Skip to content
TWGHs Records and Heritage Office
Back to What's On

"Sentiments around the Corner: People and Stories in the Streets of Yau Ma Tei" in Talk Series of "Traces of Yau Ma Tei: Life of the Early Chinese People"

August 2023

Organised by Tung Wah Museum and In assoication with Hong Kong Museum of History

 "Traces of Yau Ma Tei: Life of the Early Chinese People" Talk Series 

As early as the 1870s, many Chinese people lived in Yau Ma Tei, most of them working class and boat people. The population continued to grow at the turn of the 20th century, driving the development of Yau Ma Tei and nearby areas. In 1904, Tung Wah Hospital established a free school in Temple Street to provide education for school-age children; subsequently in 1911, Kwong Wah Hospital, the first hospital in Kowloon, was founded in Yau Ma Tei in response to the government's proposal to provide Chinese and Western medical services to Chinese people. Over time, the area has changed substantially as the government’s urban planning efforts called for reclamation works in Yau Ma Tei – its landscape today is much different from the past. Making use of invaluable historical images and archives, this talk series will explore the development of mass education and healthcare services in Yau Ma Tei, share stories of the area, and examine the life of the Chinese people.

Fourth talk:"Sentiments around the Corner: People and Stories in the Streets of Yau Ma Tei" (Delivered in hybrid mode)

Before the Second World War, Yau Ma Tei was the most populated and developed area in Kowloon. The Yau Ma Tei community, centred on Tin Hau Temple in Yung Shue Tau, was already formed in the late 19th century. There were grocery stores, tea houses, rice shops, barber shops, brothels, Chinese medicine shops, funeral shops and more. In the 20th century, reclamation works were carried out again in Yau Ma Tei, extending from Reclamation Street to Ferry Street. A typhoon shelter was built, Kwong Wah Hospital was founded; Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market gradually developed. The speaker will talk about the people and stories in Yau Ma Tei, setting against the backdrop of the area's development.

Speaker : Prof TING Sun Po, Joseph (Adjunct Professor of Department of History, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Date : 12 August 2023 (Sat)

Time : 3-5 pm

Venue : Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Museum of History (100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon)

* Free admission, first come, first served.

* The lecture will be conducted in Cantonese and delivered in hybrid mode on Hong Kong Museum of History Youtube Channel . For details, please visit the website of Hong Kong Museum of History.

* Subject to the consent from the speakers, video archive will be available on Hong Kong Museum of History online platform "Talking History, e-GO!", please press here for further details.

Kwong Wah Street in 1930s
Back to top