Magnolia Road - Now and Then

Another comparison post from A Cause to Kill seeing as I was in the area anyway. The first view is looking from the top of the stairs (more or less) back towards the Yau Yat Chuen School. By pure luck there was a car parked at the same place (again, more or less) when I visited a few weeks ago. The school remains unchanged for the most part but the old building with the circular balcony behind the car has since been replaced by a newer (and less attractive) version - "Marigold Court". The Yau Yat Tsuen estate was built in the 1950s when Hong Kong was undergoing an art-deco boom and many of the original properties have art-deco/streamline moderne styling. Sadly, only a few are left.

The next images show the view looking north up Magnolia Road. Again, most of the original properties here have been redeveloped. Along the whole road there are only two original houses (numbers 6 & 7), the rest replaced circa the 1980s.

Steps to Magnolia Road - Now and Then

Here are the steps that connect Tai Hang Tung Road with Magnolia Road in Yau Yat Tsuen. It's right next to this place. The balustrades at the side remains the same but many things have changed including the adjacent property - "Royal Magnolia" - which replaced the earlier building in 1988. The steps also have a dividing rail in the middle now to split the up/down parts for when the school kids are streaming down it at the end of school. The recreation ground is still in the background as is the petrol station (although now there is two).

The view up the steps is pretty much unchanged, even the school balustrade is the same one.

A Cause to Kill - Ivy Ling Po (1969) - Magnolia Road, Yau Yat Tsuen

The steps lead on to Magnolia Road and it is here where Hsin Li has parked her car. Unbeknownst to her, Inspector Sheng is keeping a close eye on her movements. Yau Yat Tsuen was originally developed in the 1950s as a Chinese/local "version" of Kowloon Tong and as a result the original properties were all built in the same art-deco style that was popular at the time. A few of these properties remain but most have, for the large part, been redeveloped into low rise mansion blocks of three or four storeys. In the lower image you can see the original building that stood at #4 Marigold Road. It's now an unimpressive block called Marigold Court, but the original building had lovely curved balconies and lots of style.

The school (rhs) is still there

All About Ah Long - Chow Yun Fat (1989) - Yau Yat Chuen School, Yau Yat Chuen

Ah Long's son, Porky, is dropped off at school. The location used is the Yau Yat Chuen School in Yau Yat Chuen.