Declared monument King Yin Lei will open to the public each weekend from April 2 to 17 and during the Easter holiday from April 22 to 25. Admission ticket holders are reminded to visit according to the allocated session of the open days.
The Development Bureau said its next challenge is to find a suitable use for King Yin Lei that will meet the objectives of sustainable heritage conservation and public accessibility.
King Yin Lei will be included in the third batch of historic buildings under the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme to identify the most suitable use for the building under the management of a non-profit-making organisation. Details will be announced in June.
King Yin Lei was built in 1937 by Shum Li Po-lun and Shum Yat-chor, a merchant and philanthropist from Guangdong. It combines Chinese and Western architectural influences in a sophisticated manner, demonstrating the superb building technology and craftsmanship available in Hong Kong's pre-war period.
King Yin Lei was declared a monument in July 2008 and put under permanent statutory protection.
Conservation expert Professor Tang Guohua from Guangzhou University's College of Architecture & Urban Planning was commissioned to draw up a restoration proposal. Restoration work started in September 2008 and was substantially completed by December last year.
Click
here to watch the video on restoring King Yin Lei.
