Current condition
In use
Date completed
(Day is approximate.)
I've set the completion date to June 1981, as that's the occupation date given at Centadata. However it is a large site with multiple blocks, so it's more likely to have been built in phases that were completed at different times.
Previous place(s) at this location
Photos that show this Place
1970s
1981
1980s
Comments
Chi Fu Fa Yuen
The two forward blocks (Fu Fai & Fu Yuen?) were first completed, and the rest in phases.
Chi Fu estate was built on former site of the Dairy Farm where a unique tall lush green grass once grew all over the hillside for the cows.
For the first time in HK, a fully decorated mock-up of different apartments, complete with photos of the potential scenes at the windows, were staged at the HK Land sales office at Marina House at Central. Elaborate colourful sales brochures were printed. The production house was CLIC Design Ltd. Many queued up to enter to see the model apartments. It marked a new approach to real estate sales promotion in HK.
Chi Fu Fa Yuen
Chi Fu was one of the first privatley developed high-rise residential developments in Hong Kong by Hongkong Land. Its innovation was to cater to the 'Sandwich Class', those people too wealthy to qualify for public housing but not wealthy enough to buy larger apartments in established areas such as Mid-levels. The HK$600 million housing development would extend over seven hectares of gentle slopes on the North side of Pokfulam Road, a project on land previously untouched by anything but Dairy Farm's grazing cows. A total of 4,258 residential units were built, 20 towers of 28 storeys each, with an additional 70 homes in seven blocks of fiv-level villa style buildings. More than 2.8 hectares would be landscape gardens and recreational areas.
Chi Fu Fa Yuen
Master Plan
Chi Fu Fa Yuen
The interiors of each apartment included teak parquet flooring in the main rooms and tall wide windows with strong frames specially designed to accommodate air conditioners. Kitchens offered stainless steel sink units, nicely finished wall-hung cupboards, Italian-made ceramic wall tiles, and door phones. These were all provided at no extra cost, something rarely available even in luxury residential developments at that time. The rival at that time Tai Koo Shing, which was then being developed by Swire Properties, had come to the market three months earlier than Chi Fu and HKL were concerned that Chi Fu might not sell very well. This was quickley misplaced, sales opened on the 4th December 1976 and started a frenzy, queues of hopeful buyers overflowed into Queen's Road Central from Hongkong Land Marina House sales offices.