By 1987 large numbers of the ubiquitous pre-war three and four storey buildings in the Wan Chai area had been demolished. Finding one to photograph was a 'treat' but conditions inside the tenements would not have been very pleasant for the people living there. I have a feeling that this and the next photograph might have been taken south of the Johnston road, somewhere near Amoy or Ship street - but I could easily be wrong!
Pre war tenements in Wan Chai
Submitted by Andrew Suddaby
Date picture taken (may be approximate):
Sunday, November 1, 1987
Gallery:
Comments
Pre-war tenements
Greetings. It was common to have several tenants/families living in the same flat as was in my home building. Many of these pre-war buildings have full partition panels or open concept to the outside, and, as shown in this photo, a small full-width balcony. The interior was cold in winter as we had no heating. My home flat was on the third level and its 8-ft deep balcony enabled us to grow grape vine, have potted plants, build a small enclosed sleeping quarter. At one time we kept chickens and pigeons. We were, visually and access-wise, closer to the ground compared to modern high-rises. Folks of my generation have warm memories of our years living in them. Looking back, the one thing we did not have, but wish we had, was sanitary sewer. Regards, Peter
Hi Peter
Hi Peter
Thanks for the interesting comments. I can fully understand your feelings about growing up in such a crowded environment. Provided the close neighbours were pleasant people, there would be an excellent sense of community and the lack of personal space would not be apparent - except perhaps to the adults. Children are very resilient and home is where home is. I never had the opportunity to visit any families during my year in Hong Kong but I was impressed to see, from outside, how people tried hard to make the best use of their limited space and facilities. The lack of proper sanitary sewers was certainly a major problem in the 1950s. Sometimes when I walked through the streets of Wan Chai the sight and smell of the 'night soil' being carried out to the lorries was definitely not pleasant. Every time the tram crossed the Bowrington Canal (covered over many years ago) the smell was especially bad - it seemed to have become an open sewer in those days.
On our modern camp at R.A.F. Little Sai Wan things were very different. During my time there we never had a problem with water shortages. On hot and humid days, we could sit on the stone seats under the showers enjoying an endless flow of refreshing water, keeping cool while reading a book at arm's length. That camp was probably the best one that the R.A.F. had anywhere in the world - comfortable billets, a superb location with great views over the sea, swimming more or less on our doorstep round the Point; the only drawback was the poor quality of the food! And of course we had the opportunity to experience Hong Kong when it was still truly different and exotic. We were very lucky to be stationed there. Best wishes Andrew
Lun Fat Street
I think this is Lun Fat Street (just prior to Ship Street) looking towards Johnston Road. Part of the old building has been replaced by a garden. The tall building, Johnston Court can be viewed here
Thank you Moddsey. I was not
Thank you Moddsey. I was not sure which street it was - made even more difficult because there was a very similar row of old shop houses on what has been identified by Thomas as Li Chit Street (the next photograph in my 1987 gallery). Well done for spotting that Google Earth Street View shows the corner of the tall building in the background I'll adjust the title and add a pin if one doesn't already exist. Regards, Andrew