Joanna James
The Hong Kong House of Stories located within the Blue House in Wan Chai aims to preserve the local culture and raise awareness of the importance of cultural and regional conservation.
The Hong Kong House of Stories located in Wan Chai was founded with the express purpose of preserving and conserving the culture of the locals. It is also focused on raising awareness regarding cultural conservation and its importance.
The Hong Kong House of Stories is found within the Blue House, more specifically, on its ground floor. The Blue House is located at Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai. To reach the House of Stories, tourists can travel along the Queen's Road which runs in front of Cosmo Hotel Wan Chai Hong Kong, turn left into Kennedy Street right after the Jockey Club Park, and take a right at Kat'On Street which leads right onto Stone Nullah Lane.
The Blue House is a four - storey block located which was used as the first hospital in Wan Chai, a temple for Wah To (a Chinese physician), a martial arts school as well as an osteopathy clinic. The block was later acquired by the State in the 1970s and the building was painted a stunning blue, thus leading to its name, the Blue House. The Blue House has been graded a Grade I historical building. It is located in the vicinity of the Orange House (an ungraded building) and the Yellow House (a Grade III historical building). Preservation efforts of the Blue House were thereafter carried out in order to raise awareness of cultural conservation and to provide an insight into the local culture during times gone by.
Because of its varied history, the House of Stories certainly tells the story of the local culture. It is in stark contrast to the modern and contemporary hotels in Wan Chai Hong Kong and thus, it provides a wonderful opportunity for tourists as well as locals to immerse themselves in the local architecture and the history of the area. For instance, visitors to the House of Stories will be able to see firewood chimneys and the original wooden ceiling built in 1922. Therefore, it is considered a community museum where visitors will walk be able to explore the different stories the House has to tell in a very creative manner. For instance, they will encounter the Book Shelves of the House where the neighbours exchanged books, recall memories of the House being a liquor store and see where wine jars were preserved.
The Blue House and the House of Stories along with the St. James' Settlement often collaborate in order to present periodic exhibitions. These have included exhibitions such as 'The Trail of Ding Ding' Tram Stories, 'In the name of what we believe', the artistic exhibits of Mr. Au Yeung Nai Chim (a famous painter in Hong Kong) as well as 'Naamyam'. The House of Stories also has a programme through which locals are trained to lead the public and visitors to the area through an insightful tour of the neighbourhood.
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