A view from the balcony | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

A view from the balcony

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A view from the balcony
Submitted by Admin
Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Gallery: 
Shop House
Connections: 
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Comments

Submitted by OldTimer on Sat, 2016-11-05 21:51.

Greetings.    I walked by this place often during my two years at Tack Ching Elementary.  Google's 2011 photo shows apparently it was to be demolished.  In the 1950s Yen Chow Street one block away had a concentration of wicker shops with stacks of long wickers leaning on the front.  Back then, these side streets had a good portion of private residence at street level, and today's high population density can support more shops.  Regards, Peter 

Submitted by philk on Sun, 2016-11-06 00:09.

Peter

You'll be happy to hear that, in fact, the building was renovated instead of demolished. You can see a before and after picture at the bottom of this page: http://hongkongandmacaustuff.blogspot.hk/2015/08/and-then-there-were-thr...

Cheers

Phil

Submitted by OldTimer on Sun, 2016-11-06 07:43.

Greetings.  Thanks philk for the update.  It is good to know this building remains standing in spite of the pressure to redevelop.   Almost all in my Shum Shui Po (home) area were four and three storey buildings and this one having its third and top  level with uncovered balcony is the few exceptional.  Regards, Peter

 

 

Submitted by David on Mon, 2016-11-07 10:54.

Hi Peter, there are still several to be seen around that area:

http://gwulo.com/taxonomy/term/331/places-map#16/22.3307/114.1633/Map_by...

Though we noted thes in 2008, so I guess a few are gone already.

Regards, David

Submitted by OldTimer on Mon, 2016-11-07 22:24.

Greetings.  Thanks David for their locations in my neighbourhood.  Although I follow HK news, after 50 years absence and during my first home coming visit two years ago,  I was awed by the change.  My (long gone) flat was on the third level of a 4-storey building with an uncovered balony so a buiding like this draws my interest.  Those on Apliu Street west of the Maple Street Playground were of the same design and are also gone.

In the 1950s, it was easy to find a building where one can walk unimpeded to the rooftop to fly kites.  Landlords typically did not live on site or hire superintendent.  Grandma took me along one day to TST to pay rent and that's when I learned  our rent was  $45/month unchanged since before WWII.  For those rooftops not yet settled by refugees, they started to lock the entrance to the top which I doubt was legal for safety reason.  Regards, Peter