Revolving Door of History Histories and Historical Sites Conservation and Revitalisation Region and Environment Supported by The Lord Wilson Heritage Trust: The oldest building in the Academy can be The red brick buildings throughout Stepping into the Academy is like boarding a time machine and traced to the period when the grounds the premises were innovative for surveying its architectural history. Besides a showcase of conser- served as a Kowloon Customs Station. The their time. For example, the cluster vation and revitalisation, the buildings are also a microcosm of Kowloon Customs Boundary stone was in the Low Zone, in keeping with This hill bears witness to the built and customs houses were set up for Hong Kong history. Let’s examine their various phases and the Hong Kong’s humid and rainy development of neighboring officers to monitor ships and collect tax weather, drew from a minimalist districts like Shum Shui Po, stories they tell. ▲ Image source: payments. After the customs station was and practical design, the single-storey Lai Chi Kok and Mei Foo. The Government Records Service shut down, it was turned into living quarters structures built with traditional Large-scale reclamation and re- With the support of the Trust, Jao Tsung-I Academy hopes to for Chinese workers headed abroad, who English double-layer bricks. Their development since the 1920s, used to be housed in shabby huts. pitched roofs were built with Chinese-style arched tiles and as well as the ceasing of the old restore lustre to this century-old historical site and beautiful natu- Timelines supported by wooden beams and rafters, which allow for better pier's operations, transformed the region into an industrial and ral landscape, allowing visitors to travel through history as they In 1908, two years after an outbreak in circulation and heat dissipation. The round-edged bricks on both business district. This period also saw the completion of Hong stroll around the site. Hong Kong led to a ban on Chinese labour sides of the doors made it easier for hospital beds to move in and out. Kong’s first large private housing estate - Mei Foo Sun Chuen. imports, the British Government renovated the quarters and turned it into the Lai Chi 1895-1899 Kok Quarantine Station. The single-storey Kowloon Customs building was built with two layers of red The point of conservation isn’t just to The Academy's grounds also house Sham Shui Po sub-station bricks and become the prototype for the over a thousand plants, mostly ▲ Image source: preserve the Kowloon customs boundary 1904-1906 future infectious diseases hospital. Guard Chinese Labour in South Africa, 1902-10 stone, the incinerator and other features, native to this area, which have room and granite walls were also built. These structures were attracted dozens of species of birds Chinese Labourers’ Quarters but rather to restore the buildings to their Visit Jao Tsung-I Academy preserved during the prison and hospital phases and are presently still original state. So when the conservation that have nourished the woods. The 1910-1912 in use. team took over the site, the surface of the site is a diverse ecosystem, a rare To meet changing needs, after minor renovations fireplace was newly retiled and the oasis in a bustling metropolis. Address| 800 Castle Peak Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Quarantine Station the quarantine station was turned into the fireboxes were covered with wooden Open Hours| 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Mondays to Sundays 1921-1937 low-security Lai Chi Kok Prison, which was boards. Therefore the team examined simi- e Gallery and the Heritage Hall in the Low Zone equipped with large and independent cells, as lar fireplaces of the same period, cleared away the added tiles and are closed on Mondays Lai Chi Kok Prison well as a mini-hospital. It was considered a boards to restore its original appearance. model prison because of its comprehensive Enquiry| 2100 2828 1938-1975 facilities. In 1937, as smallpox, diphtheria, E-mail| [email protected] cholera raged in Hong Kong, the grounds were Infectious Diseases Hospital converted for medical purposes again, first used Webpage| www.jtia.hk to quarantine and treat patients of these As for the double-storey 1976-2000 infectious diseases and later housing leprosy structures in the Middle and patients and the mentally ill, as well as patients High zones, their red brick Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre ▲ Image source: walls were poured with Guided Tours Ms. Pauline Tai suffering from chronic illness. The facility concrete and painted white. 