Tai Hang 1945

Sun, 02/26/2023 - 15:26

Could the be the Old Wong Nei Chung Village in Happy Valley ? The location is Tai Hang, see the comments below.

Date picture taken
1945

Comments

Hi There,

Based on the pagoda (the one in Tiger Balm Garden), this should be Tai Hang.  The grass in front of it was the reclaimed bay.  The photographer was likely on Causeway Road.

T

This photo came up for sale on eBay recently. It was advertised as taken shortly after the war - I can't remember if 1945 or 1946, but it explains why the grass and plans all look a bit wild.

Hi David,

Probably shortly after WWI of sort as if it had been the 1940's, you should be able to see something related to the military playground there.

I believe some of the old houses survived until the 1970s or even the 1980s.

T

The photo was dated the first week of September 1945. Unable to make out the actual date. Mentioned previously in another thread, I think the pavilions on the hill can be seen which gives weight that they were constructed prior to the Japanese occupation.

Thank you for all your inputs. Could the photographer perhaps standing on Tung Lo Wan Road or another road further to the south. The distance between the photographer and the buildings is very short.

I have added the location of Tiger Balm Gardens  to the photo. One can select the 1945 HK & Kowloon map from the top right drop-down menu.

I think the photographer was standing on the Queen’s Recreation Ground (sports field) not far from Shau Ki Wan Road (today’s Tung Lo Wan Road).

The buildings match the buildings in this c.1947 photo:

1947 tai hang
1947 tai hang, by Admin

The photographer was looking into the street that I've highlighted with the arrow above: Brown Street.

At the right of the main photo there's one of the old stone rollers lying unused among the long grass. By 1947 the area in front of the buildings looks to be back in use as tennis courts, and the roller was likely back in action.

(Daniel, if you agree the location is Tai Hang, please could you update the title of this page.)