Photo of the day No. 28 - King Yin Lei Mansion in Hong Kong
A declared monument that must be on your wish list to visit
Me Jamie, your host, I am English and I have lived in Hong Kong for 53 years - I know the place.
I have personally completed 2,300+ Private Experiences (over 6,000+ guests) since April 2011 and I am considered one of the finest Private Tour Guides in Asia.
A blog post with a difference
Please do visit Hong Kong in 2025 | Travel, Tourism, Tours, Tips, Daily Life and my personal thoughts on Hong Kong.
Hong Kong | Pearl of the Orient
Customised Private Tours & Experiences in Amazing Hong Kong
Pearl of the Orient
Private Tours Cultural Tours Walking Tours Sightseeing Tours City Tours Night Tours Transit Tours Shore Excursions
Carefully Crafted Personalised and Customised Itineraries by Jamie | Hong Kong’s Most Experienced Private Tour Guide For :
Solo Travellers Friends Families Seniors Couples Business People
J3 Group Hong Kong | J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong
Creating Memories That Will Last A Lifetime
Book Now
Photo of the day No. 28 - King Yin Lei Mansion in Hong Kong
A declared monument that should be on your wish list to visit
click on the image to enlarge
A simply magnificent Chinese Mansion
“High above Wan Chai, surrounded by tower blocks and gaudy townhouses, one of Hong Kong’s most remarkable mansions sits empty and idle.
Built in 1937, King Yin Lei is one of Hong Kong’s best examples of Chinese Renaissance architecture. It’s a sprawling palace built by a Chinese woman entrepreneur at a time when both women and Chinese people were not welcome in the upper echelons of colonial Hong Kong society. “It’s probably one of the finest of its kind, as a piece of architecture that combines the Chinese tradition with the Western tradition,” says Lee Ho-yin, director of the University of Hong Kong’s architectural conservation programme.
And yet, ever since King Yin Lei was saved from demolition in 2007, it has remained a mystery to the public – except for a few precious days a year when its green metal gates are thrown open to visitors. That was the case last weekend, when 16,000 free tickets were handed out to anyone eager to explore a rare piece of Hong Kong history.”
This is the text from a great article by Zolima Magazine in Hong Kong in 2017, please read the full article by clicking on the link above, nothing much has changed and it is now 2025, hopefully the revitalisation project as outlined below is still on track for completion in 2027.
In 2007 the Hong Kong Government did a land swap with the property developer who owned the Mansion who promptly built 5 or 6 single homes next door and sold them for eye watering amounts and so the Government inherited the building and since then the Mansion is open to the public only 4 - 6 weekends every year which is a crying shame.
I have done a little bit of research on why it is open so infrequently and I can only surmise that is it is to do with limited public transport and zero parking facilities (you would be lucky to have enough space for one tour bus to park!) the Mansion is on Stubbs Road opposite Evergreen Villa a narrow twisty road from Wanchai near the Happy Valley horse racing track up to Victoria Peak, large crowds all day would be a nightmare for everyone, during the week traffic twice a day comes to a sticky halt because of an International School over the road from the Mansion and parents drop off and pick up the kids.
Throw into the the mix Tour Companies organising coach tours to the King Lin Yei Mansion and you have a recipe for total gridlock on a major road disrupting the lives of all the well off folk living on the Peak!
So because it is closed most of the time is it worth a visit? in a nutshell yes, you can get off the Number 15 Bus going to Victoria Peak at the Evergreen Villa bus stop and cross over the road, you can see the Mansion very clearly and it is a great photo to take as the building is unique, when you are done, carry on to the Peak or take the number 15 bus back into town or catch a taxi.
Apparently there is a major project underway to turn the King Yin Lei Mansion into a Healthy Living Centre based on Pu’er Tea & TCM, it was a low key announcement in 2022 and there has been very little said since then.
TCM is the acronym for Traditional Chinese Medicine - please click on the link above for full details, it is slated to open in 2027 and I am looking forward to visiting it again then. I actually think it is a terrific idea and it means that many more people will get to visit the Mansion.
click on the image to enlarge
Another reason to visit the King Yin Lei Mansion - you get to see these 2 awesome Hong Kong Buildings - The Summit + Highcliff apartments on Stubbs Road, Hong Kong. I took this image outside the front gate of the King Yin Lei Mansion. These 2 apartment blocks are collectively known as the Chop Sticks and you do wonder at how much they might sway in high winds and typhoons!
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong |
| 2010 - 2025 All rights reserved. |
Click on any image to enlarge to full screen
Current images from my Instagram feed
