The Curse of High Street Ghost House
On High Street in Sai Ying Pun stands a seemingly out-of-place early-Baroque facade. As the sole remnant of a colonial structure that witnessed some of Hong Kong's darkest chapters, it is known locally as the High Street Ghost House.
Built in 1892, No. 2 High Street originally housed the Medical Staff Quarters for the Government Civil Hospital. In 1939, it was converted into female psychiatric wards to alleviate overcrowding at nearby asylums. However, during World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army is believed to have seized the building for use as a torture site and execution hall, killing many who resisted the occupation.
After the war, the building resumed and expanded its services within the local mental hospital system, but the facility became overcrowded again. Following the 1961 opening of Castle Peak Hospital, the site served as a psychiatric outpatient clinic until its closure in 1971. The structure subsequently stood vacant for three decades, falling into disrepair and eventually being gutted by two massive fires.
During this abandonment, the building cemented its ghostly reputation. Trespassers claimed to see headless spirits wandering the corridors at night, while others reported a supernatural entity in traditional Chinese clothing that would suddenly burst into flames. This lore eventually bled into the mass transit system, sparking rumors that tormented spirits had wandered down into the tunnels of the nearby Sai Ying Pun MTR station.
Finally, in 2001, the Hong Kong government redeveloped the site into a multi-story community center. While the interior is entirely modern, the historic north granite facade was fully preserved, and the structure was officially declared a Hong Kong Monument in 2015.
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