Redevelop Hong Kong heritage: Folk Museum preserves artefacts from displaced Tai Hang Sai Estate residents

Ethnic minority residents of Jordan estate may lose home to redevelopment

Built in 1965, Tai Hang Sai Estate is Hong Kong’s sole private low-rental housing. To make way for redevelopment, tenants have been required to vacate their units before March 15.

However, many elderly residents, especially those living alone, fear losing their deposit as they struggle to clear their flats on their own. To support those in need, Folk Museum, led by four Hong Kong volunteers, helps them relocate for free.

But they are more than just movers – the group is a self-funded initiative dedicated to preserving the estate’s storied artefacts from the 1970s to the 1990s. They aim to organise an exhibition in Sha Tin to showcase these items.

In January, Yip’s daughter, who had moved out after getting married, reached out to Folk Museum for help after receiving a leaflet from them.

“We had some old furniture, and it would have been a shame to simply discard them. I called them asking if they would like to take our three camphor wood cabinets,” said Yip Yui-man, Yip’s daughter.

Though the cabinets were part of the 99-year-old woman’s dowry, limited space in their new home meant the elder had to give them away.

“I know they’ll be in good hands,” she said.

Pan, who prefers to go by his nickname, teamed up with other collectors to co-found Folk Museum after seeing an elderly lady struggle to move her furniture on the street.

“It opened my eyes to the number of elderly residents in Tai Hang Sai Estate and their living conditions,” he said, noting that the group assisted over a dozen residents.

“Helping these residents brings me a lot of joy. They have shared with me many snippets of their lives when they lived in Tai Hang Sai Estate,” Pan noted.

“An elderly lady opened up to me about her past and the difficulties she faced in obtaining this flat. She had a deep attachment to her old home.”

Website preserves one of Hong Kong’s oldest public housing estates

From a cheongsam to a working desk once used by the Legislative Council during the British colonial period, the group has gathered more than 200 artefacts from Tai Hang Sai Estate’s former tenants.

“We want to set up a museum that allows everyone to appreciate the city’s culture and history,” Pan noted.

Another member of Folk Musuem, Ng Wai-ho, 36, emphasised that the group was not trying to profit from the memorabilia: “[We] share the same passion for collecting old items and helping others ... We wouldn’t ask for even a penny, nor would we sell the old items.”

“Our exhibition aims to showcase the folk history and culture of Hong Kong ... rather than highbrow art pieces,” said graphic designer and collector John Wu Siu-cheong, who took care of the cleaning and archival process.

Currently, some collectibles from Tai Hang Sai Estate are displayed at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). Other items are stored at Wu’s warehouses, shipping containers and office.

The 55-year-old also has experience as a consultant helping the HKDI establish an archive of about 30,000 graphic design artefacts from the 1940s to the 1990s.

While most collectors seek valuable antiques, Wu has other priorities: “What holds value for me can be something as simple as an old name card that teaches me something and helps preserve Hong Kong’s heritage.”

Displayed throughout the estate are posters that reflect residents’ discontent with the redevelopment and criticise the insufficient support from the government.

Former tenants will receive rental allowance to settle in interim housing on their own or apply for transitional housing through social workers.

Set to be completed in 2029, the redevelopment project aims to provide 3,300 flats – more than double the current 1,600 units. When redevelopment is complete, households deemed eligible for rehousing can move back, or they can leave for good. Both options would include allowances.

A survey released last month by the Society for Community Organisation found that nearly 40 per cent of the 345 respondents would not consider moving to the government’s light public housing or transitional housing in the New Territories, citing concerns such as long commutes and inadequate transport infrastructure.

Why low-income Hongkongers are being pushed from one temporary flat to another

The chairman of the Tai Hang Sai concern group, Kate Auyeung Kit-chun, 67, highlighted the challenge for elders to relocate as most landlords would prefer young tenants with steady income.

“It is very tough for elderly residents to relocate without the government’s help,” she said, citing the case of a 70-year-old resident who was still waiting for transitional housing at the time of the interview.

As time runs out for this estate, residents hold onto memories of the camaraderie they formed over the years.

“I miss sitting on the long benches, chatting with other kaifong around 3pm,” expressed Auyeung, who has lived at Tai Hang Sai Estate for over three decades.

Ng Ka-kit, Yip’s son, added: “I miss the now-closed shops below, like the cha chaan teng and tea houses. We knew everyone.”

His sister Yui-man shared: “The kaifong here knew us when we were just kids ... In the past, we would bond with our neighbours. Our doors would remain open, and we would call out their names. They’d come over for soup and food. We’d play in the corridor. That sense of neighbourhood was different.”