Tin Hau Temple
Tin Hau Temple In this part, we hope to introduce the development of Tin Hau Temple and its past use, to let participants understand the role traditional temples play in regional affairs. The exact construction date of the Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei cannot be verified, but the temple has been recorded in the government's literature on Yau Ma Tei in 1864. At that time, in order to develop Tsim Sha Tsui for commercial and military purposes, the British Hong Kong government relocated local residents to Yau Ma Tei, and this area gradually formed a new market. In 1870, residents and merchants of Yau Ma Tei worked together to complete the reconstruction of the Tin Hau Temple. The inscription in the temple recorded the names of more than 340 donors and businesses, including officials from the Qing government stationed in Hong Kong. This shows that there was already a certain amount of commercial development in this area. But 4 years later, the 1874 Hong Kong typhoon damaged the Yau Ma Tei community and the temple. After the typhoon, the government rebuilt Yau Ma Tei and opened up Temple Street, Station Street (now Shanghai Street) and Reclamation Street. The old Tin Hau Temple was located on the planned new street, so the authorities allocated the site to the site in 1876 to relocate the Tin Hau Temple. In the early days of governance, the British Hong Kong government implemented administrative segregation of Chinese and foreign populations, so the Chinese community had certain autonomy. Most of the regional affairs, including education, welfare, and arbitration, were handled by local gentry, while the large temples in the past served as a forum for discussing regional issues and education. After the relocation of Tin Hau Temple, a communal hall(公所) and a study hall(書院) were set up on both sides. The communal hall is for Yau Ma Tei Five Yeuk (約) to discuss district affairs (Yau Ma Tei Five Yeuk refers to Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kwun Chung, Mong Kok and Sham Po. Yeuk (約) is a traditional Chinese society’s method of dividing regions, which is similar to the meaning of district in English. Villages will set up autonomous organizations in their own regions to handle local affairs) . The study hall was built in 1897 to provide free education for poor children in the district. In 1914, the Chinese Affairs decided to refer to the management model of the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road and asked the Tin Hau Temple to transfer the management and properties to Kwong Wah in order to fund the hospital. The Hospital decided to build a new college on the south side of the office in 1920, forming the appearance of a series of five buildings centred on the ancient Tin Hau Temple as we see it today. In 1928, Kwong Wah Hospital formally took over the complex of Tin Hau Temple and its properties. Today, the communal hall and study hall have already been repurposed as different temples. The public square in front of the temple used to be a local market and has now become a public area for residents.
Yau Ma Tei Theatre
Yau Ma Tei TheatreBuilt in 1930, the Yau Ma Tei Theatre (Grade 2 historic building) is the only surviving pre-World War II theatre in Kowloon District. The features include the two pillars at the front entrance, the Chinese pitched roof, the steel trusses and timber purlins for roof support, and the original proscenium and interior walls of the stage. Through 68 years of service before suspending operation in 1998, it showed with Chinese and Western movies. However, Yau Ma Tei Theatre ceased operation in July 1998. It was officially re-opened in 17 July 2012, designated for promoting Cantonese opera and encouraging audience to appreciate the genuine beauty of the traditional Cantonese opera.
Kwong Wah Hospital
Foundation of Kwong Wah Hospital: Kwong Wah Hospital was founded by the Tung Wah Group in 1911 and was handed over to Hospital Authority in 1991. It was the first hospital in Kowloon, provides a wide range of medical and healthcare services integrated Chinese and Western Medicine to residents. Its construction was suggested by Sir Kai Ho Kai, government-appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. The name of the hospital "Kwong Wah" refers to its vision which is to serve Chinese population living in Guangdong.Historical background of the establishment of Kwong Wah Hospital: In the early 20th century, hospitals were mainly located in Hong Kong Island, patients had no choice but to travel across the harbour to be treated, which led to lots of delays in treatment. Therefore, in order to cope with the increase of healthcare needs attributed to the rising population at the time, representatives in the community suggested the establishment of a Chinese hospital. After the Second World War: To tackle a dramatic increase of population, Sir Alexander Grantham, then Governor of Hong Kong, and The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals suggested to reconstruct the hospital in 1958 and the project finished in 1965.
Wah Yan College Kowloon
Wah Yan College Kowloon The predecessor of Kowloon Wah Yan College was a branch of Hong Kong Wah Yan College. It was established in 1924 in a private building on Portland Street. In just a few years since the school was founded, the number of students has made the school building insufficient at that time, which shows that the Chinese community in Kowloon had a great demand for education at that time. Before World War II, the British Hong Kong government adopted a dual-track system of government and subsidy for the education of the Chinese community. In 1873, the government formulated the "Grant Code" with the goal of encouraging education through subsidies. This system was gradually improved at the end of the nineteenth century, and helped many enthusiastic Chinese gentry and churches to provide education to the Chinese with government funding, achieving the government's goal of expanding public education. As early as 1922, Hong Kong Wah Yan College was included in the grant list. In 1927, Wah Yan College also received government subsidies when it purchased land in Kowloon to build a new branch school on Nelson Street. This branch school was opened a year later. By 1930, DoEducation also made Kowloon Wah Yan College as a Grant-in-Aid School, and from then on it continued to become a well-known middle school in Kowloon. The founding principal, Mr. Peter Tsui Yan Sau (徐仁壽), transferred WYC to Jesuit priests in 1932, and Kowloon WYC was also transferred to Jesuit management. After years of development, the school building facilities were insufficient to cope with the increasing number of students, and it was necessary to set up branch schools. On September 8, 1941, the school building at 103 Austin Road, Jordan, Kowloon officially became a new campus of WYC in Kowloon, and it was from then on that the two WYC in Hong Kong and Kowloon were operated separately. Kowloon WYC was closed a while during the Japanese occupation, but after the resumption of classes at the Wah Yan College after the war, the students rose sharply, and the school needed to find a new campus for expansion. In 1949, the government and Kowloon WYC agreed to let the school build new premises in an abandoned rice field in Yau Ma Tei after discussion. The new school building was completed in 1952, and Kowloon Huaren officially moved to its current location at 56 Waterloo Road.
Oi Man Estate
Oi Man Estate Oi Man Estate is one of the public estate of Ho Man Tin Estate .It was built one after another from 1973 to 1975. It is the first generation of public housing in Hong Kong. Oi Man Estate has a well-shaped patio, whether it is from bottom to top, top to bottom or between .In 1975, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also visited the Oi Man Estate , which was completed at the time during their first visit to Hong Kong. In those days, the Oi Man Estate attract a lot of visitors , and the Oi Man Estate had the title of "Kowloon Model Village". It is the largest housing estate in the Kowloon City District. Due to the large area of the housing estate and the topography of Oi Man Village, some units in the village have terraces overlooking Victoria Harbour. In addition, each unit has a balcony and the design is based on Wah Fu Village and has been slightly improved. Therefore, Oi Man Village is known as the "Wah Fu Village" in Kowloon among the shops.For the nearby of Oi Man Estate, apart from the schools and various recreational facilities in the vicinity of Oi Man Village, there are Oi Man Plaza and Oi Man Market, as well as Hong Kong's nostalgic cooked food kiosks. In 2016, Ho Man Tin Station on the extension of the MTR Kwun Tong Line, and the residents become more convenient.
