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Home , Run Run Shaw, The House of 72 Tenants, Yueh Hua (actor)

N221 Historic Building Appraisal Shaw Studio (邵氏片場), Road, Sai Kung, N.T.

Hong Kong was once the world’s largest film producing centre. The annual Historical output reached 310 in 1963, compared with 271 made in New Delhi, 225 in Interest Tokyo and 155 made by Hollywood film producers. The illustrious film industry gave this tiny city the title of “Hollywood of the East”. Amid this background, on a scenic site in ’s Clear Water Bay stood a film giant which created numerous popular films under the company name, Shaw Brothers, from early 1960s until 1980s. The main gate to the complex is distinguished by a prominent signage: SHAW STUDIO and 邵氏片場. This film studio is also valued for its association with Television Broadcasts Ltd (known locally by its initials, ‘TVB’) which remains a dominant force in Hong Kong. Its head man was a media magnate, the late Sir (1907-2014) or 邵逸夫 as he is styled in Chinese, who built up his international film empire comparable to any of the large film companies in the US and Europe. Run Run was born to a wealthy textile merchant in (寧波), near . At 19, he joined his three elder brothers on their pioneering efforts to venture into the cinematographic industry. The brothers started with one cinema, but by the Pacific War, they had their own film studio and opened more than 130 cinemas in . In 1925, the eldest brother Runje (仁杰) established a silent film studio, Tianyi Film Co (天一影片公司) which evolved into several companies, each more famous than its predecessor. By 1934, a Tianyi studio was set up in 42 Pak Ti Street, , to produce local sound films. The Tianyi studio was handed over to the second brother Runde (仁棣) in 1936 and was later renamed Nanyang Film Co (南洋影片公司), becoming Shaw and Sons Co Ltd (邵氏父子公司) in 1950. Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd (邵氏兄弟(香港)有限公 司), established in 1958, is the most famous of the various enterprises of the brothers. In 1957, Run Run made the move to Hong Kong where he took over family film production business from Runde, with an aim to upgrade and expand film production in Hong Kong to feed his cinemas in Southeast Asia and to contend for screen dominance. In quick time he bought an 186,000 sq. m. lot in Clear Water Bay to splash on constructing a world-class film studio, which he ran with his third brother Runme (仁枚). “They chose Hong Kong because it was the only place they had the freedom to make the films they wanted to make,” said Stefan Hammond, author of several books on Hong Kong film. Run Run invited Eric Cumine Associates (甘洺建築師樓) to design the first buildings. Eric Cumine (1905-2002) graduated from the prestigious London Architectural Association School of Architecture and set up a practice in Shanghai. He opened his office in

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Hong Kong in 1949 and became one of the most celebrated post-war architects while he was practising. From 1958 to 1960, a total of 65,000 sq. m. of land was levelled down for the construction of the film studio, and two sound stages were completed by the end of 1960. By 1961, the administration building, the film store & dubbing, and two more sound stages were operational. The following year saw the completion of staff dormitory, workshops for technical crew, and another two sound stages. The levelling of an additional 200,000 square feet of land began in 1964, and the colour film processing laboratory was completed in 1967. By the decade’s end, the sprawling film studio boasted a total of 10 sound stages and various outdoor sets. It also had resident quarters for film makers which placed it ahead of any other studios anywhere. The 1970s saw the erection of a production department, more offices, and the Shaw Villa (1971) for the reception of VIPs. “Movies are an art, but they are also an industry,” the 59-year-old Run Run said, according to an interview in Life magazine, Asia Edition, published on 14 November 1966. And in fact, Run Run lured large numbers of film talents for his studio, which was run like an assembly line. Every stage of film production, from script preparation to studio shots, was systemized. The studio was equipped with its own comprehensive set of installations so that all high-tech special effects, superimposition, and colour animation were done in house. The site also included staff dormitories and canteens, and a mini-bank was set up in the 1970s, making it a self-contained entity which was essentially a ‘town’ in itself. Thus it was, still is, locally known most famously as Shaw Movie Town (邵氏影城). In the mid-1960s, the studio complex had more than 500 members of resident staff, among them actors, scriptwriters and a crew of technicians including carpenters, plasterers, painters, and electricians. “It was at that studio that each of us lived out our dreams…. Back in those early days, we frequently spent all the twenty-four hour day in our paradise. We had no reason to step outside of the studio campus…. Even when we were not making films, if we did not feel like cooking for ourselves, we could eat out three meals at either one of the two restaurants located at the studio”. Thus said actress Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩) when she reminisced about her movie town days. Run Run also encouraged his staff to partake in extra-curricular activities held inside of the movie town: in the 1960s the huge sound recording auditorium was gaily decorated in Christmas and Chinese New Year Days, when the resident staff such as directors, cameramen, stars and their guests gathered for family-like parties. There were lots of singing, dancing, drinking, eating, and gifts were raffled to the delight of all participants. By the late 1960s, Run Run had risen to the status of film mogul and his movie town helped put Hong Kong film on the world map. Still, because of the need to meet audience demand for more and better films, the studio staff were

