From rickety squatter huts, to pioneering public housing and 21st century flats, Shek Kip Mei Housing Estate has witnessed a fascinating transformation over the past 60 years.Mei Ho House once formed part of this estate, Hong Kong’s oldest public housing complex. Of a total of 29 concrete blocks built in 1954 to re-home thousands affected by a recent fire, Mei Ho House is the only one still standing today, and is an example of the now-rare H-block shape (two residential wings linked by communal facilities).

Regenerated by the Hong Kong Youth Hostels Association (YHA), this Grade II historic building reopened to the public in October 2013 as the YHA Mei Ho House Youth Hostel. It now contains the Heritage of Mei Ho House museum, showcasing Shek Kip Mei’s public housing history through the 1950s to 1970s through a mixture of donated exhibits and first-hand anecdotes from former residents.

The museum is open to the public as well as hostellers, free of charge.