Cultural Architecture and Late-Colonial Space

This book offers the first in-depth study of three major Hong Kong public cultural architecture works, Tsuen Wan Town Hall, Shatin Town Hall and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC), built in the late-colonial years.

Recent developments at the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) have attracted global attention to Hong Kong's cultural scene with iconic projects designed by world-renowned architects. However, relatively little has been written about the common-type municipal cultural buildings. Conceived and constructed over the last decades of British colonial rule, these public buildings are sometimes regarded with lower aesthetic value and neglected in the architectural discourse. Yet, they are evidence of the cultural and urban policy during a critical time in Hong Kong as it transitioned from a colonial territory to currently a semi-autonomous city. The book provides a detailed chronology of the development of municipal cultural buildings in Hong Kong by compiling textual and graphic data from archival documents and government records, some of which have not been previously accessible to readers, accompanied by newly produced analytical diagrams and drawings. This history intersects with key moments during the late-colonial period in Hong Kong, presenting a particular perspective related to the social context in its dealings with cultural architecture and spatial practices.

This book is a timely reflection of cultural and spatial production, calling for alternative projections about Hong Kong’s future urban and cultural development. It will be of interest to researchers and students of architectural design, urban planning and cultural policy studies in Hong Kong and the East Asia region.