2 shooting and editing films around the clock, working 3 shifts of 8 hours each. “World’s busiest film producer,” was how Hong Kong’s English-language daily, The Mail described Run Run in an exclusive interview published on 9 March 1965. The newspaper reached this conclusion by taking as its criterion the total number of films in active operations on a single day by any producer. By this token, Run Run’s 21 films was a world record, making him the most illustrious film producer. Comparative figures for any individual film producer elsewhere in the world were 16 in Hollywood, 15 in New Delhi, 10 in Tokyo, and 5 in London. The movie town survived and developed by concentrating on both quantity and quality. Throughout the 1960s, it turned out many notable films that could hold their own in the Chinese film market and dominated the Asian Film Festival awards ceremonies: Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture. The period dramas from Chinese classical tales, directed by Li Han-hsiang (李翰祥), won acclaims for aesthetic qualities accomplished entirely within the studio. The Magnificent Concubine (楊貴妃) released in 1962 won the Grand Prix for Best Interior Photography and Colour in the Cannes Film Festival of the year. (梁山伯與祝英台) (1963) ended up being a smash success, both at home and in . The (胡金銓) classic (大醉俠) (1966) and the (張徹) classic The One-Armed Swordsman (獨臂刀) (1967) inaugurated a new generation of martial-chivalric films in the late 1960s. With so much interest surrounding the Shaw successes in box office, film producers from abroad knew that in the movie town they could find not only spectacular film sets (with walls, palaces, pagodas, streets gracing the landscape of ancient dynasties) but also skilled people and modern equipment essential for sophisticated film work. Among the films screened here were: Three Yellow Cats with Germany; The Goddess Of Mercy with Korea; and The Golden Buddha with the Philippines, all released in 1966; and the British film, The Million Eyes of Su-muru (1967). Curiosity of Asia’s largest film studio was furious, and the 1964 visitors included Robert Wise, a director in Hollywood who twice received Academy Awards as best director; C. K. Yang (楊傳廣), Olympic silver-medal decathlete who got the nickname ‘Asian Iron Man’; and Lady Trench, the wife of Sir David Trench, Hong Kong Governor. When they came to Shaw Studio, they were entertained by Run Run, who used them to bring publicity to his big screen stars by having group photos. Shaw Bros. was the driving force behind Mandarin film business. Due to its widespread influence, Mandarin films edged their way to dominance in the Hong Kong cinema, displacing their counterpart to the margin, resulting in a different outlook for the film world. The rising crest of locally produced Mandarin films was due largely to the technical innovation and artistic sophistication displayed by them, often boosted by the theme songs that became

3 hits with the cinema audience. Most of the Mandarin films were made in full colour, but the films produced in Cantonese sound-tracks were usually in black-and-white, and they thus lagged behind in box-office returns. Production of Cantonese films dropped sharply by the decade’s end—from 211 in 1961 to 35 in 1969, and only 1 in 1970. Not a single Cantonese sound film was released in Hong Kong in 1972. With the coming of the 1970s, Shaw Bros. faced the challenge of a new crop of upstart film companies. Due to market considerations and the injection of new talents, it made due efforts to diversify film genres. (七 十二家房客), a realist comedy produced in Cantonese rather than Mandarin, fought its way to the top at Hong Kong’s box office in 1973. Later works like Disciples of Shaolin (洪拳小子) (1975) and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (少林 三十六房) (1978) did extremely well at the box office and took kung-fu films to another level of fantasy. Shaw Bros. also shot films such as Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974) jointly with Hammer Films; Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975) a co-production with Warner Brothers; and, jointly with Germany, Mighty Peking Man (1977). The studio produced hundreds of films from 1960 to 1985 and at its busiest in 1974 it made 50 films a year. Not to be forgotten is the “star build-up” of Shaw’s Southern Drama Group (南國實驗劇團) which provided performing arts training to budding stars and turned out an endless supply of new blood into the film industry. After its relocation to the Clear Water Bay movie town in 1964, from the old Chi Lik Building, in Nathan Road, Kowloon—the Group increased its effort to groom trainees for stardom. Such stars as (岳華), Ti Lung (狄龍), Lily Ho (何莉莉) and Li Ching (李菁) are just a few who rose to fame. Others achieved stardom through Shaw’s subsidiary, TVB. The training courses of Shaw and TVB united at Shaw Studio in 1971, under joint Shaw-TVB management. Henceforth, the Southern Drama Group was succeeded by TVB’s annual actors training courses that helped launch the careers of some of today’s biggest Chinese stars, including Chow Yun-fat (周潤發). By the time Shaw Studio wrapped production in the early 80s, Run Run could claim credit as the producer of the largest number of films in the world. After the wild success of Shaw Brothers, in 1967 Run Run established TVB, Hong Kong’s first free-to-air television station. From films to television shows, he created an entertainment empire that was, still is to this day, hugely influential in East Asia and beyond the Pacific Ocean. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 7 March 1978. In the 80s, Run Run leased out his studio to local and foreign companies. TVB City (電視廣播 城) was housed in Shaw Movie Town from 1988 to 2003, when it enjoyed one of the most fruitful periods of its history. Also in 2000, Run Run agreed to the sale of his unique library of more than Shaw Bros. 760 films to Celestial Pictures

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Ltd, a multi-media company, and the films are now globally circulated to audiences old and new.

Architecturally, the whole site can best be described as forming three Architectural functionally distinct zones. The Commercial Group is arranged along Clearwater Appraisal Bay Road on the western edge of the site, comprising the Administration Building (the old Shaw House), the present Shaw House, TVB Office, and TVB House. Next, the Industrial Centre, located on a raised plateau, is the central production ‘heart’ of the site which houses the main production facilities of the studio. Thirdly, the Accommodation Area is detached from the main studio area; this is approached by leaving the studio area by the main gate, then joining a public side road.

