Shek Kip Mei
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Shek Kip Mei (Chinese: 石硤尾), originally known as Kap Shek Mi, is an area in New Kowloon, the North Eastern Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong.
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[edit] History
A major fire on December 25, 1953, destroyed all the makeshift homes of the immigrants from Mainland China that had fled to Hong Kong, leaving 53,000 people homeless.
After the fire, the governor Alexander Grantham launched a public housing program to introduce the idea of "multi story building" for the immigrant population living there. The new structure would standardize on fire-flood-proof construction. The program involved demolishing the rest of the makeshift houses left untouched by the fire, and the construction of the Shek Kip Mei Low-cost Housing Estate (石硤尾廉租屋邨) in their place. The apartments were small, only about 300 square feet (24 to 28 square metres). Each unit housed 5 people, and each building had a capacity of 2,500 people[1]. The rent was HK$14 a month. In contrast, the rent for a commercial store downstairs was HK$100 per month. Foreign tourists visiting the apartment complexes referred to them as "prisons". Indeed, many scholars have argued that the government has been overstating the role of the fire in the history of public housing in Hong Kong[2].
[edit] Present
The Government has backed off from its plans to redevelop the area, following great opposition from many who believe they symbolized the history of Hong Kong. An alternative plan to renovate it for use as a hostel has also been proposed.
Shek Kip Mei now has several types of housing including the public apartments, Pak Tin Estate and private housing such as Beacon Heights and Dynasty Heights. Several malls and churches can also be found in the area now.
[edit] Transportation
Since 1979 it has been served by Shek Kip Mei Station on the MTR.
