Wing Lee Street

Sandwiched between the skyscrapers of Mid-Levels district stands Wing Lee Street, a small car-free terrace made up of a row of 11 Chinese-style tenement buildings, known locally as 'Tong Lau'.

After being destroyed in World War II, Wing Lee Street was rebuilt in the early 1950s. The terrace's elevator-less four storey tenements are one of the last places in Hong Kong where an entire row of tong laus still stands intact.

Post-war, the street became known as a hub for letterpress printing. At one point, 11 different printing shops occupied the terrace's ground floor shops. The last of these shops shuttered in 2012, by which point the Wing Lee Street tong laus had already been slated for demolition.

The terrace's unlikely reprieve came in the form of a local film called 'Echoes of the Rainbow'. Depicting the lives of a working class family in 1960s Hong Kong, Wing Lee Street provided the antiquated backdrop that served as the film's principal shooting location.

Released to critical acclaim, Echoes of the Rainbow won the Crystal Bear award for best feature film in the Generation category at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. The movie's post-Berlin buzz and ensuing public opposition encouraged the government to abandon the redevelopment plans, and instead work to restore the tong laus and surrounding area.

With restoration now complete, the exteriors of the tong laus look more polished, and arguably more modern than their actual age. However, Wing Lee Street still exudes a nostalgic, old-world charm that is becoming increasingly harder to find in Hong Kong.