(1) Commercial Group The nerve centre of the studio was the 3-storeyed Administration Building (行政大樓) (the old “Shaw House”) sited at right-angles to the main entrance of the studio complex. It included the conference room, the publicity department, the accounts department, the arts and script writing section, in which major policy decisions were taken and colossal projects were entered into. To keep his movie town at his finger-tips, Run Run had a control board in his office which could tell at a glance what was taking place daily concerning his films: shooting, sound recording, set building or any other active phase of production. Run Run worked continuously at the studio from 1960 until his retirement some 50 years later. A report by Life magazine journalist Ron De Paolo in 1966 described a typical day in the life of Run Run in the heyday of Shaw Studio:

“He rises each day of the week at 6 am, eats a spare breakfast of Chinese noodles and tea, does Chinese calisthenics, dresses, reads a script or two and heads for the studio in one of his Hongkong based Rolls Royces. The drive takes five minutes down the winding Clearwater Bay Road. He arrives by 8 am, completes a tour of the working stages by 9.15 and settles in for a morning of watching rushes from the previous day’s shooting, looking at competitors’ movies and reading more scripts. Conferring with his Production Supervisor , Run Run also advises writers on stories or directors and actors on scenes. He lunches briefly at the bungalow, has a half hour’s nap, then returns to the office until nightfall. He turns in at midnight and repeats the schedule every day except Sunday, when he comes to the studio to see a selected sampling of competitors’ films (six or seven at a sitting). On Sunday afternoons, he retires to a Shanghai style bath house where for two hours he soaks.”

The Administration Building was originally a rectangular block built in 1960 (architect Eric Cumine 甘洺); and in 1969, a small extension for storing files and films (architect Peter Y. S. Pun 潘衍壽) was added to the south of the original block, this formed the present L-shaped block. The original block was

5 first known as the ‘Administration & Dining Unit’ because the 2/F was used as the ‘Executive Dining and Lounge’; it later became the conference room. At the front of the block is a small attractive landscaped driveway forming a ‘buffer-zone’ from the main studio entrance. The front elevation is basically a plain rectangle with small wings added on either end, one contains an enclosed staircase, the other houses a tower for the water tank; these small additions give some asymmetry to the otherwise regular shaped façade. The windows are also basically set out in a regular pattern (except those to the main staircase) with interesting narrow ‘round-head’ windows to the G/F and square metal windows to 1/F and 2/F. The interesting exterior signage of the building features the iconic Shaw Brothers logo, comprising the initials SB over a shield (made of glass mosaic), plus a simplified “邵氏” in an Art Deco script. On the roof is a concrete sign “Shaw House”, also in an Art Deco format. The really striking feature of the elevation is the exceptional treatment of the window surrounds, which have been decorated in a very personal and highly expressive style, possibly a reference to the work of Antonio Gaudi (1852– 1926), with its various oddly shaped window surrounds, together with the glass mosaic decoration at the entrance. The round-arched openings along the G/F also give a Spanish ‘flavour’ to the overall appearance. From close-up the surface treatment of the walls of the elevations accentuates the ‘organic’ nature of its appearance, with heavily textured plaster stucco (similar to cactus or durian skin). However, when looking more closely at the elevation, the architectural motifs around the windows are in fact in the form of regular styled geometric “┐ ┌ and ┘└” shapes, equally balanced on either side. To add to the variety there are two long and prominent “eyebrow” (or wing) RCC hoods – one over the windows of Sir Run Run’s office, and the other over the main entrance. The external windows to the staircase are each in a different style at each floor level, which gives even more overall variety and movement to the exuberant appearance of the block. Internally, the layout and appearance are on more conventional lines, with a standard office layout around the central concrete staircase, which is located in the main entrance lobby. Sir Run Run’s office was on the 2/F in the corner, which overlooked the front entrance. This was an “en-suite” office arrangement, with an elegant curved entrance screen (made of an early form of wood-patterned ‘Formica’ moulded sheeting). Externally, this office is enhanced with a long ‘winged’ window hood motif and is also provided with a narrow private balcony, from where the boss could view the arrival of his visitors. In all, this building still presents a truly unusual and exiting appearance when first viewed by a visitor, even at the present time when its external condition is rather shabby and requires redecoration.

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In contrast to the old 1961 Shaw House, is the shiny modern new Shaw House (邵氏大樓) which was built in 1996 to replace the previous film store and car park. This is a strictly modern curtain-wall design office block typical of the period, but with two curved ‘bull-nose’ ends topped with wide conical roofs, making a distinguishing feature. This modern office block superseded the old Shaw House as their administration centre, although Sir Run Run still retained his own 2/F office in the original block, until his retirement. Next along is TVB Office (無線電視寫字樓) which is a 6-storey H-shaped block, with square unadorned and flush windows set out in pairs. The internal courtyard was roofed over at a later date. Built in 1963 (architect Eric Cumine), this block was originally called ‘Dormitory No. 2’ or ‘Workers Dormitory’, with double bunks on 3/F to 5/F, single bedrooms on 1/F to 2/F, and a medical inspection section with kitchen & storage on G/F. The impetus for building this dormitory was that Shaw Bros. was recruiting many film workers from Taiwan at the time and they all needed housing. Among the first émigrés from Taiwan were film directors like Yen Chuan (嚴俊) and Chin Chien (秦劍), actresses like Jenny Hu (胡燕妮) and Lily Ho (何莉莉). Eventually, the studio built one of its first elevators in the block’s middle section for the convenience of the occupants. In later years, this building was converted into the TVB Office, with a martial arts direction department where the TVB artist trainees took swordplay lessons. The opening of the TVB Office signalled the change of Run Run’s entertainment empire from film making to a TV enterprise. The next adjoining building is the TVB House, which was built in 1988 to replace the previous premises of the Southern Drama Group. The TVB House is a long horizontal shaped block, with accentuated horizontal beams, forming the original administrative centre for Run Run’s new TV empire.

