Introduction:
In the progress of city development, demolition is inevitable. In March 2024, the Housing Authority had an announcement about the phrased clearance and redevelopment of Wah Fu Estate. This embarks the start of the demolition of old Wah Fu Estate. Being a teenager lived here for almost 2 decades, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the current situation of Wah Fu Estate through immersive videography and photography, and yet, highlight the changes that demolition had brough to the residents here.
Description:
Established in 20th century, Wah Fu Estate is a public housing estate located in Southern District, next to Pok Fu Lam and Waterfall Bay. According to “Wah Fu Estate Research Working Group” held by The University of Hong Kong, Dr. Donald Liao, who was the Chief Architect of the project, influenced by both British and Chinese architect style and designed Wah Fu Estate. Architecture signatures in Wah Fu, including Old Slab and Twin Tower, made Wah Fu Estate special and it is relatively hard to find the same style in another place rather than Hong Kong.
The demolition had been introduced since 2010. This project had been criticized by the current residents, claiming that the view of the new building will not be as good as the old ones (Lin & Lin, 2024). In fact, Wah Fu Estate had also been known as ‘luxury residence for ordinary people’.
Despite the criticism of downgrading the view, tenants were also afraid of the reducing services available in the estate, which is one of the main themes in this video. This video had included different vacant shops that originally were different stores. For example, there was a medicine shop that provided different medicines and Chinese Medicine services as well. However, due to incoming demolition and redevelopment, the shop decided to close in March (HK01, 2024). The shop and the “shopkeeper cats” left the estate and ended the services for the residents nearby. Now, there are only one chain pharmacy Manning that are still providing pharmacy services to the residents.
Apart from the medicine shop, there was a restaurant called “Ka Ho Restaurant”, which was originally called “Wah Fu Restaurant”, also closed its business due to the incoming demolition of Wah Fu Estate as well. The restaurant had been opened for 50 years, providing dim sum and authentic Siu Mei food for its neighborhood.
Methodology of this project:
The research is relatively simple for me, as a resident here. I pointed out some of my concerns in the film, worrying that the phrased clearance and redevelopment will affect the living quality of the tenants here, as services and shop kept closing while the demolition almost began. I had searched different social media to find out the original landscape of Wah Fu Estate, to highlight the changes for the audience.
The video production consists of shooting in the Wah Fu Estate, capturing the natural landscape that can be enjoyed in Wah Fu Estate, as well as the before and after pictures of vacant shops. Wah Fu Estate had been well known for its uniqueness of natural landscape that was hard to find in other public estate in Hong Kong, and I would like to show them in the beginning of the film to let the audience enjoy this immersive journal of walking in Wah Fu Estate.
Moreover, being a kid that grown in this estate, this video also captured some pictures of old stores that I had enjoyed the food, bought for medicine from there before. I had also mentioned some of my personal experience in the description which can highlight the changes really affecting us.
During the shooting progress, I was again amazed by the magnificent landscape of Wah Fu Estate. Hong Kong housing shortage had been a problem since 21st century, and meanwhile, there was a public housing estate that had gorgeous sea view is really a rare case. I grew up here, gained lots of memories here. Here had been one of my important places, and I will never forget the memories here.
I used Official Hige Dism “Last Song” as my background music as I thought this song can symbolize the situation of old Wah Fu Estate, and myself as well…
Lee Tsz Chun 3036066373
Reference:
Wah Fu Estate redevelopment set. (2024, March 20). Hong Kong’s Information Services Department. https://www.news.gov.hk/eng/2024/03/20240314/20240314_153814_581.html
Lin, E., & Lin, E. (2024, March 14). First Hong Kong public housing tenants to move to new homes from Pok Fu Lam sea-view ‘luxury residence for ordinary people.’ South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3255395/first-hong-kong-public-housing-tenants-move-new-homes-pok-fu-lam-sea-view-luxury-residence-ordinary
Everyday Space and Memory at Wah Fu Estate 華富邨的日常生活居住空間及記憶. (2022, April 21). Modern Architecture in Wah Fu Estate – Everyday Space and memory at Wah Fu Estate 華富邨的日常生活居住空間及記憶. Everyday Space and Memory at Wah Fu Estate 華富邨的日常生活居住空間及記憶 – Everyday Space and Memory at Wah Fu Estate. https://wahfuestate.hku.hk/modern-archi-in-wah-fu/
吳美松. (2024, March 11). 華富邨重建—半世紀藥行提早結業告別街坊 老闆:好心痛呢個決定. 香港01. https://www.hk01.com/18%E5%8D%80%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E/997156/%E8%8F%AF%E5%AF%8C%E9%82%A8%E9%87%8D%E5%BB%BA-%E5%8D%8A%E4%B8%96%E7%B4%80%E8%97%A5%E8%A1%8C%E6%8F%90%E6%97%A9%E7%B5%90%E6%A5%AD%E5%91%8A%E5%88%A5%E8%A1%97%E5%9D%8A-%E8%80%81%E9%97%86-%E5%A5%BD%E5%BF%83%E7%97%9B%E5%91%A2%E5%80%8B%E6%B1%BA%E5%AE%9A
舊事香港. (n.d.). 舊事香港. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/oldhkstory/photos/a.620183984675650/6019001098127218/?type=3
Details | Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department. (2023, August 31). https://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/commercial-properties/shopping-centres/list-of-shopping-centres/details/wah-fu-1/index.html
Details | Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department. (2023, August 31). https://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/commercial-properties/shopping-centres/list-of-shopping-centres/details/wah-fu-2/index.html
Film services Office – Location Library – Wah Fu estate. (n.d.). https://fso.createhk.gov.hk/en/location/detail.php?id=656
Wah Fu Estate | Docomomo Hong Kong. (n.d.). https://docomomo.hk/project/wah-fu-estate/
Officials give details of Wah Fu Estate redevelopment – RTHK. (n.d.). https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1744632-20240314.htm