1960 · 深水埗
The former North Kowloon Magistracy opens at 292 Tai Po Road.
Memory A postwar Kowloon magistracy landmark, graded historic building and later a revitalisation project.
Background The former North Kowloon Magistracy opened at 292 Tai Po Road in 1960 and is a notable postwar magistracy building in Kowloon. It is a Grade II historic building and has been included in the revitalisation of historic buildings partnership scheme. Magistrates' courts handle cases in their district as part of Hong Kong's judicial system, and the building was later brought back into use through the revitalisation scheme, extending the life of this postwar government building.
Source Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme（Development Bureau） · official publication
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1960 · 元朗
Hui Lau Shan originates in the early 1960s when founder Hui Chi Yuk begins selling traditional herbal jelly and herbal tea by trolley in Yuen Long.
Memory From a Yuen Long trolley herbal-tea stall to a Hong Kong fruit-dessert brand celebrated for its mango creations.
Background Hui Lau Shan originates in the early 1960s, when founder Hui Chi Yuk began selling traditional herbal jelly and herbal tea from a trolley in Yuen Long. Yuen Long was then a market town, and street herbal-tea stalls served the crowds passing through its markets; Hui Lau Shan grew out of that hawker setting and by the 1990s had established itself as a Hong Kong dessert brand known for fresh-fruit creations such as mango. Its evolution also reflects how the local herbal-tea trade shifted toward modern dessert chains.
Source Hui Lau Shan: Our Story（Hui Lau Shan (HLS)） · official publication
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1961-05-19 · 香港
Typhoon Alice hits Hong Kong; the No.10 signal is issued.
Memory Alice struck in May 1961, one of the few typhoons to bring a No.10 signal in that month.
Background Typhoon Alice struck Hong Kong on 19 May 1961, prompting the Observatory to issue the No.10 hurricane signal. Hong Kong's typhoon season normally runs from summer into autumn, so a No.10 signal in May is unusual, making Alice one of the few typhoons to bring the highest warning in that month. The No.10 signal indicates hurricane-force winds in the territory, when people are expected to stay off the streets and take precautions.
Source Hong Kong Observatory: report on Severe Typhoon Haikui (2311)（Hong Kong Observatory） · official publication
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1961-09-01 · 荃灣區
The first outline zoning plan covering Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi is gazetted.
Memory The plan gave statutory land-use backing for Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi, supporting new-town and industrial growth.
Background Gazetted in 1961, the Tsuen Wan Outline Zoning Plan was the first statutory plan to cover Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi. Within the framework of the Town Planning Ordinance, an outline zoning plan sets out land uses on a statutory basis, giving a footing for housing, industry and community facilities. Meeting the needs of new-town and industrial growth, it brought scattered industrial activity under orderly land planning, and similar statutory plans later covered other New Territories new towns.
Source PlanD: Tsuen Wan new town plan (first OZP gazetted 1 Sep 1961)（Planning Department） · official publication
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1962 · 尖沙咀梳士巴利道
Established in 1962, the Hong Kong Museum of Art is the first public art museum in Hong Kong.
Memory It evolved from the City Hall art museum of 1962 and moved to its Tsim Sha Tsui premises in 1991.
Background The Hong Kong Museum of Art was established in 1962, the city's first public art museum. It evolved from the City Hall art museum founded that same year, became independent from the History Museum in 1975, and moved to its present premises on Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1991. Its founding gave Hong Kong a permanent space for displaying and collecting art, and it has since grown into one of the territory's principal public art museums presenting local and international works. Official records give only the year 1962.
Source LCSD: museum services（Leisure and Cultural Services Department） · official publication
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1962-03-02 · 中環（愛丁堡廣場）
The Hong Kong City Hall at Edinburgh Place opens as the first multi-purpose cultural centre built for the public.
Memory With a concert hall, theatre and public library, it was Hong Kong's first civic arts centre built for the public.
Background The Hong Kong City Hall opened at Edinburgh Place on 2 March 1962, with the ceremony presided over by the then Governor, Robert Black. It was the first multi-purpose cultural centre built for the general public in Hong Kong. The complex included a concert hall, a theatre and a public library, providing both performance venues and reading space for residents. It also became a venue for concerts and other cultural activities, and its opening reflected the growing demand for public cultural facilities in post-war Hong Kong.
Source LCSD: Hong Kong City Hall introduction（Leisure and Cultural Services Department） · official publication
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1962-09-01 · 香港
Typhoon Wanda hits Hong Kong, recording the lowest sea-level pressure of 953.2 hPa.
Memory Wanda struck at a high tide, sending seawater surging into Tolo Harbour, with Sha Tin and Tai Po suffering the heaviest casualties.
Background Typhoon Wanda struck Hong Kong on 1 September 1962, when the Observatory recorded a sea-level pressure of 953.2 hPa, the lowest reading on record for the territory. The storm hit at a high tide, sending seawater surging into Tolo Harbour and leaving Sha Tin and Tai Po with the heaviest casualties. With low pressure, high tide and storm surge combining, low-lying coastal areas suffered badly, and Wanda is often remembered as one of the most destructive typhoons in post-war Hong Kong.
Source Hong Kong Observatory: report on Severe Typhoon Haikui (2311)（Hong Kong Observatory） · official publication
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1963 · 油麻地（伊利沙伯醫院）
Queen Elizabeth Hospital begins service, becoming the major hospital in central Kowloon and a territory-wide tertiary referral centre.
