Mei Ho House, Public housing museum in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong
Mei Ho House is a seven-story building complex in Sham Shui Po within the Shek Kip Mei Estate area of Hong Kong that now serves as a youth hostel and exhibition space. The interior spaces feature recreated flats that display life in the 1950s and 1960s through original furniture household objects and wall decorations.
After a fire in December 1953 left thousands homeless this residential block was erected as one of eight blocks to shelter displaced families and shaped Hong Kong public housing policy. The structure remained occupied until the 2000s before being designated a heritage site and reopened in 2013 as a hostel and museum.
The residential block displays household setups typical of working families across several decades of Hong Kong public housing and lets visitors grasp how multiple generations shared tight quarters. Original kitchen equipment furniture and everyday objects convey life in the small single-room units often occupied by six or more people.
The building opens Tuesday through Sunday between 10 in the morning and 6 in the evening and offers free guided tours through the exhibition rooms. Visitors reach the site easily via Shek Kip Mei MTR station and find all floors accessible by stairs.
The complex was originally one of eight identical blocks but it stands alone after the other buildings were demolished. Today guests can stay overnight in part of the building and experience the architecture of early public housing firsthand.
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