At the corner of Pei Ho Street in Sham Shui Po, there is a two-story abandoned teahouse that has been empty for nearly 40 years. The most recognizable one is a wood mural with a phoenix carved on it next to the staircase in the lobby.
It is known that the hand-carved wooden murals have been preserved since the opening of the teahouse and have a history of 60 years.
The story of the tea house is not only the poinciana tree mural with a long history, but an old neighborhood revealed that the second-generation proprietor and his family died in an air crash that shocked the world, and the tea house was left empty and turned into ruins.
In recent years, the teahouse has been taken back by the government. As the building is a salt water building, government workers come in and out of the teahouse to carry out maintenance works from time to time.
Some conservationists suggested that the government can refer to the ADC, such as the old practice of renovating the empty property in Yau Ma Tei into a revitalization hall/Bibo Yat, and use this empty property to promote community art, history and culture, and bring art into the old community.
Outside the restaurant is an iron gate with a sense of age.
At present, the outside of the tea house is locked by chains, and there is the word tea house restaurant outside the gate, but the name of the tea house has been cut off.
The disappearing name casts an extra layer of mystery on this teahouse that has been left empty for many years.
It turned out that this teahouse was called "Dexi," and Uncle An, who has lived in a nearby tenement house for many years, said by the side.
Uncle An pointed out that after the teahouse was taken back by the government, the name was cut off. So far, only the old neighborhoods in the district vaguely remember the name of the teahouse.
Speaking of Dexi Teahouse Restaurant, Uncle An recalled various old things nearby. He said that the building was completed as early as 1963. The first generation of teahouse was called Baixiang Restaurant, which had the same name as the building where it was located.
Later, the owner decided to move the teahouse to Mong Kok for business. The original location changed hands to his friends. Later he became the owner of the Dexi Teahouse restaurant. However, Uncle An didn’t know whether the restaurant was rented or sold. If you leave, the old owners will come back to take over, but they haven’t been there for many years, and the government has taken them back.”
The unforgettable old teahouse has a unique human touch: regular customers have a fixed seat
At that time, the business of Dexi Restaurant was booming. Uncle An said that he was also one of his regular customers. A sputum tank is provided."
What makes Uncle An unforgettable is the unique human touch of the year. Now it is rare to buy. "Dexi mainly does business in the neighbourhoods nearby. Basically, the regular customers have a fixed position. If there are people outside the street, the minister will pay attention to it." .
During the conversation with Uncle An, there were also neighbors who joined the conversation. They also said that the food they used to enjoy tastes good. "They are good food, but their tea is not hot enough. It is not hot enough."
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The owner of the teahouse and his family were killed on a trip and never returned
The reason why the teahouse has been abandoned for many years stems from the unfortunate story of the proprietor's family.
In 1983, the proprietor’s family was difficult to travel and never returned. When the proprietor’s family flew back to South Korea from the United States on Korean Air Flight 007, they were mistakenly identified by the Soviet Union as a U.S. reconnaissance plane and fired missiles at it. In the hit, all 269 people on board, including passengers and crew, were killed.
The incident caused an international sensation that year. According to a report in the Hong Kong Business Daily on September 4, 1983, 14 Hong Kong people died in the plane crash, and I believe the proprietor's family was also included.
Uncle An pointed out that many old neighbourhoods in the neighborhood were aware of the incident. At that time, he also learned from the neighbourhood that the proprietor's family had been killed.
According to a Hong Kong Business Daily report on September 4, 1983, 14 Hong Kong people died in the crash, and I believe the proprietor’s family was also included.
Old neighbourhood witnessed a horrible traffic accident on the road facing the teahouse
After the tragic death of the owner and family of Dexi Teahouse Restaurant, many accidents occurred nearby, which has become an urban legend among neighborhoods.
Uncle An mentioned that her younger sister was the owner of a newspaper stall near the teahouse during her lifetime, and she was open 24 hours a day. Uncle An also lived in a tenement house in the district and often assisted her sister in reading newspaper stalls.
Once, Uncle An witnessed a horrible traffic accident in a newspaper stall, and there are still lingering fears about it.
He pointed out that the accident caused one person to die, and the deceased was an employee of the ice room across the street. "At that time, the young boy rushed to the red light, and then he hit the car and dragged the road for a while. The drivers were not too concerned. , Yelled from a nearby neighbourhood, telling the driver to stop. Prophet Qu hit someone."
At this time, the young man who was hit suddenly stood up and called the owner of the ice room to ask for leave. The employee of the ice room immediately ran out of the store to check and call the police. After entering the hospital, he died at noon."
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Conservationists advocate to rebuild properties to promote community art, history and culture
The teahouse has been abandoned for many years, and ghosts have been heard from time to time. For example, it is said that a human head was found at the bottom of a green door lift in the teahouse.
But as time passed, these ghost talks became collective memories among the neighbourhoods.
After the owner of the teahouse passed away and no one took care of the property, the land was taken back by the government.
At present, red iron rods have been installed on the exterior of the tea house to consolidate the building. Government property notice boards are placed at the entrance, and the interior space is like a construction site. Many places, including the historic poinciana mural, have also been written with words of removal.
Yuan Zhiren, the initiator of the full text of the conservation campaign, pointed out that according to the neighbourhood, the government has emptied the property for nearly 40 years, and the teahouse is also a collective memory of the community in the district.
He suggested that the government can refer to the ADC, such as the old practice of renovating the empty property in Yau Ma Tei into a revitalized hall/bibo arbitration, and use this empty property to promote community art and history and culture, and to bring art into the old community and become a neighbourhood. It is a gathering place to alleviate the problem of insufficient parks and social welfare facilities in the old district.
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