Stella So, Former Student of Kwun Tong Government Primary School
Joined by her primary school friends, Adams (middle) and Gorrick (right), Stella’s (left) excitement is palpable as they revisit their alma mater, Kwun Tong Government Primary School, chatting about the childhood inventions they created within Kwun Tong Garden Estate.
“Like a castle straight out of Harry Potter, the Garden Estate was a childhood wonderland where I would let my imagination run wild…” illustrator Stella So (So Man-yi) stood in front of her alma mater, Kwun Tong Government Primary School, gazing across at the meticulously organised Kwun Tong Garden Estate. In the eyes of Stella, the entire housing estate resembled a castle, concealing a treasure trove of childhood wonders and playthings. Her classmates, Adams and Gorrick, who lived there, shared memories of various childhood adventures, such as climbing water pipes and slopes, roller-skating along corridors, racing toy cars in the drains, floating paper boats in puddles, and sliding down the staircases on cardboards. As they delved into old memories, the trio couldn’t stop chatting, with laughter filling the air. They reminisced about this special place filled with cherished memories and reflected on the changes that had taken place in its surroundings.
It was the 1980s when the trio attended Kwun Tong Government Primary School and became friends since primary 3. Adams (Hu Kin-wai) and Gorrick (Lau Wing-hoi) were residents of Kwun Tong Garden Estate, just a street away from the school. Living so close meant they could sleep in a little longer and treat themselves to fifty-cent paper-wrapped cakes from the downstairs tea restaurant before heading to school. This left Stella, who lives in Cha Kwo Ling, so envy. She had to catch the 14B bus to school every day from Kwun Tong Pier. Along the way, she encountered a different scenery – a bustling landscape of factory buildings. While the Chinese teacher described the surroundings were “picturesque with endlessly sunsets over the mountains and waters”, Stella’s imagination took a different turn. “Because of the pitch-black mountains next to the school, it felt like there could be elves… There were so many folk legends.”
The contrast in imagination between Stella and her teacher arose from the land reclamation development in Kwun Tong. When Kwun Tong Government Primary School was founded in 1959, there was still a vast sea stretching out before it. However, over time, the area beneath the school was reclaimed to create Ting On Street and industrial zones. Descending the stairs next to the school led to Ting On Street, where the Ngau Tau Kok Road Playground was a favourite after-school spot for Adams and Gorrick. In those days, Tai Wong Temple was filled with vibrant incense offerings, while the public library in Lok Sin Building across the street has now transformed into a nursing home. As of today, the tutoring center attended by the duo is still in operation. Stella recalls fondly playing with cardboards on the slope, but now the playground has undergone changes, and the long stone slide no longer exist.
Nestled against the hillside, Kwun Tong Garden Estate was built in a scattered but orderly fashion with ample space for play and exploration. Like a “castle”, it became a playground where children’s imaginations roamed free, creating their own games and adventures. “We saw a drainage where we explored the possibility to hold on to it and climb up!” Gorrick was so excited as he recalled. Sometimes, he would climb up the slope between Yin Chee Lau and Wah Mei Lau to chase after dogs or simply sit on the drainage and take a break. “I’d dangle my feet and gaze out at the sea,” he reminisced. The entire Kwun Tong Garden Estate came into view, and in that moment, he felt the sheer beauty of the place. Meanwhile, Stella would create her own games inspired by the surroundings and space. She recalls a time when she and the prefect of Class A played rock, paper, scissors on the stairs across from Wah Mei Lau while enjoying a refreshing sip of Slurpee.
Adding new ways to play to their playground brought more fun to the children, despite the limited options they had. For instance, they turned the stairs into slides. “We’d put long cardboard sheets from refrigerator packaging on the steps, sit on the cardboard and slide down,” Adams laughed. Gorrick had his own game of playing: when it rained, he sailed paper boats; when the sun was out, he raced toy cars. “I particularly loved it when it rained, as a big puddle would form on the platform across from Yin Chee Lau’s entrance. I’d be busy folding paper boats and setting them afloat. And on sunny days, I’d have toy cars running on the slope of the ditch.” On the days when fireworks were set off, the railings at the end of the corridors became vantage points with the best viewing locations. A crowd of residents would flock to the tenth floor or higher of Yin Chee Lau to watch the fireworks, creating a bustling scene.
Those days of playful rebellion feel like yesterday once more. But as they entered secondary school, the carefree hours of fun came to an end. Although their joyful childhood lasted only for a few years, it left behind beautiful memories in the hearts of the three friends. Reflecting on those times always brings endless joy. The unexpected chance for Stella to reconnect with this “castle” came more than thirty years later. As part of the Housing Society’s Kwun Tong Garden Estate Community Documentary Project, she revisited the Garden Estate to map out its past. Rediscovering its fascinating stories and diving into the history of its old shops, she transformed the realm of imagination and reality into a vibrant tapestry of a community map, breathing new life into her visions of this captivating “castle”.
Kwun Tong Garden Estate
Documentary Project
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