Tiger and Leopard Villa The collective memories of the previous generation

🐅 In the 1920s and 1930s, Mr. Hu Wenhu, the owner of Tiger Mark Wind Repellent Oil, purchased a large piece of land in Tai Hang Mid-Levels for an astronomical figure of HK$10 million (actually, for me now) to build Tiger and Leopard Villas and many collective memories of the previous generation - Wanjin Oil Garden. The construction took many years, and even the Governor of Hong Kong was present when it opened, which shows that it was a very big event. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, when there was no Lai Chi Kok, Ocean Park, and of course Disney, Wan Kin Oil Garden became the only theme park in Hong Kong, and it was open for free. The most memorable of these is the 🌋eighteen layers of hell scene, which scared many children, the purpose is to lead people to good. Several years ago, the Hu's descendants sold the land to Changi and converted it into a luxury mansion, retaining only the Tiger and Leopard Villa, which was classified as a Grade I historic building, the mansion where the Hu family lived, which was never open to the public. Two or three years ago, the government gave the right to use the mansion to a classical music group, but it is not easy to restore and manage an ancient building, so the orchestra returned the Tiger and Leopard Villa to the government. However, note that the villa is only open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays, and the public must book tours online in advance, free of charge. The tours are divided into four sessions, each session is 90 minutes, and each session is limited to 24 visitors. Please note that the tour is in Cantonese and no translator is provided. I participated in the first group on Friday, started gathering at 10 o'clock, many of the tours were older friends, there was an expatriate, but half of the registered citizens were flying, which is a not too good phenomenon. The four-storey Tiger and Leopard Villa is a place for worshiping gods on the top floor. It is currently under restoration and is not open to the public. The ground floor is where the workers work in the kitchen, laundry room, etc. When serving dishes in the kitchen, they can only hand the dishes to the butler through the unsmall outlet of the girl's ladder. The owner and the girl will not touch the face at all. The first floor is the hall, where two circular pieces of Italian stained glass are the most eye-catching. The interior architecture combines Chinese and Western architecture, showing elegance. The dining room could hold two large round dining tables, a small partial listening, bartending room, a fireplace with a large mirror, gifted by artist Wu Yiu Han's father and one of the founders of KMB Wu Hai Lin. There is also a game room on the first floor, which was used to display the owner’s collection. The second floor is the room of the members, which is simpler in design than the first floor. It is also one of the filming scenes of the movie. #MothersDay2024