Remember the night of Christmas 1953? It was a night that changed Hong Kong forever. We are standing in front of Shek Kip Mei Estate. It marks the start of Hong Kong’s public housing program.
Shek Kip Mei Estate began after a fire. The fire ravaged the squatter huts. About 53000 people became homeless on that fateful night.
The government quickly responded. They cleared the area and built temporary bungalows. But this wasn’t enough. They needed a long-term solution. So, they started building resettlement blocks made of concrete.
By the end of 1954, eight six-story blocks were ready. Over the next eight years, 21 more seven-story blocks appeared. These early blocks were known as Mark I design. They had two wings of rooms connected by a bridge. This bridge held communal facilities. These blocks looked like the letter ‘H’ from above.
Living conditions were very basic. A family of five or more squeezed into a 120-square-foot room. There were no kitchens or bathrooms inside the units. Residents used communal facilities for cooking and washing. These were located at the bridge. They did laundry in the common corridors. There were no lifts so people used staircases.
Later, seven more 13-story blocks were added. In the 1970s, the Housing Authority decided to make improvements. They removed partition walls to create larger flats. Each flat got its own toilet. The outside corridor was enclosed. This gave each flat a private balcony for cooking. The communal facilities were turned into flats.
In the 1990s, the Housing Authority decided to redevelop part of Shek Kip Mei Estate. They demolished the old blocks except for one. Mei Ho House also known as Block 41, was among the first blocks built in 1954. It became a historic building.
The government decided to preserve Mei Ho House. It was turned into a youth hostel with a museum. This museum tells the story of public housing history.
The older blocks of Shek Kip Mei Estate have been redeveloped in stages. The first stage finished in 2006. Some seven-story blocks were torn down. Two new housing blocks were built. The new Shek Kip Mei Estate has about 6600 rental units. These units can house about 17400 residents.
Shek Kip Mei Estate now has 21 blocks. It also includes the preserved Mei Ho House. It stands as a reminder of Hong Kong’s commitment to public housing. It shows how far the city has come in providing homes for its people.