(2) Industrial Centre Once inside the main gate of the studio and past the new Shaw House on the left, there is an access road that leads up to the production centre of the organisation, which is situated on a wide level terrace. The ‘Industrial Centre’ comprises sound stages, canteen, production department, etc. together with state-of-the-art equipment and laboratory facilities, which together allowed for the production of big-budget, immensely popular epics with glorious costumes. It is set out in a general grid-type layout, although many of the original spaces and walkways have now been covered in for temporary use as workshops, storage, etc. The first of these major buildings along the access road are: Sound Stage I (一號錄影廠) and Sound Stage II (二號錄影廠), both of which were built in 1960 (architect Eric Cumine) in unadorned modernist style. Their distinctive single storey wings and imposing gable walls add to their solid “no nonsense”

7 appearance. These two buildings are of functional design as befits film shooting operational requirements. The interiors are wide and roomy, built with dressing room, store room, rest room, recording booth, and toilets. It was here that the artisans erected varieties of film sets which could be easily dismantled, and speedily replaced after shooting was completed. The next building along this row is the twin-roofed Sound Stage III & IV (三至四號錄影廠) (built 1961, architect Eric Cumine). This was built to meet the urgent production needs of the time, but with little attention to architectural or visual merit. They now seem to have become an assortment of various factory units joined together in random manner, due to many ‘temporary’ additions made over the years. Following along is Sound Stages V & VI (五至六號錄影廠) (built 1962, architect Eric Cumine), which is of an even simpler design than the other sound stages and consists of a basic concrete fame and prefabricated concrete panel cladding with pitched corrugated metal roof. Miscellaneous “industrial style” additions have been made over the years and many of the buildings in the ‘industrial centre’ are interconnected by covered walkways and canopies. The small confined space between Sound Stages V & VI and Sound Stage III & IV was a busy spot for film workers to gather, for it contains the main Notice Board giving details of each day’s filming programme. Further along on the same side, is Sound Stages VII to X (七至十號錄影 廠) (built 1966, architect T. K. Wong 王定基) equipped with studio and switch & transformer rooms. Built in 1966, it is another functional industrial-type design, comprising a basic single storey concrete-framed shell, with pitched corrugated metal roof and brick walls, and now exhibits numerous temporary steel-framed extensions. In short, it is utilitarian and functional and provided to meet the specific requirements of the time. Previously, the spacious area outside the sound stages was used to house replica of historic streets as props for movies. Close to the Sound Stages, a Canteen (餐廳) (architect Eric Cumine) was built in 1958 for the growing number of workers and film extras. The canteen is a rather typical 1950s clean and simple modernist single-storey design with concrete frame and flat roof. The Costume Store (服裝間) (architect Eric Cumine) was originally constructed in 1962 as a two-storey rectangular block, which has since been specially adapted with the addition of a large roof in order to extend the use; probably to serve as a ‘waiting area’ in rainy weather for the many extras (in costumes), while they were waiting to enter one of the nearby sound stages. The prominent concrete Water Tower provides a good landmark around this area. Retracing our steps down to the rear of the old Shaw House, we can take the external 1/F walkway and directly enter the Film Store and Dubbing (片倉及 配音室) (built 1961, architect Eric Cumine), which was equipped with dark

8 rooms, drying rooms, printing and viewing panels, etc. The post-production dubbing unit helped shorten shooting time and maximise film production. It was designed in a much simplified and regular form than the old Shaw House, but it retains the decorative concrete hoods above the windows, as well as the textured stucco. Continuing along the access road from the Film Store and Dubbing, we reach two more buildings which form part of the first phase of the development. The Colour Laboratory (彩色沖印房) built in 1966 (architect T. K. Wong 王定基) is equipped with facilities that could develop 1,000 feet of negative or 5,000 feet of film in an hour. The lower basement has nine 3,500 gallon concrete water storage tanks. Architecturally, it is a simple rectangular building but has been given some modest ‘Cumine’ elevational treatment as a decorative feature, thereby visually connecting it to the nearby blocks. The Complex Building (綜 合大樓) (built 1975, architect Andrew Jean 姜福釗) is equipped with an editing room on G/F, a file store and printing & subtitling room on 2/F, and general store on 3/F to 5/F. It is a 5-storey concrete block. Surfaces of cast concrete are made to reveal the basic nature of its construction, with strong horizontal fenestration in the external elevations. The Production Department (製片部) (architect Andrew Jean) was built in 1975. The distinctive protruding pipes were for cross-ventilation purposes that were essential for film processing before air-conditioning was fitted; in this case the architect has made them into a distinctive feature of this otherwise simple block. When air-conditioning was installed, the pipes to G/F elevation were removed and some unsightly alterations made. The Purchasing Department (採購部) (architect Andrew Jean) was built in 1975. The design repeats the strong and simple horizontal emphasis which is matched by the adjoining Production Department block, and this helps unify these two similar sized blocks. The Production Department is a plain rectangular 2-storey concrete block which is distinguished by the layout of vertical louvered windows to the ground floor. The north corner of the production complex contains the massive TVB Production Block (多用途電視錄影廠). Built in 1988, it is the latest of the main buildings constructed as part of the TV production facilities. It is designed with a substantial concrete-framed structure with flat roof and concrete panel walls (beige colour). The TVB Prop (道具房) (architect Denton Corker Marshall) was built in 1995 on the old site of the film studio’s ‘Dormitory No. 1’. This block is a large 4-storey warehouse-type structure with small windows and a distinguishing curved front elevation wall, designed to closely follow the adjoining curved elevated access road which leads up to Shaw Villa.

