The former Lai Chi Kok Hospital, located at No.800

Castle Peak Road Castle Peak Road is the longest road in Hong Kong. Completed in 1920, it runs in the approximate shape of an arc of a semi-circle. It runs West from Tai Po Road in Sham Shui Po, New Kowloon, to Tuen Mun, then north to Yuen Long then east to Sh ...

, Lai Chi Kok,

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...

, was listed as one of the

Grade III historic buildings in Hong Kong Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

on 24 June 2010. The site has now been transformed into

Jao Tsung-I Jao Tsung-I or Rao Zongyi (; 9 August 1917 – 6 February 2018) was a Hong Kong Sinology, sinologist, Chinese calligraphy, calligrapher, historian and painter. A versatile and prolific scholar, he contributed to many fields of humanities, inclu ...

Academy under batch 1 of the Hong Kong Government's revitalisation scheme. In the 19th century, the hospital first served as a labourers' dormitory for The Chamber of Mines Labour Importation Agency. In 1912, the British Army set up the Lai Chi Kok Barracks and was stationed there for two years. It became Lai Chi Kok Internment Camp later in 1924. The camp was then closed until the establishment of

Stanley Prison Stanley Prison (c. January 1937, previously known as Hong Kong Prison at Stanley) is one of the six maximum security facilities in Hong Kong. History Built in 1937, Stanley Prison is currently the oldest institution still in service (the old ...

in 1937. In the same year, Hong Kong became an epidemic zone under the spread of smallpox. The site was then rebuilt as a hospital for infectious diseases. Those patients from the hospital for

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

, which was located in Hei Ling Chau and closed in 1974, were sent to the reconstructed hospital. The hospital was later changed to serve long-term psychiatric patients after the number of leprosy patients declined. In the early 2000s, the

Hospital Authority The Hospital Authority is a statutory body managing all the government hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong. It is under the governance of its board and is under the monitor of the Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Government. ...

planned to send its 400 mental patients to different psychiatric hospitals and transformed the site into a long-term nursing home under the supervision of the Social Welfare Department for patients who were queuing for such service. While the SWD refused to take it over, the HA then set up H.A. Care Limited to manage the hospital. In June 2004, patients were relocated to Caritas Jockey Club Lai King Rehabilitation Centre, which was completed in April 2005, and was the former site of Lai Chi Kok Hospital, which was returned to the SAR government. At that time the site was planned to be reconstructed as the staff dormitory of

Correctional Services Department Hong Kong Correctional Services (also called Correctional Services Department (CSD)) is responsible for the management of prisoners and prisons in Hong Kong. The Commissioner of Correctional Services reports to the Secretary for Security. A ...

as well as their families.

Current situation

Lai Chi Kok Hospital became one of seven buildings in the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme launched by Development Bureau in 2008. The Hong Kong Cultural Heritage was successfully selected by The Hong Kong Institution for Promotion of Chinese Culture to carry out the project. The site is named Jao Tsung-I Academy promoting Chinese culture education. Phase 1 is open since June 2012 and phase 2 was completed in 2013. Free public access is allowed to the Chinese landscaped gardens, conservation gallery and a heritage gallery. The area is around 32,000 m2 and the building is set up as a cultural hostel with 85 guest rooms.

Public review

Editorials in Hong Kong commented on the slow revitalisation progress of the architecture. '' Apple Daily'' reported the re-denomination of the cultural center. It was named Hong Kong Cultural Legacy Centre (香港文化傳承中心), and later was named after the master of national art – Jao Tsung-I Academy. '' Ta Kung Pao'' reported the delay due to filibuster in May.

References

{{Hospitals in Hong Kong Defunct hospitals in Hong Kong Grade III historic buildings in Hong Kong 1938 establishments in Hong Kong 2004 disestablishments in Hong Kong