King Yin Lei

Unclaimed

Built in 1937, King Yin Lei is one of Hong Kong's best examples of Chinese Renaissance architecture. It is a sprawling palace built by a Chinese woman entrepreneur at a time when both women and Chinese people were not welcome in the upper echelons of colonial Hong Kong society. And yet, ever since King Yin Lei was saved from demolition in 2007, it has remained a mystery to the public - except for a few precious days a year when its green metal gates are thrown open to visitors. The house is divided into 3 wings surrounding a central courtyard. The exterior walls are clad in red brick that stands in contrast to the curved house, but it is hard to imagine what it would have been like in the glory days of King Yin Lei, as many of its original features have been altered, including an auspicious half-moon-shaped pond that was filled in at some point in the past.

Nice piece of East meets West architecture - shame it's not open to public visit more often.

Beautiful big house, unfortunately it was closed so don’t trust the website. We only took some pictures from the outside.

Superb fusion of Hong Kong's Chinese and colonial history. Although, now, protected the future use of this site remains unclear. Built in 1937 to a plan by British architect Fenton-Raven the site is the last word on colonial exuberance. The c.4700m site built over three stories has balconies with spectacular views of Hong Kong. The walls are of red brick with the roof made of the distinctive Chinese green pan and roll tiles. Although resplendent with colonial wonders Including then modern conveniences, the aesthetic also plainly incorporates many Chinese elements. Currently open for visiting a few days a year, the future may see a centre for better understanding Chinese culture being created here in the future but we will see.

I WISH THEY OPEN AGAIN, ONLY 5 STARS CAUSE THE PLACE SEEMS SICK