Lui Seng Chun

Historical Background

Future appearance of Lui Seng Chun after adaptive reuse

Mr. Lui Leung (alias Lui Hung Wai), the owner of Lui Seng Chun, was born in Taishan County of the Guangdong Province. Upon his arrival in Hong Kong, he became actively engaged in transport and trading businesses. He was one of the founders of the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Ltd.

In 1929, Mr. Lui purchased a piece of land at 119 Lai Chi Kok Road from the Government and appointed W. H. Bourne, a local architect who specialized in designing shophouses to construct Lui Seng Chun. The construction work was completed in around 1931. The ground floor of the building was occupied by a Chinese bone-setting medicine shop named "Lui Seng Chun", while the upper floors became living quarters for the members of Lui's family. The name "Lui Seng Chun" was derived from a pair of rhymed couplets, implying Lui's medicine could bring a patient back to life. The medicine enjoyed a good reputation locally and overseas.

Mr. Lui Leung passed away in 1944 and the shop was closed down a few years later. The building was subsequently used as accommodation and let out as tailor shops. In 2000, the Lui's family proposed to the Antiquities and Monuments Office to donate the building to the Government. The transfer of the building was accomplished in October 2003.

Lui Seng Chun not only bears witness to the history of a well-known family in Hong Kong, but also illustrates the past community life, economic activities and architecture of the territory.

Architectural Features

Being a four-storey building, Lui Seng Chun is a typical "Kee-lau" or "Tong-lau" (Chinese tenement). This type of two-to-four-storey residence integrating Chinese and Western architectural styles was very popular in the early 20th century.

Lui Seng Chun reflects the Neo-Classical style which is characterized by a square-shaped frame and a row of decorative balustrades in front. The deep verandahs help prevent rain from flooding the house, block sunlight and keep the indoor area cool. This together with the stone plaque marked with the name of the medicine shop installed at the top of the building are all typical architectural features of pre-war Chinese tenements. The main facade of the building was lavishly decorated with classical Italianate designs, one of which is the "broken pediment" at the shop. The curved front elevation was designed to make better use of the narrow strip of land restricted by the road junction. In terms of structure, the external walls of the building are made of plastered red brickwork with columns and beams of reinforced concrete. Lui Seng Chun is regarded as the representative of "Kee-lau" of the pre-war period in Hong Kong.

Adaptive Reuse

The Development Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong SAR has introduced a new scheme - namely the "Revitalizing Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme" - which allows non-governmental organizations to apply for adaptive re-use of selected Government-owned historic buildings. Lui Seng Chun is one of these buildings. For details of the Scheme, please refer to the following link: