[Updated 20/11/25]
This house was very similar in build to European House #10 nearby. Both houses were owned by the Canton Villages Mission, and both houses enjoyed splendid isolation at this remote end of Cheung Chau, as pictures attest.
Built in 1912, when plots were cheap, there was a flurry of building at this time, as Cheung Chau offered all the benefits of the Peak (exclusivity, cool breezes and views) for a fraction of the cost. Cheung Chau actually had its own Peak!
The house was sturdily built with large blocks of locally quarried granite, with a tiled timber roof, reinforced against the typhoon season with a concrete course, set about 170 feet above sea level. It was south-facing to catch the sun, with great views of islands to the south. Servants' quarters were at the rear.
Cheung Chau also had a police presence, good water supply, electricity and street lighting, and no necessity for mosquito nets!
During the war, these houses were stripped of all wood by locals and bombed by the Japanese due to being western-owned.
In the 1938 list of European owners of Cheung Chau houses, houses 9 and 10 were marked as NZ Pres Mission.
Today it is the HKSKH Anglican House of Prayer. It is available for its clergy, laity, staff, and groups to go on retreat, or for students of the Clinical Pastoral Education course. The address of the property is 16 Ming Fai Road, Cheung Chau.
Thanks to 9A2W3716 for confirmation on this one.
Photos that show this Place
