Kai Ching Estate

Kai Ching Estate (Chinese: 啟晴邨) is a public housing estate in a brownfield development area in Hong Kong of the disused Kai Tak Airport. It consists of six residential buildings completed in 2013.[1] It houses around 5,200 flats for 13,300 residents and shares the "Ching Long Shopping Centre" with Tak Long Estate. Kai Ching Estate was built by China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong).[2]

Kai Ching Estate
Kai Ching Estate
General information
LocationKowloon City District
StatusCompleted
CategoryPublic rental housing
Population11,881
No. of blocks6
No. of flats5,204
Constructed2013
Other information
Governing
body		Hong Kong Housing Authority
Kai Ching Estate
Traditional Chinese啟晴邨
Simplified Chinese启晴邨
Cantonese Yalekái chìhng chyūn
Open space inside estate
Badminton Court
Ching Long Shopping Centre

History

In 1998, the Kai Tak Airport relocated to Chek Lap Kok as Hong Kong International Airport, clearing the way for a redevelopment of the Kai Tak lands. In 2006 the Planning Department outlined plans to build two new public estates on part of this brownfield site. The two estates, called Kai Ching (啟晴) and Tak Long (德朗), opened on the former north apron in 2013/2014.[3] Like other public housing estates in Hong Kong, the construction of Kai Ching Estate made use of prefabricated components including precast facades and staircases, semi-precast slabs, and precast kitchens and bathrooms.[4] Kai Ching was also a pilot estate for the use of precast water taps.[2]

The estate incorporates a number of energy and water saving features. Renewable energy sources include solar panels on the housing block rooftops, and lift motors that can generate power when the lift is carrying a heavy load down, a light load up, or under braking conditions. A district cooling system cools non-domestic facilities including the shops, kindergartens, and estate offices. A rainwater collection system is used for irrigation.[4]

Houses
English nameChinese nameTypeStoreysCompletion
Hong Ching House康晴樓Non-standard block
(Y-shaped)		392013
Lok Ching House樂晴樓40
Yan Ching House欣晴樓
Sheung Ching House賞晴樓Non-standard block
(cross-shaped)
Mun Ching House滿晴樓
Yuet Ching House悅晴樓35

Demographics

According to the 2016 by-census, Kai Ching Estate had a population of 11,881. The median age was 44.3 and the majority of residents (98.5 per cent) were of Chinese ethnicity. The average household comprised 2.3 persons. The median monthly household income of all households (i.e. including both economically active and inactive households) was HK$14,010.[5]

Incidents

2014 shooting

The estate dominated television news for some days in early June 2014 after resident Li Tak-yan shot and killed Liu Kai-chung, another resident of Lok Ching House.[6] The murder sparked a 12-hour standoff with police as Li hid in his 10th storey flat.[7] Amid exchanges of gunfire the police fired tear gas and stun grenades into the flat. The gunman shot and killed himself.[6][7] Li, a Mainland immigrant and father of actress Liddy Li, had previously been jailed for attacking a neighbour with a chopper and hammer.[7][8] Media reported that Li had other guns and ammunition at home.[8]

Contamination of potable water
Main article: 2015 Hong Kong heavy metal in drinking water incidents

In 2015 water samples from Kai Ching Estate were found to be contaminated with lead, sparking a citywide scandal and the discovery of contaminated drinking water at many other buildings.[2] Pipe soldering samples taken from Kai Ching Estate contained 50 per cent lead.[9]

Legionellosis

The government announced on 13 July 2015 that a man suffering from a chronic illness had been admitted to intensive care on 28 May.[10] The water supply at the home of the 72-year-old resident of Mun Ching House had tested positive for Legionella bacteria.[10] The news has created fear and uncertainty among residents, who complained at the long time the authorities took to make the investigation public. The lack of transparency of government was deplored by pro-establishment and pro-democracy politicians alike.[11]

References
  1. "Kai Ching Estate, Kowloon City, Kowloon West". Hong Kong Housing Authority. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  2. Lo, Arthur (13 July 2015). "Explainer: How the water lead contamination scare became a citywide concern". Hong Kong Free Press.
  3. "Kai Tak Development Progress Report as of September 2013" (PDF). Task Force on Kai Tak Harbourfront Development. Retrieved 27 April 2014. Population intake of Kai Ching Estate (啟晴邨) commenced in July 2013. Tak Long Estate (德朗邨) will be completed in two phases before Q1 of 2014, to be followed by population intakes.
  4. "Case Study 1: Our New Sustainable Housing Development" (PDF). Housing Authority. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  5. "Major Housing Estates". 2016 Population By-census. Census and Statistics Department. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  6. http://www.ejinsight.com/20140604-polie-investigation-kai-tak-shooting-incident/
  7. Lo, Clifford; Chan, Samuel; Lo, Wei (1 June 2014). "Gunman Li Tak-yan had a history of attacking neighbours". South China Morning Post.
  8. http://www.ejinsight.com/20140603-kai-tak-gunman-father-of-actress-liddy-li/
  9. Nip, Amy; Cheng, Amie; Lo, Kinling (17 July 2015). "Buck stops with you, builders told". The Standard. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. "Legionella detected at Kai Ching Estate". Hong Kong Government. 13 July 2015.
  11. http://www.ejinsight.com/20150714-Legionnaires-case-adds-to-panic-at-Kai-Ching-Estate/
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