Cho Yiu Chuen, Lai King: Hong Kong’s Most Beautiful Public Housing Estate

by aikooosan
9 minutes read

Cho Yiu Chuen, which can be considered the “most beautiful public housing estate” in Hong Kong, has long been famous. Finally, I visited there with friends, including Lai Yiu and Lai King Estate, during Lunar New Year.

As a result of wandering around aimlessly, Cho Yiu Chuen became the first stop.

The impression after walking around Cho Yiu Chuen is that it is indeed the most beautiful public housing estate in Hong Kong, and its name is not wrong!
The impression after walking around Cho Yiu Chuen is that it is indeed the most beautiful public housing estate in Hong Kong, and its name is not wrong!

The stunning view in Hong Kong

Arriving at the public housing was stunning. After the Lunar New Year, it became one of my top 5 public housing estates.

Scenery of Cho Yiu Chuen.
Scenery of Cho Yiu Chuen.

Anyway, I have a bit of a connection with Cho Yiu Chuen. The reason is that I took my HKCEE and HKALE Chinese oral exams in a secondary school in it. Fortunately, I was able to get an A on both occasions. Therefore, I had already silently believed that the public housing would bring me good luck.

One of the major selling points of Cho Yiu Chuen is that it is the first public housing estate in Hong Kong with a swimming pool. Coupled with the beautiful view of the Kwai Tsing Container Terminal behind it, it is truly unbeatable.
One of the major selling points of Cho Yiu Chuen is that it is the first public housing estate in Hong Kong with a swimming pool. Coupled with the beautiful view of the Kwai Tsing Container Terminal behind it, it is truly unbeatable.

Beautiful Shapes with unique design

Cho Yiu Chuen’s design is comfortable, harmonious, and beautiful with orange, yellow, and white buildings. The neat lines and symmetrical structures also leave a deep impression.


Furthermore, the estate is built on a hill and has been thoughtfully designed. The residents enjoy breathtaking sunset views from Lai King to Kwai Chung Container Terminal.

Public space opposite the shopping mall in Cho Yiu Chuen.
Public space opposite the shopping mall in Cho Yiu Chuen.
During the Lunar New Year, the shopping mall in Cho Yiu Chuen is also decorated for the festive season.
During the Lunar New Year, the shopping mall in Cho Yiu Chuen is also decorated for the festive season.

Awarded Public Housing in Hong Kong

Cho Yiu Chuen is named after Sir Cho Yiu Kwan, the founding member of the Housing Society in Hong Kong. It was completed between 1976 and 1981, but the architectural design does not feel outdated. When the estate was completed, it was quite pioneering, being the first public housing estate in Hong Kong with a swimming pool.

Great Community Planning

Award-winning public space design, with scattered buildings on platforms of different heights, forms a unique visual effect.

As Cho Yiu Chuen is built on a hill, there are many pedestrian bridges inside the estate to facilitate residents' access.
As Cho Yiu Chuen is built on a hill, there are many pedestrian bridges inside the estate to facilitate residents’ access.

Split Level Design

One of the most distinctive features of the estate’s building design is the staggered design of some of the buildings, such as Kai King House, Kai Hang House, Kai Min House, and Kai Chien House, where one unit consists of two flats, and each building is composed of several wings connected by open-air corridors or footbridges every three floors.

Cho Yiu Chuen's Kai King House was once the tallest public housing building in the world.
Cho Yiu Chuen’s Kai King House was once the tallest public housing building in the world.

The purpose of this design was to strengthen the spirit of mutual assistance among neighbours to reduce crime, and the open lobby also enhances natural ventilation and lighting. The emphasis on public space is believed to be due to the fact that, at the time, there was not such a strong awareness of privacy and security, and the housing unit designs were not large, but each unit had a large number of residents.

The elevator lobby of Cho Yiu Chuen.
The elevator lobby of Cho Yiu Chuen.

The designers also anticipated a greater need for residents to use public space outside the units, and hoped to enhance residents’ sense of belonging to their neighbourhood and living spaces by designing parks, playgrounds, and wider unit corridors.

Panoramic view of Cho Yiu Chuen.
Panoramic view of Cho Yiu Chuen.

The Drawbacks of The Public Housing

While Cho Yiu Chuen has many merits in terms of its beauty and housing planning, there are some drawbacks, such as inconvenient transportation, especially for elderly people, compared to other housing estates like Lai Yiu Estate.

One of the good uses of public space in Cho Yiu Chuen is that there are several ping pong tables for people to play, and some of the tables even come with paddles and ping pong balls.
One of the good uses of public space in Cho Yiu Chuen is that there are several ping pong tables for people to play, and some of the tables even come with paddles and ping pong balls.

But if we are only talking about the experience of walking through the housing estate, Cho Yiu Chuen does live up to its reputation as the most beautiful public housing estate in Hong Kong.


Information

Location:1-5 Lai Cho Road / 2 & 3 Lim Cho Street / 2-6 Wing Cho Street, Kwai Chung, New Territories
Year of Intake: 1976/1978/1979/1981
No. of Blocks: 9
Types of Blocks: central corridor style, terrace corridor style, split-level long type, split-level cross type

Source: Hong Kong Housing Society, Wikipedia

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