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(3) Accommodation Area Completely separated from the ‘works’ area of the site and located in a quiet side off, off Clear Water Bay Road, is the Accommodation Area. At the end of this side road is the long rectangular Dormitory No. 3 (三號宿舍) built in 1968 (architect Peter Y. S. Pun). This is a 4-storey block originally named Tun Ho Building (敦厚樓) and it is the highest standard dormitory building on the studio site. It was reserved for the most famous film stars like Tony Liu (劉永), Man Tze-leung (萬梓良), Erh Tung-sheng (爾冬陞), Hui Ying-hung (惠英紅), Liu Chia-hui (劉家輝) and directors such as Chang Cheh (張徹) who had directed many enduring films, and in the process, helped train an eager young assistant director, (吳宇森), who before his move to the Hollywood, joined Shaw Brothers as an apprentice to Chang Cheh. On 18 May 1968, the Hong Kong Governor, Sir David Trench, presided over the foundation stone laying ceremony. Next there is Dormitory No. 4 (四號宿舍) (built 1968, architect Peter Y. S. Pun) which is a 10-storey block of conventional design ordinary-grade residential block. It is similar in appearance to many government housing blocks of the period. The impressive looking Guard House (built 1968) is of concrete construction in a cantilevered two-story design. This structure was considered essential for security to Dormitory Nos. 3 and 4. The third medium-rise dormitory block for the film studio’s employees is the Administrative Staff Quarters (行政人員宿舍) (built 1977, architect Andrew Jean). It is a 6-storey block built in two distinct wings, linked by a central staircase tower. It is a conventionally designed high-grade residential block with a car park at G/F, typical of the period. Each floor has a public laundry room, and each of the units is fitted with living and dining room with one or two bedrooms. Since the early 1980s, Shaw Brothers was no longer making as many films as before. Yet there remained quite a number of old employees who were living out the remainder of their lives in the film studio’s dormitories. For instance, Chang Cheh (1923-2002) went on to live there until he died. When the 21st Hong Kong Film Awards bestowed upon him the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, because he was not able to walk far, a group of his friends went to his apartment at Shaw Studio in order to complete the award ceremony held on 21 April 2002.

The Shaw Villa (邵氏別墅) (built 1971, architect Peter Y. S. Pun) is a separate detached villa in the northeast corner of the site. It is approached by its own elevated driveway and deliberately kept remote from the remainder of the film studio site to ensure privacy and quiet for its VIP occupants. It is located on the hillside, with a magnificent sea view; it comprises a dining room, kitchen, servant room, garden, and a private cinema at basement. The villa is a rectangular concrete modernist block of five-stories (two are semi-basement at

10 the rear). The narrow vertical windows on the front elevation add a contrast to the overall horizontal ‘stretched-out’ effect. There is a coloured mosaic panel which adjoins one side of the entrance-way. The curving driveway leads up from the general level of the studio area, up to the villa; it features concrete balustrades that echo the dominant long horizontal emphasis of the main building and also features a vertical infill feature that adds interest and lightness to the design.

The old Shaw House (Administration Building) is visually the most unique Rarity, and striking building on the whole of the site and there is nothing of a similar Built Heritage decorative style known to exist elsewhere in Hong Kong. It is also significant in Value that it also housed Sir Run-Run’s headquarters during the most successful and & Authenticity colouful period in the Shaw Studio’s history. The Shaw Villa is of a completely different design philosophy than either the old Shaw House or the ‘industrial area’ and is a fine example of a contemporary modernist low-rise block; although in style it is more “institutional” than “domestic”. The Complex Building, Colour Laboratory, and Film Store & Dubbing, all display some of architect Eric Cumine’s design mannerisms but to a lesser extent than the old Shaw House. As for authenticity, all the above buildings have various degrees of alterations or additions over their lifetime, due to changes of use, as can be expected for fully utilised and up-to-date industrial buildings. Considered individually, many of the buildings have little architectural rarity: for example, the medium-rise accommodation blocks were typical of residential buildings of the 1960-70s, of which there are still many similar examples of this kind in Hong Kong. So too are the medium-rise commercial blocks ranging from 1965 to 1996 which are very typical of the period and exhibit no outstanding architectural qualities. The ‘industrial blocks’ are generally basic functional designs of the period, with few outstanding features of design or construction. For Sound Stages I & II however, Eric Cumine seemed to take special care on their design and siting by presenting them in matching design and as a pair of functional blocks. For although they are built purely for industrial filming purposes, architect. Sound Stages III & IV display no special rarity but several ‘mannerist’ decorative features. The remainder of the sound stages are of no unique defining architectural rarity and neither do they show such attention to detail, but instead amply demonstrate the result of a very practical and speedy approach to both design and construction, that must have been essential during the busiest period of film production and so contributed in no small way to the success of the enterprise.

