AT LONG LAST
After years of hold-ups, the Tai Kwun cultural complex in Central is nally open to the public
It’s been eight years in the making and has cost the Hong Kong Jockey Club a staggering HK$3.8 billion, but—after countless delays and dramas—the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts finally opened its doors on May 29, giving new life to the colonialera Central Police Station complex. The development is the most expensive heritage restoration project ever undertaken in the city, so there’s one question on everyone’s lips: has it been worth it?
The early signs are promising. Most of the Jockey Club’s money went towards converting the walled compound of buildings into spaces for visual and performing arts, as well as a string of restaurants and bars. VIPS invited on preview tours have reported that the renovations, led by the architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, are respectful and impressive.
Culture vultures are excited because Herzog & de Meuron also designed two new buildings to house a contemporary art gallery and a theatre. Fittingly, one of Tai Kwun’s inaugural exhibitions is called Dismantling The Scaffolding and features works by artists from around the world.
Foodies, meanwhile, are already making bookings for the exciting new restaurants and bars in the complex. Entrepreneur Yenn Wong is behind a casual restaurant called Old Bailey serving Chinese comfort food made with ingredients sourced from some of the city’s urban farms. The restaurant group Dining Concepts is opening a bar called Dragonfly, which— like the group’s successful nightclub Ophelia and speakeasy J Boroski—is designed by Ashley Sutton. Dragonfly will reportedly pay homage to American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, renowned for his skill in the decorative arts, especially stained glass, and for his work at jeweller Tiffany & Co, which was founded by his father.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of everything happening at Tai Kwun. Want to learn more? Finally, you can now go and see for yourself.