Sau Mau Ping

This area of Kwun Tong district in Kowloon was a squatter village when a serious landslide took place in the early afternoon of June 18, 1972. In all, 71 people died, and many of those killed were children. 

The area was once referred to as “So Mo Ping” – in Cantonese, a “tomb-sweeping” place – as it had been the site of a cemetery during the second world war. 

 Officials later changed the area to its current name, conferring a new connotation of “nice and prosperous”. In fact, it is home to Sau Mau Ping Estate, one of the oldest public housing developments in Kwun Tong. 

Construction began in 1964, and it now has 18 residential blocks, providing 12,310 apartment units for more than 35,000 residents. Because of its tragic history, the nearby public hospital is often named as one of the most haunted places in Hong Kong.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/

The 'Haunted' Office Building in the Heart of Shenzhen

Vengeful, decades-old ghosts roam the hallways of Zhongyin Building, located near the heart of Shenzhen – or so the rumors say.

They’re blamed for the failures of Zhongyin’s businesses, said to have a preternaturally short lifespan. And at least online, an otherworldly influence is cited as the cause for the complex’s rock-bottom rent.

The ghosts haunting Zhongyin are said to date back to the bloody days of China’s Cultural Revolution, in the 60s and 70s, when the site of the building was allegedly used as an execution ground.

After Shenzhen’s founding and rapid development, some say developers decided to capitalize on the cursed plot of land, hiring a specialist for advice on putting its ghosts to rest. That’s how the office building ended up with two pointy towers that resemble candles, plastered over with auspicious, rose-tinted windows.

Zhongyin is, undoubtedly, an offensively pink monstrosity. But does it deserve its ghastly reputation?

Read more at http://www.thatsmags.com/

Tiu Keng Leng

Originally called “Diu Keng Leng”, or “hanging the neck hill” in Chinese, this is an area in Sai Kung district in the northeast New Territories.

First established on June 26, 1950, Tiu Keng Leng was once a refugee village that housed former Kuomintang officials and supporters who escaped from the mainland to avoid persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.

Fleeing by ferry from Mao Zedong’s newly established People’s Republic of China, 7,000 nationalist refugees arrived at the once abandoned place.

According to a long-time urban legend, the area was named after retired Canadian official Albert Herbert Rennie, who was said to have hanged himself in 1908. Another version states, however, that his failing business had prompted him to jump into the sea at Lei Yue Mun, located several kilometres away.

The earliest traceable name of the area was “Chiu Keng Leng”, or “ridge of mirror reflection” – derived by the Tanka residents, or boatpeople, who were inspired by the tranquillity of the adjacent waters.

The refugee encampment was shabby but self-sufficient with its own management and schooling system.

In 1961, the Hong Kong government declared Tiu Keng Leng a part of the Resettlement Department, thus allowing the then slum-like area to develop facilities and infrastructure. With its strong ties to the Taiwanese government, the area was sometimes referred to as ‘Little Taiwan’, and considered a stronghold against the spread of Communism during the cold war.

The original Tiu Keng Leng village was cleared before the city’s handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Residents were evicted to make space for developing the Tseung Kwan O New Town. There are also three old public housing estates in the area: Kin Ming Estate, Choi Ming Court and Shin Ming Estate.

In recent years the area has been redeveloped as a modern high-rise residential district. In 2006, Metro Town, a nine-tower, private housing estate was built atop the shopping mall podium and Tiu Keng Leng MTR station. Developed jointly by Cheung Kong Holdings, Nan Fung Group and the MTR Corporation, it provides about 3,700 private flats.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/

Bride’s Pool

In the warm light of day, this sun-dappled pool and waterfall located near Tai Mei Tuk in Plover Cove Country park paint quite the idyllic picture. However, when darkness and thunderstorms encroach, the once pleasant spot turns eerie.

According to legend, a bride was being carried in a sedan to meet her groom during a thunderstorm. But as the entourage passed by the water, one of the four porters slipped in the rain and the group was washed into the swollen pool, where the woman drowned due to her heavy clothing. Villagers were never able to recover her body or carriage. Until now, some have claimed to have seen a woman dressed in a red cheongsam brushing her hair at the nearby Mirror Pool.

Allegedly named after this tragically deceased bride, Bride’s Pool is thought to be one of the most haunted places in Hong Kong. Rumour has it the evil spirits of Bride’s Pool drag their victims into the water to ease their loneliness. It is believed the bride’s spirit constantly wanders the area, especially a section of winding road nicknamed “deadly curve”, where a number of fatal accidents have been reported.

In February, a car slammed into a tree on Bride’s Pool Road and exploded into flames. Last November, a 12-year-old boy was hospitalised after a biking accident on Bride’s Pool Nature Trail. As a result of these accidents and many more, the Civil Aid Service and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department included Bride’s Pool Waterfall on the city’s list of “black spots”, or high-risk locations. Still, the place remains popular among tourists and local residents alike for hiking, barbecues, and swimming.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/