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The establishment of this film studio was symbolic of the momentum in Social Value Hong Kong towards greater industrialization in the early post-war period, when & Local investment from émigré Chinese capitalists stimulated the territory’s economy Interest into becoming a source of supply for manufactured goods, including films, for distribution locally and overseas. After losing the China market after the political upheaval of 1949, Run Run was able to quickly establish a transnational network that spanned and served, mostly mass audiences in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and US Chinatowns, which helped make ‘Shaw Brothers’ a household name. The Administration Building (the old Shaw House) is a well-known local landmark that has been deeply embedded in the collective memory of the local community for more than half a century, firstly, because it is well known to the public due to its prominent position on the Clear Water Bay Road; it is also the most recognised and iconic building of the studio and was frequently used as a set in films and TVB soap operas, most famously as a hospital – with which many TV audiences have come to associate the building. The public also hold this particular building with a strong affection and enduring association with the Shaw Brothers legend, recently reinforced by repeated shots of the building in TVB’s documentary on the legend of Sir Run Run Shaw (邵逸夫的傳奇), aired on the day of his death, 7 January 2014. Sir Run Run Shaw left a legacy that is unforgettable. As much as he is fondly remembered for giving immeasurable enjoyment through cinema and television, his name also lives on for philanthropy. His “Sir Run Run Shaw Charitable Trust” and “Shaw Foundation” made countless donations to promote education, scientific and technological advancement, medical services, culture and art. In 2002, he famously established an international science award, The Shaw Prize. Dubbed the “Nobel Prize of the East”, The Shaw Prize annually gives US$1 million each to three people doing promising research in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, life and medical science. Twelve years as President of , Sir Run Run Shaw also helped set up the Community Chest and advocated the work for the Arts Festival. He was well known in the Mainland as a philanthropist because Shaw’s fund is the longest-lasting education donor in the Mainland, with the largest amount of donations and number of projects involved. In the process, he earned accolades honouring his generosity. His name adorns many hospitals and school buildings in the mainland and Hong Kong. Here are some local examples– 1. Buildings/Sites named after Sir Run Run Shaw at CityU 1 (a) Run Run Shaw Library (邵逸夫圖書館) 1 (b) Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre (邵逸夫創意媒體中心) 2. Buildings/Sites named after Sir Run Run Shaw at CUHK 2 (a) (逸夫書院)

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2 (b) Run Run Shaw Science Building (逸夫科學大樓) 2 (c) Sir Run Run Shaw Hall (邵逸夫堂) 3. Buildings/Sites named after Sir Run Run Shaw at HKBU 3 (a) Shaw Campus (逸夫校園) 3 (b) Sir Run Run Shaw Building (邵逸夫大樓) 4. Buildings/Sites named after Sir Run Run Shaw at HKU 4 (a) Run Run Shaw Building (邵逸夫樓) 4 (b) Run Run Shaw Heritage House (逸夫苑) 4 (c) Run Run Shaw Tower (逸夫教學樓) 5. Building/ Facility named after Sir Run Run Shaw at PolyU 5 (a) Shaw Sports Centre (邵逸夫體育館) 5 (b) Shaw Amenities Building (邵逸夫樓)

The varied types of buildings and structures in the Shaw Studio complex Group Value certainly have group value both on economic and social grounds, which reflects the historical and frantic industrial development of this unique site for over 60 years. However, from an architectural and visual viewpoint, the entire film studio site does not itself constitute one single distinct ‘group’ or ‘ensemble’, due to the varying site characteristics, widely different purposes for each of the various buildings, and their assorted designs by different architects over a relatively long time period. To take one example, the modernist design of the Shaw Villa (1971) is in complete contrast to the exuberant and decorative earlier work of the old Shaw House (1960), which is again a visual contrast to any of the basic and functional Sound Studios. But, Eric Cumine incorporated many common design features, including expressive window surrounds, textured stucco rendering, etc., which is repeated in his buildings’ exteriors and they certainly help create their own visual architectural ‘Cumine’ identity.

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Shaw Studio, Clear Water Bay Road, Sai Kung, N.T.

No. Buildings Architect Year of Construction

1 Canteen 餐廳 Eric Cumine 1958

2 Sound Stage I 一號錄影廠 Eric Cumine 1960

3 Sound Stage II 二號錄影廠 Eric Cumine 1960 Administration Building 行政大樓 Eric Cumine 1960 4 (old Shaw House) 5 Film Store and Dubbing 片倉及配音室 Eric Cumine 1961

6 Sound Stages III & IV 三至四號錄影廠 Eric Cumine 1961

7 Sound Stages V & VI 五至六號錄影廠 Eric Cumine 1962

8 Costume Store 服裝間 Eric Cumine 1962 TVB Office (former Dormitory No. 2) Eric Cumine 1963 9 無線電視寫字樓 (前二號宿舍) 10 Sound Stages VII to X 七至十號錄影廠 T. K. Wong 1966

11 Colour Laboratory 彩色沖印房 T. K. Wong 1966 Dormitory No. 3 (alias Tun Ho Building) Peter Y. S. Pun 1968 12 三號宿舍 (別稱:敦厚樓) 13 Dormitory No. 4 四號宿舍 Peter Y. S. Pun 1968

14 Guard House 守衛室 Peter Y. S. Pun 1968

15 Shaw Villa 邵氏別墅 Peter Y. S. Pun 1971

16 Production Department 製片部 Andrew Jean 1975

17 Purchasing Department 採購部 Andrew Jean 1975

18 Complex Building 綜合大樓 Andrew Jean 1975 Administrative Staff Quarters Andrew Jean 1977 19 行政人員宿舍 TVB Production Block Eric Cumine 1988 20 多用途電視錄影廠 21 TVB House 無線電視大樓 Eric Cumine 1988 22 TVB Prop 無線電視道具房 Denton Corker Marshall 1995 HK 23 Shaw House 邵氏大樓 Johnny C.Y. Lee 1996

