City Dwellings in Hong Kong: A Photo Book Review Essay

As a major form of built space in the city, dwellings carry special visual interest with regard to both their exterior qualities and their interior space. Dwellings manifest the confluence of social, economic, political, cultural and architectural factors and they tell of the life stories of their inhabitants. Taking a historical look at housing types in Hong Kong promises to be an interesting journey—not only does it add historical depth to our understanding of the city’s built space, but it also brings to light the colonial government’s changing housing policies from laissez-faire to increased regulation in a predominantly market-driven economy. These policies have left a legacy still visible today. This review essay features selected works by the seasoned photographers and historians who have painstakingly documented, in images and words, and from past to present, the diverse dwellings and housing types in Hong Kong. Juxtaposing their works against one another allows us to take a deeper and more engaging look at the city. 住宅作為城市建築空間的一種主要形式，其外在特質與內在空間都別具獨特的視聽趣味。住宅匯聚了社會、經濟、政治、文化與建築各種因素，細訴其住戶的生活故事。縱觀香港歷來各類型的住宅，肯定是一段頗有意思的旅程——不僅在認識城市建築空間時，為我們添加一份歷史性的深度，也讓我們從中窺見殖民地政府在房屋政策上的轉變，如何在一個主要由市場主導的經濟中，從自由放任轉變為加強管制的政策。這些政策所遺留下來的築跡至今天仍歷歷在目。本綜合評論文章特寫若干經驗豐富的攝影師及歷史學家的選集，他們以圖像和文字，從往昔到現在，悉心記錄香港形形色色的住宅及房屋類型。併列細看他們的作品，我們能更深入瞭解和體驗這個城市。