Sai Wan Estate - Steadfast amid Wind and Rain

The 1953 Shek Kip Mei fire prompted the construction of resettlement buildings in Hong Kong, which were built quickly and cheaply to accommodate large numbers of people, but with rather low standards. However, resettlement buildings were not the starting point of public housing history. When Shek Kip Mei Estate was completed, the Upper Lai Wai Estate of the Housing Authority and the Model Housing Estate of the Hong Kong Model Housing Society had already been occupied, and the Housing Authority, which has been improving the quality of public housing, was established in the same year. The original purpose of the Housing Authority was to improve the living environment of overcrowded households in private buildings in the city, and to provide independent housing with a basic standard of living at the lowest possible rent for the slightly better-off white-collar class. In recognition of the residents' contribution to society, the design of the housing estate aimed at providing independent shelters with basic standard of living, while attaching importance to the wide outdoor space and natural layout. This pioneering housing policy can be called the "Housing Authority's thinking". Sai Wan Estate was completed in 1958 and 1959. It was the second housing estate built by the Housing Authority after North Point Estate, and is the oldest existing Housing Authority housing estate. This book explores the history, architecture, community, and cultural life of Sai Wan Estate through feature articles and verbal interviews, reflecting the social effectiveness of the "housing authority thinking" and how housing estate shaped culture. It establishes an experiential basis for reflecting on Hong Kong's public housing policy, balancing the quality of living environment with the large social needs under limited social resources. Sai Wan Estate is a small community in itself, and its residents have jointly depicted a cultural image of a place that is educated, worldly, trustworthy, and responsible. Interviewed residents unanimously expressed memories across different generations: the terraces of the estate are interconnected like a maze, built against the mountain; the cowshed and incinerator that were once unbearable are now gone, but the golden sunset view from the terrace is still remembered. Sai Wan Estate has stood in Kennedy Town for sixty years, weathering many storms, but the human touch remains, and everyone is content. May everyone in the world be able to settle in a home that is unshaken by the wind and rain, and embark on a safe journey ahead.