Choi Hung Estate

“Choi Hung Estate, which translates to “”Rainbow Estate””, is one of the oldest public housing estates in Hong Kong. Located in the Wong Tai Sin District of Kowloon, the estate was built by the former Hong Kong Housing Authority from 1962 to 1964.

Designed to provide locals with affordable housing, the Estate accommodates nearly 43,000 people, and was the largest public housing estate of the mid-20th century. The unique design immediately attracted recognition and prominence. In 1965, the Estate received a Silver Medal from the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. Later it received visits from the British Princesses Margaret and Alexandra, and politician Richard Nixon, who would later become President of the United States.

With 11 blocks of residential buildings, one car park, five schools, and various shops and restaurants on the ground floor of each block, there is plenty to see and explore in the cheery, colorful housing estate. Yet, perhaps the most famous – and most visited – destination within the Estate is the multicolored basketball court.

Attracting thousands of tourists, photographers, and architecture enthusiasts each year, the basketball court is a world-famous attraction in itself. Situated against the rainbow-colored apartments of the Estate, the court creates a picture-perfect view and has played host to a variety of enthusiasts from Instagrammers to the Korean boyband, Seventeen.

Today, Choi Hung Estate continues to operate as public housing. It is managed by Hong Kong’s current Housing Authority and serves as home to thousands of residents.

AWA Community Insight:
moolizzie Residents are actually really annoyed with the number of tourists taking pictures here! These are people’s homes and the large crowds prevent them from being able to use the basketball courts, etc and in general cause a lot of discomfort (imagine if people waited outside your home every day to take a picture of it?) and the optics of influencers using a public housing site to gain clout are… not great. Just something to keep in mind. https://coconuts.co/hongkong/news/no-pictures-please-residents-instagram-hotspots-want-stop-taking-photos-home/

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