.  

Public housing in Wah Fu Estate

Wah Fu Estate has many buildings

Another type of public housing in Wah Fu Estate

Public sports court

Repulse Bay Beach
Repulse Bay Beach is a very nice beach.  The new shopping center, The Pulse, was complete two years ago which provide a comfortable leisure space and supporting facilities to the beach.  There are some tours visit the beach as a sightseeing spots.  Shuttle buses are fully parked on the street.  Even the traffic is not convenience, the price of properties here is extremely high.  It is because there are many high end apartments and villas at this district.

Repulse Bay Beach is very nice

Another side of Repulse Bay Beach

Tours visit Repulse Bay Beach

The shopping center, The Pulse.

Cafes and resturants at The Pulse are facing the beach.

High end residential

Cost of properties from HK$20k to HK$50k per sqft.

The Lily
The Lily is a high end residential.  The Chinachem Group bid the land by HK$ 55.5 hundred million which was the highest price in the past record in Hong Kong.  The Lily completed at 2006.  Chinachem didn't sell any premises and changed it to hotel.  Lily was empty up to 2010.  The Lily has a outstanding architecture design which like a flower Lily.  The facade has LED system to show pattern at night.  It is such a waste to spend a lot, but the premises is empty due to poor management and planning.

The Hong Kong trip is finished here.  We will continue to discover the real estate in Macau and Guangzhou in next course.

Day 2: Kowloon Kai Tak Development

Start with employees who working at Kwun Tong at traffic peak hour.

Kwun Tong is a industrial district.  Since many industries are moved to China, the industrial buildings become empty.  The landlords tried to change the function of the industrial buildings, for examples freight house, design studio, indoor war game, function room, retail store, offices etc.  They offer a low rent space for any activities.

Indoor games in industrial building.  (Photo by Sky Posts)

Urban Renewal in Kowloon East
Government found that problem and targeted to redevelop Kwun Tong (Kai Tak Development Project).  They set up the Energizing Kowloon East Office to execute and speed up the development project.  The redevelopment include 320 hectares land with mix of commercial, housing, community, tourism, public facilities, infrastructure etc.  The iconic buildings and systems are include Cruise Terminal, new rail system EFLS (Environmental Friendly Linkage System), sports complex, Metro Park etc.

Energizing Kowloon East Office 

Development master plan model

Kai Tak Development plan (Photo by CEDD)

Cruise terminal is in-use.

Revitalize Industry Building Project
We had chance to visit a revitalize industry building.  It is still under construction.  It will be revitalized as a high end office.

It do not have facade yet.

It do not have lift.  We walk to 9/F by temporary staircase.

The structure is reuse the original industrial building.

It do not have curtain wall yet.

The architect make use the original bricks and apply
simple wall painting as the design of the wall finishes.

These are disposal of exiting old pipes.

Temporary stair case in the construction site.

I doubt whether the redevelopment can benefit Hong Kong people.  Nowadays, seems all shopping malls have same brands of shops and restaurants.  It's because only the corporates can afford the rent of the shops and they monopolized the market.  The existing industrial buildings offer low rent for any business, which benefit small companies and creative business.

Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) and MegaBox
We had quick walk pass through ZCB.  ZCB is a showroom and education center to promote zero or low carbon building design and technology apply to Hong Kong.  It was closed today.  So, we could just visit the website to study it's technology.

We went to MegaBox for lunch.  MegaBox is mix of shopping mall and office building.  The outlook of the shopping mall has a "Big Eye" (a round glazed facade).  It provides nature lights for several floors in the mall, which saved electricity of lighting.  Visitors in the mall can see the nice view of Cruise Terminal through the "Big Eye".  The design is very smart.

The "Big Eye" design.

Ice rink can share the sunlight through the "Big Eye".

There is a outdoor area where can see the Curise Terminal and
Kowloon side.  The building management locked to the door,
so it's easier for their maintenance and management.

I could only take a photo through the two glazed doors.

Kowloon City
We took bus to Kowloon City after lunch at MegaBox.  Kowloon City is a very old town and many places are developing.  Old buildings and new buildings are mixed together.  When we were walking on the street, my right hand side were very old buildings and left hand side were luxury residential buildings and shopping mall.  The new buildings and the old buildings at the same street are cost approx. HK$12k/sq.ft. and HK$3k/sq.ft. receptively.

Old building on right hand side.  The buildings are very interesting.
It is a very long building or they are different buildings connected together? 

New residential building and shopping mall on left hand side.

New building price

Old building price

Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen
Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen is the only walled villages in town.  Due to the development of this area, they are going to be dismantled and redevelop.  The villagers are requesting government to arrange a new house for them in the same district.

The houses are collected to each other and share the same structure, so they cannot stand alone.  The developer buy some houses and dismantle them to affect the structure of neighbor houses.  They use this method to push the villagers leave the village.

When we visited Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen, it's actually not many people living there.  Only few elderly.  The houses are looks empty, old and danger.  Seems this village will no longer be here.

The houses looks empty.

Banners for request relocation of villagers.

The houses cannot be used.

Kowloon Walled City Park
Kowloon Walled City was a very interested place.  When Hong Kong was colony of UK, Kowloon Walled City was a self-governance place where not under UK and Hong Kong government.  It was at the center of Hong Kong, but out of Hong Kong government or UK's control area.

Kowloon Walled City became a criminal slum, ie. drug abuse, gambling, sexy, illegal doctors, refugees etc.  It affected the safety of the Hong Kong.  Government tried to destroy the organized crime there.  On the contrary, it made the Kowloon Walled City more strong.  The people built many unauthorized buildings shortly.  They made use every inch of space for buildings.  The buildings were close to each other with almost no gap between them. The corridors were narrow and environment was poor.  Although they were unauthorized buildings, people thought the architectural is amazing.  Buildings were close to each other with almost no gap.  Kids were running on the roofs and jump over the buildings.  People living in it could not see any sunshine.  The center of the city was a temple.  Except the surrounding buildings, the temple was the only place can see the sunshine.

Finally, Chinese government, Hong Kong government and UK agreed to dismantle this place and changed to a park.  It is the Kowloon Walled City Park now.  Unlucky, I'm too young and no chance to see this amazing unauthorized architectural.

Model of the Kowloon Walled City shows the high density of buildings. 

The elevation of the Kowloon Walled City.

The temple at the center of Kowloon Walled City are kept
and become a exhibition and visitor center.

A public house outside Kowloon Walled City.
People live very close to the criminal city. 

The previous living place of Moses when he was young 
We pass by Moses' previous living place.  It becomes a international school.  The buildings are renovated.  We could see the building name at the top of building.  It is style of some old buildings.

Building name on the building

Classrooms of international school.

Langham Place
Mongkok is a high building density area.  Lands are limited.  Langham Place is a skyscraper with shopping mall, hotel and offices.  Langham Place shopping arcade is a very thin building, small land use area and tall.  There is a very long escalator from 4/F to 8/F.  (Personally do not like long escalator as it is danger.).  From 8/F to 13/F, each floor is super small and only for small shops.  Hong Kong's lands are expensive, architects always facing problem of limited land.  Buildings are develop vertically, taller and taller.