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N86 Historic Building Appraisal Old Quarry Site Structures Lei Yue Mun, Kwun Tong, Kowloon

Hong Kong has been well favoured with its building stones. The high quality, Historical fine-grained granite was commonly used in construction by the time the island of Interest Hong Kong was taken over by the British in 1841. This situation continued after the British arrival, with quarries stretching along the northern coastline of the Island, ranging from Shek Tong Tsui (石塘咀) in the western part to Quarry Bay (鰂魚涌) and A Kung Ngan (阿公岩) in the east. There were many new colonial buildings and structures which, at this date, were rich in local granite. Surviving examples include Flagstaff House and St John’s Cathedral. The general topography of the villages of Lei Yue Mun (鯉魚門), Ngau Tau Kok (牛頭角), Sai Cho Wan (茜草灣) and Cha Kwo Ling (茶果嶺) in Kowloon was quite hilly, offering little arable land for crop growing, but they were rich in granite. They were well known for the production of stones, and thus got the name of ‘Si Shan’ (四山, ‘Four Hills’). The Qing government appointed a ‘Tau Yan’ (頭人) (headman) in each of the ‘Four Hills’ to manage the quarries. There was a ‘Sze Shan Kung So’ (四山公所, Communal Hall of Four Hills) to discuss matters relating to stone business. The famous Canton Cathedral (廣州石室) was built with granite cut in the “Four Hills”. The British takeover of Kowloon and the New Territories led to a greater demand of stone for construction. At the time, the more prominent stone-cutting stores in Lei Yue Mun included Tung Li Tong (同利堂) owned by Ip Wa-shing (葉華勝) (1844-1914), Tung Tai Tong (同泰堂) owned by Tsang Lam-on (曾林 安) and Tung Fuk Tong (同福堂) owned by Ip Fuk (葉福). Large numbers of workers and carriers were procured from Wuhua (五華), Huiyang (惠陽), Meixian (梅縣) and Dongguan (東莞). The quarries remained active until 1941. Under the Japanese, the stone business came to an abrupt end. The post-war rehabilitation and development of Hong Kong has resulted in a massive demand for crushed stone. Shorty after the war, the pre-war Government quarry at Hok Un (鶴園) was rehabilitated to supply the bulk of the needs for crushed stone used by the Public Works Department. To tide over the period whilst new plant was obtained from abroad for the Government quarry at Tsat Tze Mui (七姊妹), a contract was let in 1946-47 to Messrs. Marsman & Co. for the supply of crushed stone from Morrison Hill (摩利臣山). Two years later, a new quarry was set up at Hung Shui Kiu (洪水橋) where crushing units were installed to produce aggregates for roadworks and military projects in this area of the New Territories. Due to the rising demand for crushed stone for building after World War II, it was found necessary to let permits for the supply of this type of material from

15 privately-run quarries. The permits were issued under authority of the District Officer for the rural area (New Territories) or the Superintendent of Crown Lands for Kowloon and Hong Kong. Most of the “permit quarries”, managed by small operators, were labour intensive with much hand working. Rock was drilled, and explosives placed, by hand by men hanging from ropes on the quarry face. Hand-held hammers were used to loosen un-blasted rock from the quarry face. Aggregates might still be made by breaking rock manually with hammers. In post-war Lei Yue Mun, most of the stone quarries abandoned in 1941 were being left not re-opened. The coastal land at the toe of Devil’s Peak facing Lyemun Point became a quarry operated on permit by three firms, namely, Tai Hing Quarry Co. (大興石廠), Oriental Quarry Co. (東方石廠) and Wong Yin Quarry Co. (旺賢石廠). Granite was excavated as dressed stone for building blocks and aggregates in concrete. The seawall in front of Estate (北 角邨) was built in the 1950s with granite cut from this quarry. Initially, the methods of operation were similar to those described in the previous paragraph. Later, the use of crusher machines resulted in an increased output of aggregates. In the heyday, there were 400 workers in the site. The quarry was closed after the mid-1960s after the expiry of permits.

The coastal land at the toe of Devil’s Peak facing Lyemun Point is littered Architectural with an abundance of granite blocks removed from the quarry face for breaking. Merit In addition, there are utilitarian structures which are not of great architectural merits, but should be considered as evidence of the quarrying activities. They are briefly described below. 1. Jetty: This structure is about 8 or 9 metres wide and stands about 7 metres above sea level at its highest point. It consists of two sloping sides and a front wall built of granite blocks and concrete. The deck was a slab of unreinforced concrete originally. Transport was accomplished by truckers shutting between the jetty and the stockpiles. The ramp decking which projects out into the sea is collapsed: as the broken pieces are lying in a haphazard arrangement the jetty is temporarily fenced off from public access. 2. Stone Hut (Checker’s Kiosk) near the Jetty: This is a two-storey stone hut with a flat concrete roof. The construction of its walls is granite stones laid to courses. The doorway to the upper storey is unblocked. The doorway and window openings to the lower storey are blocked. What appear to be the remains of a concrete balcony can be seen at the rear of the hut. It is difficult without evidence or corroboration to attribute uses to the various parts of the structure, but possible uses may have included an office or kiosk for checking the amount of stones being loaded on to the barges. Stone blocks were counted by tons and aggregates were counted by cubic yards. 3. Quay and Retention Wall at the western end of the site: The crushed

