Page 155 - The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) 香港綠色建築議會
P. 155
‘Tai Pan’ and ‘Yee Pan‘, the two top managers
of the trading house.
What Lee did next must be considered
visionary. He decided to build an amusement
park on the hill. In the early colonial era,
there were scant entertainment venues for
the local Chinese population, especially
in relatively urban locations. With a
performance stage, small cafes, as well as
more typical fairground attractions like game
booths, acrobatic and magic shows, the Lee
Garden, as it was known then, provided
year-round leisure activities for the masses.
While it was a business venture, it was a
very sustainable one. Lee Garden remained
beautifully landscaped with towering trees
and blooming flowers. It must have been
a very inspirational place artistically as
well, and for a period in the 1920s, it was
even home to Hong Kong’s best known poet
society, with renowned poets and academics
from many parts of China joining as members.
Many of their poetries celebrated the scenery
of the Garden, as well as nearby views of
Victoria Harbour. Indeed, the setting and
features were so unique and popular that it
was rated the best out of Hong Kong’s famous
‘Four Gardens‘.
HONG KONG REPORT ON THE STATE OF SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 2014 153
of the trading house.
What Lee did next must be considered
visionary. He decided to build an amusement
park on the hill. In the early colonial era,
there were scant entertainment venues for
the local Chinese population, especially
in relatively urban locations. With a
performance stage, small cafes, as well as
more typical fairground attractions like game
booths, acrobatic and magic shows, the Lee
Garden, as it was known then, provided
year-round leisure activities for the masses.
While it was a business venture, it was a
very sustainable one. Lee Garden remained
beautifully landscaped with towering trees
and blooming flowers. It must have been
a very inspirational place artistically as
well, and for a period in the 1920s, it was
even home to Hong Kong’s best known poet
society, with renowned poets and academics
from many parts of China joining as members.
Many of their poetries celebrated the scenery
of the Garden, as well as nearby views of
Victoria Harbour. Indeed, the setting and
features were so unique and popular that it
was rated the best out of Hong Kong’s famous
‘Four Gardens‘.
HONG KONG REPORT ON THE STATE OF SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 2014 153
