SEN Focus Group Officially Launches "Hong Kong Inclusive Cultural Tourism Assessment Project"

Stop 4: Wan Chai Blue House

Following the joint establishment of the SEN Focus Group by GBA Micee and MICEE Tours, we officially launched the "Hong Kong Inclusive Cultural Tourism Assessment Project" at the end of October. Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we continue to assess attractions listed by the Hong Kong Tourism Board that have received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The project aims to allow persons with special educational needs (SEN) to understand the accessibility facilities and visitor experience friendliness of these attractions through firsthand experience, and to advocate for and raise awareness about tourism equality for the SEN community.

The SEN Focus Group conducted its third major assessment on November 18, 2025, in a particularly special itinerary: we visited two attractions that have received the "Award of Excellence" consecutively—the Wan Chai Blue House and Tai Kwun in Central (the Former Central Police Station Compound)—assessing the overall environment, permanent exhibitions, and guided tour services of both attractions.

We first assessed the Wan Chai Blue House in the morning. We believe the attraction effectively presents the differences between pre-war and post-war living environments and the transformation of the Wan Chai community, making it highly recommended for its historical and cultural value. Regarding accessibility facilities, although the Blue House has added elevators, tactile guide paths for visually impaired persons, and ramps during its revitalization process, the streets leading to the Blue House area still lack sufficient directional signage and related supporting facilities, requiring further improvement.

Introduction to Blue House and Hong Kong House of Stories

Wan Chai Blue House is a group of pre-war tong lau (Chinese tenement buildings), named for its blue-painted exterior walls, currently listed as a Grade I historic building. The Blue House's origins can be traced back to the 19th-century Wah To Hospital and later a temple. It was subsequently rebuilt in the 1920s as a four-story tong lau with residential units above shops and balconies. Over the years, it has served as a medical clinic, martial arts school, free school, shops, etc., witnessing the daily life and community development of Wan Chai's grassroots residents. In recent years, the Blue House, together with the neighboring Yellow House and Orange House, has undergone a "Retention of Both Buildings and Residents" revitalization project, preserving the original community appearance while allowing original residents to continue living there. This project earned the highest honor—the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Hong Kong House of Stories is one of the key facilities within the Blue House complex, converted from a ground-floor shop into a display space for community culture and local history. The permanent exhibitions typically focus on themes such as "Daily Life in Wan Chai" and "Hong Kong Folk Stories," presenting the clothing, food, housing, and transportation of Wan Chai residents from the pre-war period to modern times through old photographs, oral histories, old shop signs, household furnishings, and tools of past occupations. Exhibitions are often divided by theme or period, such as tong lau life, neighborhood industries, community organization and resistance, redevelopment and conservation, etc., helping visitors understand how the Blue House has evolved from a Chinese hospital to a grassroots community and today's revitalization project. Some exhibition areas also incorporate multimedia, guided tours, and workshops, inviting residents and the public to jointly narrate, supplement, and continue the "Hong Kong Story," making the Blue House not just a preserved old building but an ongoing community cultural platform.

Attraction Information

Blue House/Hong Kong House of Stories Address: 72-74A Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Closed on Wednesdays) Blue House Complex Guided Tours: Two tours daily, 11:00 AM / 4:00 PM (Except Wednesdays and special public holidays; free participation, requires online reservation, available in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English sessions; some sessions and wheelchair users require additional phone reservation) Website: https://vivabluehouse.hk/ | https://houseofstories.sjs.org.hk/ Phone: 2833 4608

Watch Full Assessment Video

🎥 Stop 4 Complete Field Test Record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuvdURFfnVk&t=1s

🎬 Assessment Team: Edward Cheuk (Chief Planner and Producer of Assessment Project) Kaho Lam (Director of Photography and Technical Guidance) Felix Choi (Administrative Director of Assessment Project) Cathy Tang (Inclusive Tourism Experience Officer and Report Writer) Roy Lo (Social Media Operations Officer) Perrin Ng (Video Editor of Assessment Project)