Did you know Hei Ling Chau was once called Nai Gu Chau Nun’s Island? This small island east of Lantau holds a captivating history. Originally settled in the 1890s its population reached about 100 by 1950. After World War II and mass immigration leprosy became widespread. Sufferers were forcibly removed to prevent infection. In 1950 the government established a leper colony on Nai Gu Chau. The islanders were relocated. The island was renamed Hei Ling Chau Island of Happy Healing. At its peak in the 1960s it housed 540 lepers. It was an isolated island within a booming city. Leprosy cases declined in the 1970s. The colony closed in 1974. Remaining patients went to Lai Chi Kok Hospital. The Correctional Services Department took over. The island became home to Vietnamese refugees in the 1980s. Today Hei Ling Chau houses a medium-security prison and three drug rehabilitation centers. The largest is the Hei Ling Chau Addiction Treatment Centre. A proposed super jail in 2004 faced public opposition. It was abandoned. Hei Ling Chau remains an island of incarceration and rehabilitation. It holds hundreds hoping for a joyful future. The island’s story is a testament to resilience and transformation. A poignant reminder of Hong Kong’s complex past. Imagine the lives lived here. The hopes for healing and recovery. Hei Ling Chau’s story is a part of Hong Kong’s story.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to