New Role For Heritage Landmark

A gem of a cultural hotspot can be found in the heart of bustling Central.

Nestled within the restored Central Police Station compound is Tai Kwun, one of the most significant revitalisation projects in Hong Kong.

It comprises three declared monuments - the former Central Police Station, Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison.

Tai Kwun immerses visitors in the rich 170-year heritage of the historic Central Police Station compound.

Jockey Club Charities & Community Executive Director Cheung Leong noted that at Tai Kwun, visitors can learn more about the city’s policing, judicial and prison systems of a bygone era.

Immersive experience

The Police Headquarters Block is notable for its red brick walls, granite features and imposing columns.

One of the site’s oldest buildings is the four-storey Barrack Block. Built in a Neo-Classical style, its features such as colonnades and Chinese roof tiles reflect a mix of colonial and local design influences.

Visitors can also experience for themselves what life must have been like behind bars at Victoria Prison by stepping into one of the non-air-conditioned cells in B Hall.

“In the summertime in Hong Kong, it is very humid, very hot. We intentionally did not install an air conditioning system in B Hall, so that visitors can again, feel it first-hand how challenging the environment was being a prisoner during those old times,” Mr Cheung explained.

There are 16 historic buildings and outdoor areas on the 13,600 sq m site. The revitalisation project involved conserving the heritage buildings in the compound and developing two new buildings to serve the community’s needs.

“In the revitalisation scheme, we invite people to come in to use the site. So when you have millions of people coming into the site, then we have to consider a lot of public safety elements,” noted Mr Cheung.

“We will take D Hall as an example. D Hall is one of the oldest buildings on site. When we went into D Hall initially, it was very weak structurally.

“We decided to put in a steel plate in an arc door format, to hold up the whole building. Behind that judgement, I would say it is a reflection of good taste.”

Cultivating knowledge

Visitors can explore Tai Kwun through its heritage offerings which include designated heritage storytelling spaces oriented towards people’s lives and their stories.

Two new storytelling spaces were opened this year at the Central Magistracy to give people an insight into the judicial system of the past.

Tai Kwun Head of Heritage Winnie Yeung said: “The two spaces are actually a courtroom and a holding cell underneath it. So this is a typical old-style courtroom setting where the holding cell is directly below the courtroom itself.

“When the defendant would be tried that day, they would be held underneath at the holding cell. They would be led up through a staircase going directly into the defendant’s dock in the courtroom.”

Since opening to the public in May 2018, around 700 tours and 200 performances, workshops and seminars have attracted some three million visitors. TIME Magazine even named Tai Kwun one of the World’s 100 Greatest Places 2018.

“We are very proud being part of the whole project, working with the Government. We really want to make the site a legacy for Hong Kong. We really want to make it a community for Hong Kong,” added Mr Cheung.