Two historic buildings declared as monuments (with photos)

     The Government today (January 30) gazetted a notice announcing that the Antiquities Authority (i.e. the Secretary for Development) has declared the Main Building of Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital in Sai Ying Pun and Kwong Fook Tsz in Sheung Wan as monuments under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.

     Located on Western Street in Sai Ying Pun, Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital was established by the Chinese Public Dispensaries Committee (CPDC) and opened in 1922 to provide maternity services for Chinese women in Hong Kong and train Chinese midwives using modern methods. After the hospital was relocated to new premises on Hospital Road in Sai Ying Pun in 1955, the main building at the original site has been used as a community centre since 1961 and continues to play a significant role in public healthcare and community services to this day. The main building is an iconic red-brick building constructed on a coursed rubble plinth, featuring a granite portico at the main entrance and a spiral staircase in the interior. Being one of the few surviving buildings related to the CPDC, the Main Building of Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital exemplifies the co-operation between Chinese community leaders and Western medical professionals in the early development of maternal health services in Hong Kong.

     Kwong Fook Tsz, also known as Pak Shing Temple, is located on Tai Ping Shan Street in Sheung Wan. It was built in 1895 with funds raised by Chinese elites. The temple houses soul tablets of Chinese workers who died in Hong Kong in the earlier years and enshrines deities including Ksitigarbha, Chai Kung, Shui Ching Pak and Tai Shui. In its early years, the temple also provided refuge and medical services for the sick, destitute and elderly, later contributing to the establishment of Tung Wah Hospital. Kwong Fook Tsz adopts the three-hall-one-bay layout with a two-courtyard design, which is rare among Hong Kong temples. The Shiwan ceramics on the ridge of the entrance hall are the most prominent external architectural feature. The temple demonstrates the inseparable ties and cohesion among the Chinese community during the early period of Hong Kong and is of great historical significance.     
           
     Information on the two monuments is available on the website of the Antiquities and Monuments Office (www.amo.gov.hk/en/historic-buildings/monuments/index.html).
 
Ends/Friday, January 30, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:00

The Government gazetted today (January 30) the declaration of the Main Building of Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital in Sai Ying Pun as a monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Photo shows the front façade of the building.
The Government gazetted today (January 30) the declaration of the Main Building of Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital in Sai Ying Pun as a monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Photo shows the granite portico of the building.
The Government gazetted today (January 30) the declaration of the Main Building of Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital in Sai Ying Pun as a monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Photo shows the spiral staircase in the interior.
The Government gazetted today (January 30) the declaration of Kwong Fook Tsz in Sheung Wan as a monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Photo shows an aerial view of the temple.
The Government gazetted today (January 30) the declaration of Kwong Fook Tsz in Sheung Wan as a monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Photo shows the Shiwan ceramics on the ridge of the temple.
The Government gazetted today (January 30) the declaration of Kwong Fook Tsz in Sheung Wan as a monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. Photo shows the main entrance of the temple.

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