Squatter huts once dotted these Shau Kei Wan foothills. Now, we stand at Yiu Tung Estate. Imagine the transformation.
Yiu Tung Estate is a public housing estate. It sits in the eastern district of Hong Kong Island. This estate provides homes for thousands. Its story is one of resettlement and redevelopment.
In the mid-1980s, the government decided to clear the squatter villages. They aimed to provide better housing. Clearance began in 1987. The area was transformed into Yiu Tung Estate and Hing Tung Estate.
Yiu Tung Estate comprises 11 residential buildings. Construction finished in 1994 and 1995. Yiu Lok House was completed in 1994. Yiu Fook House, Yiu Fu House and Yiu Wah House were completed in 1994. Yiu Fung House was also erected in 1994. Yiu On House was built in 1994. In 1995, Yiu Kwai House was completed. Yiu Cheong House, Yiu Hing House, Yiu Fai House and Yiu Ming House followed in 1995.
Yiu Tung Estate has a library within it. The Yiu Tung Public Library offers residents a place to read. It also provides a space to learn.
Nearby, you’ll find Tung Chun Court and Tung Shing Court. These are Home Ownership Scheme housing courts. They were also built in a former squatter area. Tung Chun Court was completed in 1994. Tung Shing Court was finished in 2000.
In 2016, Yiu Tung Estate had a population of 15,244. Tung Chun Court had 3,442 residents. That’s a total of 18,686 people living in these homes.
Yiu Tung Estate even hosted VIPs. In 1996, Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind visited. Governor Chris Patten gave him a tour. Patten also brought Labour MP Derek Fatchett here that same year.
For district council elections, the estate is split. Most of the estate is in the Lower Yiu Tung constituency. The rest falls within the Upper Yiu Tung constituency.
Yiu Tung Estate stands as a testament. It shows how Hong Kong addresses housing needs. It replaced makeshift homes with modern buildings.