16 stones which were yet to be loaded onto the stone-boats were stockpiled at this site. The quay is approximately 3 by 4 metres in plan and stands about 2 metres above sea level. It is adjoined by remains of a retention wall which is built of roughly coursed granite blocks and is topped with a concrete slab which has four equally spaced concreted padstones. 4. Quay and Retention Wall along the southern boundary of the site: This is another spot where aggregates were held in stockpiles and the stone-boats could stop to load aggregates. The wall was built of random rubble jointed with aggregate mortar or concrete. Some through stones or bondstones can been seen but it is difficult to ascertain the original thickness of the wall as it has been seriously eroded by the sea. 5. Blockhouse (Overseer’s Office/Watchmen’s Quarters): This structure like the others is built with coursed rubble walls and flat concrete roofs. It appears to have been built as a series of annexes and additions constructed at different times. Ventilation holes or loopholes can be seen in places, but most of the windows and doors are blocked up. Possible uses of the blockhouse may have included overseer’s office as well as kitchen and mess for watchmen. Any of these uses would have been part of the quarry operation or activities. 6. Stone Hut (Dangerous Goods Store): Situated at the eastern end of the site, this two-storey, flat-roofed structure is built of coursed granite blocks with concrete slabs forming the floors and roof. Windows and doors are blocked up. It was a facility for the safe custody of explosive materials used in quarrying. The hut resembles a watchtower, and there is a saying among historians (not yet confirmed by documentary sources) that it might have been used as a pillbox to guard the harbour of Lei Yu Mun Point. 7. Seawall (a site for stockpiling of crushed stone): This wall, built of random rubble and concrete, is about 2 metres high and extends from the seashore along the crest of a rocky incline northwards. From 1940s to 1960s, it was a site for stockpiling of crushed stone. Divided into bays by buttresses built on the inside face, this wall is architecturally different from the retention walls described above. It is possible that together with the nearby stone hut it was built for some military purpose. 8. Curved Stone Wall: One of the most unusual features found at the site was a curved stone wall which has a battered face and is built of roughly coursed granite stones. Its function and age is not known. It resembles very much the ruins of a castle rampart or bastion and like the wall and stone hut at the eastern end of the site it may have been used for some military purpose such as a gun battery. It may have been built by the British or the Japanese, or it may date further back to the . 9. Quarry Face: Although not a building, the quarry face is included here as an evidence of the quarrying activities. The high near-vertical rock faces, in

17 places as high as some 100 feet, suggest that this site was intensively quarried. Blasting on quarry faces was done by means of explosives that were introduced into vertical holes, and boring of the holes was accomplished by a tool impacting upon the rock. Prior to the actual blast which took place between 9am and 11am or between 3pm and 5pm, the site witnessed display of red flags and sounding of a copper gong to remove persons from the blast area. 10. Quay for the loading of vessels: This structure is a concrete block which shows the exposed aggregate and shuttering marks quite clearly. It is another aggregate storage bay where stone-boats could stop to load aggregates. 11. Quay for the loading of vessels: This is a stone and concrete block built in front of a stone wall. Its original purpose is not known but it was a quay for loading aggregate on to the boats from 1940s to 1960s. 12. Concrete Base for a stone crushing plant: This structure is U-shaped, with what appear to be two chutes and a pit or open chamber behind. It was used as a base for a stone crushing plant. Energy requirements in crushing were relatively large, and the crusher was powered by a diesel engine. In the crusher, the quarried stone blocks were nipped into smaller fragments and reduced to a specified size range. 13. Concrete Hut (Dangerous Goods Store): This is a small single storey hut with a flat roof and seems to be constructed of concrete. From 1950s and 1960s, it was used as a storeroom for diesel oil and explosives for quarrying, but other uses cannot be ruled out, for example, a room for the storage of tools and equipment, repair and maintenance workshop, blacksmith’s forge, bunkhouse or bothy. Most, if not all of the surface features at the site were related to stone quarrying, but some of them are probably unrelated to quarrying and may represent earlier periods of activity. They probably served multiple functions and were manipulated over time by people to perform other tasks as necessitated by one-going quarrying operations.

Compared to every other known stone quarry, this one in Lei Yu Mun has by Rarity, far the most extensive built structures related to quarrying. It is quite rare in Built Heritage Hong Kong to find a group of old quarry structures like this still existing. Of the Value “Four Stone Hills”, Sai Cho Wan was cleared in 1948 for an oil depot which & Authenticity occupied the site before Laguna City. Ngau Tau Kok has also disappeared: the village was cleared in 1966 and its hill has been flattened to provide fill for reclamations. Cha Kwo Ling mainly survive, but the hill behind it has disappeared some 40 years ago. Although abandoned, the Lei Yue Mun quarry structures retain their authenticity.

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Rock processing was an important industry in Hong Kong. Until some 30 Social Value years ago, all processed stone, usually in the form of granitic aggregates, was & Local obtained almost entirely from quarries within the territory. It was not until the Interest late 1970s that additional supplies of aggregates were obtained from quarries in the Special Economic Zones of the People’s Republic of China. Difficultues of weight, bulk and removal combined with cheapness of water transport, have naturally resulted in the location of the quarries being near the sea front. This seaside quarry remains a reminder of what was once an importnat local industry. The granite outcrop is a landmark of Lyemun Point. It is well known to Hong Kong people and a popular spot for sea anglers..

The old quarry site structures have group value in themselves as a cluster. Group Value Besides, they have group value with the two Tin Hau temples in Ma Wan Tsuen (Grade 3) and the other one in Cha Kwo Ling (Grade 3) which included a meeting house for the elders of the “Four Stone Hills”.

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