Few places in the world illustrate the idea of urban overcrowding more than Hong Kong, either colloquially or in fact. The city’s ‘Kowloon Walled City’, which has since been turned into a public park, was once thought to be the most densely populated structure in the world, although officials found it difficult to determine the actual number of people who they lived there.
To be sure, while the Yick Fat building, located across from Victoria Harbor on Hong Kong Island, is probably not as crowded as Kowloon Walled City once was, its stacked dwellings give the same aesthetic impression, not to mention The incredible Hong Kong photo opportunities that exist elsewhere in the Special Administrative Region.
Yes, you heard it right, you can visit the Yick Fat building! But more on that in just a second.
The history of the Yick Fat building
As ubiquitous as Yick Fat has become, his story is decidedly ambiguous. In fact, there is little to separate it from any of the other dwellings (and there are countless!) That rise up around it; It is very clear that neither the most densely populated nor the one with the largest overall population.
Rather, the most significant story of the Yick Fat building could be in the stories of the residence itself. If one approaches you when you enter (more on how to do that in a few paragraphs), you can strike up a conversation with him or her, especially if you speak more than a little English or if you speak more than a little Cantonese. or, in some cases, Mandarin.
Although Hong Kong’s long British history means that many people in central areas like Kowloon or Sheung Wan speak English, this becomes decidedly less likely the further you get from the core of the city.
Yick Fat in popular culture
On the other hand, the Yick Fat Building makes up for more than it is historically unimportant in pop culture relevance. The building has long been an award for photographers (including his own), and (much) more famous like Frenchman Romain Jacquet-Lagrèze, who used a photo of him as the cover of his 2012 book Vertical Horizon .
Even more recently than that, the article appeared in Michael Bay’s “Transformers,” but while the shots of the building in the film catapulted him to international fame, it was what happened behind the scenes that really told the story.
You see, when Bay visited the building in late 2013 to start filming the shots, he was confronted by two men who lived in the building, who claimed a commission of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars (~ $ 12,900) for filming their home. (There is no official information on whether Bay and his crew paid the fine, although there is wide speculation on both sides.)
All of this is to say nothing of the hundreds of Instagram photos taken at the Yick Fat Building, none of which resulted in extortion, according to their captions anyway, you should be in luck, unless of course you bring a professional film crew to the building with you. Check out some of the best here!
How to visit the Yick Fat building
The Yick Fat Building is located east of Hong Kong’s central business district on Hong Kong Island. To get to the Yick Fat Building, take the Hong Kong MTR Island Line to Tai Koo Station, then exit at Exit B and head west on King’s Road for two blocks. The Yick Fat building will be located behind you, if you are facing the road. You can walk around its periphery if you wish, but the most striking views come from inside the courtyard.
And that’s the awkward part. You see, since Yick Fat is public housing, it is someone’s home, many thousands of someone! This is not legal or even ethically questionable, but it feels a bit strange, as you make your way through the meat markets and laundry shops that line the entrance tunnel.
Other alternative Hong Kong destinations
The Yick Fat Building is one of Hong Kong’s wonderful architectural wonders. If you want to spend a morning, an afternoon, or a day, consider adding visits to Choi Hung Estate (MTR: Wong Tai Sin) and Lai Tak Tsuen (MTR: Tin Hau).
Another less-visited place to visit in Hong Kong is Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, which is located on top of a hill just a short walk from Sha Tin MRT station. Although it is surrounded by dwellings on all sides (although none, it is true, it is as photogenic as Yick Fat), you will soon forget that you are in the middle of a city as you walk along the winding path lined by the Golden Buddha. statues
