Wing Lee Street [map], the last intact block of 1950s “tong lau” architecture in Hong Kong, and now surrounded by high rise buildings, is threatened with “redevelopment.” (Good background articles: HK Magazine’s “There Goes The Neighborhood“ and CNN Go’s “The pros and cons of preserving photogenic Wing Lee Street“)
In 2003, Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority (URA) revealed plans where Wing Lee Street would be demolished. Those plans, which have sparked community opposition, are being reconsidered due to Wing Lee Street’s sudden popularity, which is owed to the success of the local film “Echoes of the Rainbow” or “Sui yuet san tau.” The film was shot on Wing Street and has won the Crystal Bear award at the Berlinale Film Festival. The filmmakers thought themselves lucky when they found the architectural time capsule. Other filmmakers have resorted to reconstructing old Hong Kong neighborhoods in cities as far away as Shanghai, at great expense.
Wing Lee Street is now a popular site for photographers and others who want to see one of the few remaining pieces of old Hong Kong. (See hundreds of photos by others on Flickr and my photos) The redevelopment plans are being revised to possibly save all of the houses. Ironically, the husband and wife team of director Alex Law and producer Mabel Cheung were able to complete Echoes of the Rainbow with funding from the Hong Kong government’s Film Development Fund.
I find myself wondering: if an award-winning movie had featured some of the now-demolished and soon-to-be-demolished buildings within the Atlantic Yards footprint, would we be looking forward to a neighborhood blighted with “temporary surface parking lots” surrounding a money-losing (for the taxpayer) arena?
