Kai Yuen Street

Origins The surrounding area was named after the mansion 'Kai Yuen', a Chinese Renaissance-style mansion constructed in 1938 and one of the largest of its kind in Hong Kong. It was once the residence of the Chan Wai Chow (陳維周) family, a family of warlords originating from Guangdong. Chan Wai Chow's brother was Chan Kai Tong, the famous general and governor of Guangdong. After settling in Kai Yuen, Chan Wai Chow started to establish businesses such as hotels and cinemas in Hong Kong. 1945–1980 – prosperity and first developments After the end of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II, North Point saw a boom in immigrants from Shanghai, Fujian, and the Philippines, causing a large demand for new buildings to be built. The period of the 1950s to the 1970s saw a variety of new developments in the Kai Yuen area, such as the construction of Chun Chu Temple, a Buddhist and Taoist temple founded in 1955 by a community of Hakka and Hainan people in North Point, as well as a batch of tenement buildings for residential and commercial purposes designed by Yum Koon Seng (), a prominent architect most known for designing luxury apartments at the time. Subsequently, tong laus (tenement housing) in Kai Yuen upper and Lower lane, as well as Kai Yuen Street No. 60–74 were demolished in 2011 and 2021 respectively. To be developed into high rise residential apartments. == Kai Yuen Terrace ==

Kai Yuen Terrace () is a short, sloped cul-de-sac road that starts from the northern end of Kai Yuen Street. It is the main access route to private housing estates including Full Wealth Gardens, Kings Way Mansion, and Harbour Court. Kai Yuen Terrace used to be the access road to the North Point branch of Yan Pak English Secondary School (仁伯英文書院). The school was founded by Seaker S.K. Chan (陳樹渠), the son of Chan Wai Chow. == Kai Yuen Upper and Lower Lane ==

Kai Yuen Upper and Lower Lane were two cul-de-sac streets connecting Kai Yuen Street that had rows of tong lau (tenement housing), including Kai Yuen Lau (繼園樓) and Fu On Lau (福安樓), which were built during the late 1950s. Currently, Fleur Pavilla stands on the original site. == Features ==

• No. 1: Fleur Pavilia (), a private housing estate containing three 35-storey high rise apartment blocks, opened in 2018. It stands on the site of former Upper and Lower Kai Yuen Lane, demolished in 2011. • No. 1B: Chun Chu Temple, a Buddhist and Taoist temple founded in 1955 by a community of Hakka and Hainan people in North Point. • No. 12–14, 24–26: two 6-storey tenement buildings built in 1958, featuring auspicious 9 squared grid windows at the stairwell. • No. 60–74: One batch of tenement buildings designed by Yum Koon Seng during the 1960s. It features a unique curved perimeter and is also nicknamed as a 'fortress'. == Notable people ==

• Chan Wai Chow (陳維周): Politician and businessman. During 1929–1936, he was the salt commissioner of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the director of the Nonsmoking Bureau. He and his family were the original owners of Kai Yuen. • Eleen Chang: Chinese-American essayist, novelist, and screenwriter. She lived around No.400 Kings Road, North Point during the 1950s. Roland Soong (宋以朗) the son of Stephen Soong (宋淇) and Cheng Man Mei (鄺文美), recalls that Eleen Chang was very close to his family, and used to visit their residence at No.1 Kai Yuen Street very often. He is now the keeper of Eleen Chang's Inherited items, helping to publish her work posthumously. • Sima Cheung Fung (司馬長風): Author and scholar. He lived in Kai Yuen Upper Lane during the 1970s. He and his family lived in Kai Yuen Street No.1 during the 1950s. • Meng Xiaodong: Shanghai actress of Peking opera. In 1964 she lived in Kai Yuen for 3 years before moving to Taiwan. == In the arts and popular culture ==

Several scenes in the 2004 thriller A-1 Headline (A-1頭條) features Kai Yuen Street and some tenement buildings designed by Yum Koon Seng. The 2019 animated film No.7 Cherry Lane (繼園臺七號) by Yonfan takes its name from Kai Yuen Terrace, inspired by the ethereal atmosphere surrounding Kai Yuen during the 1960s. == Notes ==