Tai Hom Village

Tai Hom Village (Chinese: 大磡村) was the largest squatter village in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its demolition was completed in 2001, with a few structures of historical value being preserved. The name is still used to designate its former site in Diamond Hill, Wong Tai Sin District, which is awaiting redevelopment.

The first villager in record was Chu Yan Fung (朱仁鳳), a Hakka who started to live in the Village around 1740. According to Siu Kwok Kin (蕭國健), a history professor in Chu Hai College of Higher Education, the pedigree book of the Zhu family recorded their immigration into the Village in 1740; Tai Hom was the nickname of the Village at that time – the district was officially named Fei Ngo Shan (飛蛾山). Chu Yan Fung purchased the land from the Qing government, and settled there. The district was famous for granites, a favourable building material.

In 1936, the Hong Kong government attempted to recollect the land right of the district. The village became a government land except 20% of privately owned territory. In 1956, a lot of immigrants from Hong Kong entered Tai Hom Village. Some of them were wealthy people from Shanghai. The country was a place for upper-middle class before the 1960s.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in the 1940s, Tai Hom Village was demolished for the expansion of Kai Tak Airport. The temple of the Chu family was demolished. The Village was restored after the resignation of the Japanese, but the Chu family did not entirely restore their home: only Chu Sam Tak (朱三德) remained in the Village after the demolition, and the temple of the Chu family was not restored.

After the 1960s, due to the government policy, an increase in population and the decline of the film industry, the village became home for more low-income people.

The modern Tai Hom Squatter Village was not located in the original site: it was located in Nga Yiu Tau Chuen (瓦窯頭村), part of which was the site of Kai Tak Airport during Japanese sovereignty.

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Wikipedia