Hong Kong’s Rainbow Buildings: Choi Hung Estate
Finding the Rainbow Estate of Choi Hung
It wasn’t until just a few years back that the brightly colored facade of Choi Hung Estate flashed across Instagrammer’s screens. It wasn’t long after that the floodgates opened unleashing thousands of wannabe online celebrities to take awkwardly positioned selfies in front of the windows of the residents of this public housing development.
Photographers and selfie-stick wielders alike have been drawn to the rainbow apartments, but as the basketball court in front of Choi Hung gets crowded with masses of local and foreign tourists, the allure of this picturesque building begins to lose its charm.
Starting from Choi Hung Metro Station exits C3 and C4 will put you right next to the Rainbow Estate. If you are looking for nothing more than to make the pilgrimage straight to the blacktop in the heart of the Choi Hung complex you will be missing out on the true soul of the district. While most of the tourists may be more inclined to have their face beaming in front of a colorful backdrop, the true culture of Choi Hung exists in its markets.
If you are looking for more information on the Rainbow Buildings of Choi Hung Estate click here!
Ngau Chi Wan Market
Ngau Chi Wan is the original name of the village which is now known as Choi Hung. As the skyscrapers began to tower above casting their shadows over the market, Ngau Chi Wan is a place which time has forgotten. Even those who daily travel through Choi Hung MTR station are totally oblivious to the existence of this traditional market. Ngau Chi Wan is one of those places that you stumble upon by accident and end up being the highlight of your entire trip!
The grittiness and dim lighting is why many people fall in love with Hong Kong in the first place. Ngau Chi Wan perfectly embodies the spirit of the city with its wet markets wrenching with the smell of fish, various meats hung on display on crooked hooks, and lively cafeterias giving you that authentic Cantonese mom and pop restaurant experience.
As the city bends to both modernization and mainland influences, traditional enclaves such as Ngau Chi Wan are slowly disappearing. It won’t be long that the borders between the two systems become blurred and the ghosts of old Hong Kong will fade from existence. For the time being, Ngau Chi Wan exists as a relic of a bygone time, hiding in plain sight.
If you like places like Ngau Chi Wan you will surely love the Wah Fu Estate!
Public Housing of Choi Hung
Erected in 1964, Choi Hung was built as the new standard for affordable permanent housing in Hong Kong. The fields surrounding the traditional village Ngau Chi Wan were stripped and made way for this pinnacle in urban housing development. It wasn’t long until the village itself was also in the crosshairs of urban planners. Many of the residents were moved from their classical terracotta-roofed houses to the rainbow estate of Choi Hung to make way for the construction of the subway. Although gone, the spirit of Ngau Chi Wan still lives on in the market and hearts of the residents of Choi Hung.
The creation of the Choi Hung Estate was such a milestone in Hong Kong’s urban development that it even attracted the likes of British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher and American President Richard Nixon. As Hong Kong continues to adopt new techniques and strategies for tackling its housing crisis, the rainbow buildings of Choi Hung remain as a monument for when the first step was taken to provide Hong Kongers with an affordable home.
You are read more stories of old Choi Hung here!
Selfie Stick Swingers
Let’s face it, most of you are not here to get teary-eyed about the disappearance of traditional Hong Kong neighborhoods or the landmarks in Choi Hung’s urban development. With those selfie-sticks just trembling in your hands you can’t wait to climb up to the top of the car park in the center of the estate to start snapping those much-needed selfies!
Despite the dozens of picture-snapping tourists putting themselves in truly laughable positions on the basketball court, Choi Hung has still maintained a substantial amount of it’s quiet, suburban atmosphere. As a crew of photographers adjust the lighting and give directions to their models in front of the rainbow-colored exterior of Choi Hung, a local resident nonchalantly hangs his laundry, paying no mind to the swarm of tourists on the blacktop.
Although the appearance has been battered and molded, the spirit of Ngau Chi Wan lives on. Even though the neighborhood may go by a different name, the people still embody the true essence of what it means to be a Hong Konger. Choi Hung, in itself, is a playground for photographers and casual tourists alike. The true heart of Choi Hung, however, is found a bit off of the beaten path.
Looking for a new way to photograph Choi Hung? Check out this guide here!
