Walking Tour of the Blue House
A living time capsule showing you the grassroots community of the old Hong Kong
By St. James' Settlement
St. James' Settlement ● House of Stories Hong Kong
VIVA Blue House
In Wan Chai, a group of tenements with colorful facades known as the Blue House cluster (which includes not only the eponymous tong lau but also its yellow and orange neighbors), is destined for a new kind of historic revitalization—one in which the physical structure is not the only thing worth saving. We V.I.V.A.! - We Value Invisible & Visible Assets!
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Hong Kong House of Stories (known as Wan Chai Livelihood Museum since 2007) was opened in 2012. It serves as a home to a community museum and a neighborhood hub.
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We'll co-working with the Blue House inhabitants and the neighborhoods of Wanchai for different periodic exhibitions.
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The shop was Luen Hing liquor store before it became Hong Kong House of Stories. The old folks can still recall this liquor store of their childhood.
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It was produced as per the traditional large scaled flower plaque of the old Hong Kong
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Where the wine jars were placed for vintaging
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Book shelves of the Hose of Stories, where neighborhood can exchange their books here for free.
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G/F., No. 72A Stone Nullah Lane.
It presently serves as a store room of HOS Hong Kong considering the structure is too week for resident's loading.
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Blue House was built in mid 1920s, it was subsequently used as a martial arts school in the 1950s by Lam Cho, the nephew of Lam Sai Wing (one of the followers of Wong Fei Hung)
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1/F, No. 72 of Stone Nullah Lane, where a family is still living in presently.
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Some other residents stay at G/F., No. 74 Stone Nullah Lane.
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Wooden stairs, structure and flooring are well retained.
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In the 50's & 60's, it was a norm for six or seven family members to cram into one partitioned flat like this.
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Each partitioned room was decorated by the tenant according to their preference.
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For those who can barely afford to rent a room, this could be an alternative.
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All tenents of the same floor have to share a kitchen
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What if residents need to go to the bathroom or take a shower? They have to walk down flights of stairs and use a public toilet, since no flush toilet is available in this whole building!
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Stair at the kitchen of the 3/F. is for going to the rooftop.
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Nowadays, the rooftop of the Blue House is showing a big contract with the new high-rising buildings nearby.
Preservation and Inheritance
St. James’ elaborate plan for the Blue House cluster takes residents’ well-being as its top priority. Eight families have chosen to stay in the cluster under the VBH Project. Together we can §preserve integrated living tangible and intangible heritage of mixed use Tong Laus, and share its architecture, living culture and history with the next generation.
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