2000-2004 played an important role in the evolution of Hong Kong’s medical To highlight the red brick and rehabilitation networks. Jao Tsung-I Academy provides daily tours led by docents HACare Home and educate visitors about In 2008, the premises were among the the original construction familiar with the history of the buildings and their restoration. materials, the restoration www.jtia.hk/site-visit/cultural-guided-tours/ 2012- buildings included in the first batch of the ▲Image source: Ms. Amy Chan Revitalising Historic Buildings Through team manually removed the Jao Tsung-I Academy concrete surface of the walls and polished the red brick, clearing out Partnership Scheme and restored and 饒宗頤文化館 revitalised by the Hong Kong Institute for excess concrete, applying desalination techniques and adding a Jao Tsung-I Academy Promotion of Chinese Culture. Thus was protective layer. A new canopy was added to shield the walls, which born the present Jao Tsung-I Academy, also doubles as an outdoor space. jtia.hk which opened in 2012 and became fully ▲Image source: Ms.Lee Ho-chun functional in 2014. jtiahk Kwun Yum and Earth God Old Incinerator Mango(1a) and Banyan(1b) trees Jao Tsung-I Academy Century Heritage Trail Hospital Period Hospital Period 1a 1b The mango tree and the century-old banyan are home to various species of birds and insects and stand as a testimony Stamp Collection A flurry of conservation activity has shed light on the shifting The medical staff and patients prayed for peace When the building served as the infectious before the Kwun Yum and Earth God statues in diseases hospital, medical waste was burned in this to the history of the grounds. functions of these historical buildings over the past century, line with local custom. old incinerator. The oil and water tanks at the top Kowloon Customs Boundary Stone were used to start and extinguish a fire. transforming an isolated location into a unique public space and Kowloon Customs Station Period Japanese white-eye Collect commemorate stamps as you survey the different cultural artifact set against the picturesque backdrop of towering Also known as sheung si in Cantonese, their silhouettes can historical spots. trees. When the Sham Shui Po customs sub-station was be spotted on tree tops throughout the year. established in Lai Chi Kok Bay a hundred years ago, a stone monument with “Kowloon Customs Let’s trace the historical roots of the Academy’s premises. Boundary” carved onto it was erected as a Jao-Kao Ficus (Ficus Rumphii) geographical marker. 2 The Jao-Kao Ficus is an especially long-lasting evergreen. Planted by Professor Jao Tsung-i and Professor Charles 4 Kao, it’s a symbol of preserving cultural heritage. High : High Zone Bauhinia Variegata Route Zone Red Brick Walls 3 More than one hundred Bauhinia Variegata trees grow on Hospital Period the hillside, making for a sea of pink when they bloom from Middle Middle February to April. Zone Zone This brick wall was covered in concrete and white Low Zone 6 paint when the building served as the Lai Chi Kok Oriental magpie-robin Crack Monitors Low Infectious Diseases Hospital. Various techniques A famed songbird with white long stripes on its wings, it’s Zone 5 Middle were used to remove the concrete and expose the known for its lively and active personality. It loves to Low Zone Zone 3 red brick. bounce around. Lotus Crape Myrtle Crack Monitors 4 Also known as the “Hundred-day Red” for its extended blooming period, the Crape Myrtle is extremely sensitive to Di erent Periods changes of season. They are especially colorful around mid-summer. Old Pier Construction workers from various periods placed crack monitors on the walls to detect structural Light-vented Bulbul Kowloon Customs Period movement. Now they are historical artifacts, a Low legacy of building monitoring efforts of the past. A resident bird with white stripes at back their heads, they At the time the premises was still located on the Heritage Hall are easily spotted shuttling back and forth in the woods. waterfront, so an old stone pier was built for Zone travelers to and from the customs station, the Middle Zone labourers' quarters and the quarantine station. 2 High Zone Footbridge Bauhinia Variegata Take a break here to take in a full view of the neighboring e Gallery Lai Chi Kok and Mei Foo districts, or the sea of flowers scan the QR Old Guard Room, Stone Boundary Wall during the blooming period between February and April. Tips 1a 1b code to check Labourers’ Quarters and Quarantine Station Period them out! Note information boards scattered along the way. Yulania Scan the QR code on the boards for video tours. This used to be the main entrance. The Low Zone housed the labourers’ quarters and was later 5 A rare Chinese species that isn’t easily moved or Old Incinerator Fireplace acquired by the government and turned into a maintained, it’s listed as an endangered plant. quarantine station with a stone boundary wall. Hospital Period Hospital Period Middle Zone Royal Poinciana and Black Kite Kowloon Customs Boundary Stone The incinerator was also used to dispose of regular This fireplace with a shared chimney used to The Royal Poincianas are a hovering wave of red during the trash because there wasn’t a waste disposal system 6 provide heat to the medical staff in two adjoining summer, while Black Kites circle in the sky throughout the in place. rooms separated by a wall. year. High Zone Light-vented Bulbul