Sham Shui Po – Tai Po Road ca.1960
360-degree panoramic artwork developed from historical photos
Historical Hotspots:
North Kowloon Magistracy
North Kowloon Magistracy, a 7-storey tall building, featured by its Neo-Classical architecture, was erected in 1960. The first to fourth floors served the magistracy office that was made up of four magistrate’s courts and a juvenile court. The fifth floor was the District Office for the New Territories. The sixth and seventh floors were used by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department. The infrastructure of the building was considered modernised at the time, due to the courthouses built with soundproof walls and all government offices installed with air conditioners. The building was closed in 2005 and preserved as a revitalisation project, and once converted into the Hong Kong campus of Savannah College of Arts and Design, which is the renowned tertiary institution in the United States.
Since the Former Kowloon Magistracy terminated its operations in 1957, the courts in Kowloon District were above capacity, with more than 120,000 minor criminal cases every year at that time. The Hong Kong Government commissioned a new courthouse in Sham Shui Po, which was the North Kowloon Magistracy. Classified as the lowest court in Kowloon District, the magistracy was assigned to handle petty offences such as illegal hawking, fighting and traffic convictions etc.
Recent photo. Photo courtesy of City University of Hong Kong. Photograph by Violette Chung.
Nam Mo Hill
There is a 90.6-metre-high small hill in Sham Shui Po, which originally named Nam Mo Hill in Chinese. But due to its proximity to the Garden bakery factory, it was then called Garden Hill by residents in the neighbourhood. In the 1960s, when standing on the hill and overlooking Sham Shui Po, you could enjoy a fantastic view painted by a myriad of twinkling lights from the houses surrounding the Garden factory, Shek Kip Mei Estate and Yen Chow Street. Today Garden Hill has become a popular attraction for hiking, morning exercises and photographing sunsets as well as picturesque nights in Hong Kong.
A signal tower for aviation was once functional on Garden Hill. Thus, the hill also became a filming location for Hong Kong movies during the 1980s and 1990s, such as “Bullet in the Head” directed by John Woo and “My Hero” cast by Stephen Chow. However, the signal tower was dismantled after the closure of Kai Tak Airport in 1998.
The aerial photo(s) reproduced with permission of the Director of Lands. © The Government of the Hong Kong SAR. Licence No. G18/2020
Sheung Li Uk
Sheung Li Uk was the first public rental housing estate built by the Hong Kong Housing Society. Completed in 1952, the five blocks in phase one provided 360 apartments units in total. After demolition in the 1990s, the estate was redeveloped as a new residential housing, Cronin Garden.
Despite Sheung Li Uk being positioned as a low-cost housing estate, its infrastructure was far more developed than many other housing projects in Hong Kong and was even described as “the condo buildings that appeared in foreign movies” by the newspapers. Each unit was designed with its own private kitchen and bathroom installed with a shower head. The use of six windows on the walls also created a sun-rich indoor environment. In addition, a small balcony was structured with the intention of drying clothes. A community centre, recreational venues and amenities for kids were also available for the residents within the estate.
Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Housing Society
CITY IN TIME incorporates cinematic elements at designated locations. Check out these filming locations of Hong Kong movies, where you can revisit classic Hong Kong movie clips on-site or stills on the website:
A Guilty Conscience
A Guilty Conscience, released in 2023, is the first Hong Kong film in the history of Hong Kong movies to gross over 100 million Hong Kong dollars locally. In the following year, it won Best Film at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards.
In the film, barrister Adrian Lam (Dayo Wong) who causes an innocent woman to be sentenced over manslaughter due to his negligence and irresponsible handling. To right his wrong would mean going to war with the Chungs, a financial tycoon family who is the real criminal.
The footage was filmed at the Former North Kowloon Magistracy, portraying barrister Evelyn Fong (Renci Yeung) blaming Lam (Dayo Wong) for not doing his job seriously.
Courtesy of Edko Films Limited
Animation:
North Kowloon Magistracy began its operations in 1960. Therefore, it was not uncommon to see prison vehicles and police vehicles transporting defendants to the court.
The prisoner transport vehicle is animated based on photography provided by the Police Museum, Hong Kong Police Force.