LOCAL

The High Street Ghost House

Nicole Slater explores the dark history of the Sai Ying Pun Community Complex

Located on the corner of High Street and Eastern Street, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex is a Grade I Historic Building in the heart of the city. Featuring arched verandahs and pitched tiled roofs, this monument represents a dark history for Hong Kong.

Originally built in 1892, the building served as quarters for international nursing staff of the Civil Hospital. It contained ten bedrooms for the nurses, a matron’s office, a laboratory and 12 servants’ quarters, as well as other living facilities. But when nearby asylums became overcrowded, the nurses’ quarters were converted into a 23-bed hospital for mentally ill female patients. During this time its primary function was to take care of patients being transferred to China or other countries.

During World War II the site was believed to be used as an execution ground by the Japanese, with thousands of bodies dumped in a mass grave just across the road. Upon the completion of the war, the building went back to housing mentally ill patients until the opening of Castle Peak Hospital in 1961, when patients were eventually transferred and the Sai Ying Pun location was abandoned in 1970.

The old mental hospital sat vacant for 20 years and became the location for many ghost tales and sightings, giving it the nickname of the High Street Ghost House. Many residents in the area reported sightings of headless ghosts wandering the corridors and curious teenagers visited at night in the hopes of spotting one. The reports were so widely spread that people avoided moving to the area completely.

After two fires devastated the building, the Hong Kong Government decided to put some love back into it. Over the course of three years, the building’s exterior was restored but the interior was so badly damaged that they decided to modernise it, turning the building into a community center, housing several charity organisations.

While the building has now overcome its dark history, many believe that the lost souls remain inside to this day, so keep your eyes peeled after the sun goes down.

Saving the world one diamond at a time

Jewellery designer and founder of SHAN, Sharon Chan, on why lab-grown diamonds are the future. By Nicole Slater

Diamonds have a long history in our society since the rise of diamond engagement rings in 1947. But while their sparkle is second-tonone, the environmental and ethical impact of the gem has been debated over the past few years. This saw the rise of the lab-grown diamond, a scientifically crafted diamond sharing the same chemical, physical and optical properties as mined diamonds.

These environmentally friendly and ethical diamonds were the inspiration behind Sharon Chan’s jewellery brand, SHAN. “I started SHAN two years ago as I wanted every girl to own a piece of extraordinary jewellery without spending a fortune,” says Chan. Along with their ethical values, lab-grown diamonds are around the third of the price of a natural diamond making luxury jewellery more affordable to everyone. “It makes our dream reachable as the technology improves, we can get bigger and better quality diamonds.”

While Chan has always had a passion for jewellery and design, it was the birth of

Taking inspiration from jewellery designer Jean Schlumberger, Chan enjoys designing and playing around with bespoke pieces for her clients, but keeps her everyday collection simple, elegant and chic. “I love the smiles on my clients’ faces when they collect their jewellery. I like to believe that my jewellery has brightened up their day just a little.”

Running a full time business while looking after two young children was a challenge for Chan, especially during one of the most difficult years economically, but she is grateful that everything fell in her favour and SHAN continues to grow every day. “I think we can all agree that every day is a challenge when you are running your own business, but I enjoy solving problems and embracing challenges. Every time I make a mistake I learn something from it so I’m truly growing with the brand.”

The saying, do something you love and you won’t have to work a day in your life, has been something Chan has followed for years and is proud to have reached a point in her life and career where she feels this way.

Over the next few years Chan hopes to be an advocate for lab-grown diamonds and expand SHAN internationally. “There are no blood diamonds and the entire production process is transparent and safe. We don’t have to hurt our planet to get something beautiful.”

her daughter, Shannon, who gave her the final push to start her own brand, whom she named the brand after. “Shannon is a mini me, passionate, calm and persistent. She knows exactly what she wants and goes for it.” At just two and a half years old, Shannon is already helping Chan match her jewellery with her outfits. For her first birthday, Chan grew Shannon a 1.05 carat diamond to represent her age and her birth month, May.

SHAN Stones

For more information about Sharon Chan and SHAN please visit shanstones.com