So Uk Estate () is an early

public housing estate Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

So Uk So Uk () is an area in New Kowloon of Hong Kong, located to the north of Cheung Sha Wan. It was originally a village founded and resided by a clan bearing the surname So. The area now includes the area surrounding So Uk Estate, and a major hospital ...

, a hillside area of

Cheung Sha Wan Cheung Sha Wan is an area between Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is mainly residential to the north and south, with an industrial area in between. Administratively it is part of Sham Shui Po District, which also ...

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 ...

, Hong Kong. The estate has undergone redevelopment, and new housing blocks are being built in place of the ones demolished. So Uk Estate lawn area 2019

So Uk Estate Cherry House greenery area 201911

So Uk Estate Camella House indoor space 201911

So Uk Estate Peony House playground 201911

History

First generation

The estate was built on the site of

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

areas which were demolished for the construction of the estate of 16 blocks from 1955–1963. The blocks were called "Houses" and named after varieties of flowers. The

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

design of the estate was unique in Hong Kong. There were 5,316 flats in the original estate, with areas ranging from 19.5 to 49.1m², with capacity of 15,200. Planning of the estate was carried out by Eric Cumine, with buildings designed by

Luke Him Sau Luke Him Sau (Chinese: 陸謙受, Pinyin: Lù Qiānshòu; 29 July 1904 - 23 January 1991; also known as Luk Tsang Shau, 陸增壽) was a Chinese architect who practiced in the early and mid twentieth century. During the late 1920s, Luke was one ...

, Chau & Lee and Leigh & Orange. The estate was the home of many famous individuals during their youth in Hong Kong, for example,

Sam Hui Samuel Hui Koon-kit (born 6 September 1948), usually known as Sam Hui, is a Hong Kong musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He is credited with popularising Cantopop both via the infusion of Western-style music and his usage of vernacular Cantone ...

and his brothers,

Wong Ka Kui Koma Wong Ka Kui (; 10 June 1962 – 30 June 1993) was a Hong Kong musician, singer and songwriter. He gained fame in Asia as the leader and a co-founder of the rock band Beyond, where he was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and prima ...

and his brother in the band

Beyond Beyond may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Beyond'' (1921 film), an American silent film * ''Beyond'' (2000 film), a Danish film directed by Åke Sandgren, OT: ''Dykkerne'' * ''Beyond'' (2010 film), a Swedish film directed b ...

, and many others.

Second generation

By 2008, after 48 years, the estate was still in good condition but its estimated high maintenance cost made the

Hong Kong Housing Authority The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is the main provider of public housing in Hong Kong. It was established in April 1973 under the Housing Ordinance and is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong. In the same year, the Resettlement Departm ...

decide to demolish the six blocks in March 2012. The Authority offered compensation and removal assistance to residents. It allowed residents the option of moving into

Un Chau Estate Un Chau Estate (), or Un Chau Street Estate () before redevelopment, is a public housing estate on the reclaimed land of Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong, located between and Cheung Sha Wan Road, next to MTR Cheung Sha Wan station. It consists ...

Phases 2, 4, and 5 in

Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui P ...

. A foundation titled, "Farewell So Uk" was established as a historical archive for the Estate and to document its history of its residents. It was sponsored by the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

of Hong Kong and the Salisbury

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

. As of 2015, construction of the new So Uk Estate was well underway. The new estate would comprise 14 blocks ranging from 21 to 41 storeys high with nearly 7,000 flats. The Housing Department won a Merit Award from the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design in 2014 for their community-minded redevelopment approach. The first phase of the redevelopment was completed in August 2016 and the intake of the first tenants was to commence at the end of September 2016.

Blocks

Old generation

Buildings closed / demolished before 2012

* Cedar House (金松樓) * Cherry House (櫻桃樓) * Orchid House (蘭花樓) * Gladiolus House (劍蘭樓) * Carnation House (石竹樓) * Peony House (牡丹樓) * Maple House (楓林樓) * Willow House (綠柳樓) * Marigold House (壽菊樓) * Lilac House (丁香樓)

Buildings closed in 2012

* Azalea House (杜鵑樓) * Begonia House (海棠樓) * Camelia House (茶花樓) * Larkspur House (彩雀樓) * Lily House (百合樓) * Lotus House (荷花樓)

New generation

The redeveloped estate comprises 14 blocks of 21-41 storeys each. The buildings reuse most of the names of the earlier blocks.

Estate facilities

So Uk Bus Terminus (clear view and blue sky)

These include special child care centers and early education and training centers, children's homes, nursing homes for severely disabled people, comprehensive vocational rehabilitation service centers, dormitories for moderate and severely mentally handicapped persons, performance centers, children's playgrounds, basketball courts, badminton courts and parking lot. The former estate office was leased to post office for a nominal rent to replace the unrenewed Lei Cheng Uk Shopping Centre post office. The estate has a shopping mall and is named So Uk Shopping Centre, located at the junction of Po On Road / Cheung Fat Street. The shopping mall is two floors high, with restaurants, convenience stores, restaurants, supermarkets, hair salons and other facilities. But some stores are still vacant. Schools adjacent to the estate include San Wui Commercial Society YMCA of Hong Kong Christian School etc.

Transport

The estate is adjacent to the So Uk Bus Terminus, which has remained open throughout redevelopment of the estate. It is served by several

Kowloon Motor Bus The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International. ...

and First Bus routes. So Uk Estate is also within walking distance of

Cheung Sha Wan station Cheung Sha Wan () is an underground station located underneath Cheung Sha Wan Road in Sham Shui Po District on the of Hong Kong MTR, between and . It was opened on 17 May 1982. The station's colour is Yellow brown. The station was origina ...

of the

Mass Transit Railway The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is a major public transport network serving :Hong Kong. Operated by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), it consists of heavy rail, light rail, and feeder bus service centred on a 10-line rapid transit network ...

(MTR).

References

External links

Hong Kong Housing Authority

Farewell So Uk
{{Coord, 22, 20, 32, N, 114, 09, 25, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-zhwiki, display=title Public housing estates in Hong Kong So Uk Residential buildings completed in 1963