Memory On Gascoigne Road, Queen Elizabeth Hospital is the main hospital in central Kowloon and a tertiary referral centre.
Background Queen Elizabeth Hospital began service in 1963 on Gascoigne Road in Yau Ma Tei. It developed into the major hospital in central Kowloon and became a territory-wide tertiary referral centre. A tertiary referral centre receives complex or severe cases transferred from other hospitals, placing it at a higher tier within the hospital system. The hospital has since provided the main inpatient and emergency services for the central Kowloon area, and it also supports the wider hospital network through such referrals.
Source HA: Queen Elizabeth Hospital（Hospital Authority (Queen Elizabeth Hospital)） · official publication
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1963 · 離島（大嶼山石壁）
Shek Pik Reservoir completes as the largest-capacity reservoir in Hong Kong at the time, serving Lantau and outlying islands.
Memory Built in southern Lantau, it was then Hong Kong's largest reservoir, serving Lantau and the outlying islands.
Background Shek Pik Reservoir was completed in 1963 in southern Lantau and was then Hong Kong's largest reservoir by capacity. It mainly supplied residents of Lantau and the outlying islands, improving the water supply for communities along the coast and across the islands. Its completion shows how the government extended the water network beyond the urban areas to the outlying islands after the war in response to a growing population and rising demand for water, and it remains a landmark in Lantau's infrastructure history.
Source Waterworks milestones and heritage（Water Supplies Department） · official publication
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1963 · 銅鑼灣禮頓道（灣仔區）
Hong Kong's first grade-separated pedestrian footbridge is built across Leighton Road in 1963.
Memory Spanning Leighton Road and completed in 1963, it was Hong Kong’s first grade-separated pedestrian footbridge, after which ‘going up the footbridge’ became part of city life.
Background As traffic grew in post-war Hong Kong, planners looked for ways to keep pedestrians safe. In 1963 the government completed Hong Kong's first grade-separated pedestrian footbridge across Leighton Road in Causeway Bay, close to Victoria Park. By separating pedestrians from traffic on two different levels, the bridge reduced conflict between people and vehicles on a busy road. The design was widely adopted afterwards, and walking up a footbridge to cross the street gradually became an everyday feature of city life in Hong Kong.
Source Highways Department: Footbridges and Subways（Highways Department） · official publication
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1963-10-17 · 沙田（馬料水）
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is formally inaugurated, becoming Hong Kong's second university formed by New Asia, Chung Chi and United Colleges.
Memory Founded on the Fulton Commission's recommendations with Li Choh-ming as first vice-chancellor at Ma Liu Shui, Sha Tin, it kept the separate administrations and traditions of its three founding colleges.
Background On 17 October 1963, the Chinese University of Hong Kong was formally inaugurated, formed by the union of New Asia, Chung Chi and United Colleges and becoming the territory's second university. Its creation followed the recommendations of the Fulton Commission, with Li Choh-ming as its first vice-chancellor and a campus at Ma Liu Shui in Sha Tin. Each founding college retained its own administration and traditions, giving the university the collegiate system that still shapes its character. As only the second university in Hong Kong, it widened access to higher education beyond the one existing institution.
Source CUHK Calendar 2025-2026: Origin（The Chinese University of Hong Kong） · official publication
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1964-09-05 · 香港
Typhoon Ruby hits Hong Kong; the No.10 signal is issued.
Memory Ruby and, later that year, Dot both brought a No.10 signal, so 1964 saw two such warnings.
Background Typhoon Ruby struck Hong Kong on 5 September 1964 and brought the No.10 hurricane signal. Typhoon Dot hit the territory later the same year, also prompting a No.10 signal, so 1964 saw two such top-level warnings within a single year, an unusual occurrence. As the No.10 signal means hurricane-force winds are affecting the territory, two such events in one year placed notable strain on transport, fishing and daily life at the time.
Source Hong Kong Observatory: report on Severe Typhoon Haikui (2311)（Hong Kong Observatory） · official publication
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1965
The Dongjiang-Shenzhen water supply project is completed, with Dongjiang water flowing to Hong Kong to alleviate water shortages.
Memory Dongjiang water reached Hong Kong via the Shenzhen reservoir from March 1965, and the scheme was later expanded several times to meet rising demand.
Background The Dongjiang-Shenzhen water supply project was completed in 1965, with Dongjiang water reaching Hong Kong via the Shenzhen reservoir and easing the territory's long-standing water shortage. In earlier years Hong Kong relied mainly on local reservoirs and groundwater, and droughts forced water rationing. Supply under the scheme began formally in March 1965, and the project was expanded several times in response to rising demand. It became one of the key sources for Hong Kong's water supply and changed how the territory met its long-term needs.
Source Waterworks milestones and heritage（Water Supplies Department） · official publication
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1965-03 · 全港（東深供水）
The Dongjiang–Shenzhen water supply system is completed, starting Dongjiang water supply to Hong Kong and securing its stable supply.
Memory Dongjiang water reached Hong Kong via the East River supply system, later expanded several times to meet growing demand.
Background The Dongjiang–Shenzhen water supply system was completed in March 1965, and Dongjiang water has since been carried to Hong Kong through it, securing a stable water supply. Local reservoirs had limited capacity, and the severe drought of the early 1960s had forced water rationing, so imported Dongjiang water became a new source. The system has been expanded several times since to meet growing demand; it marked a major shift in how the city secured its water and reduced its reliance on uncertain local rainfall.
Source DEVB: Dongjiang water supply project（Development Bureau） · official publication
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1966 · 灣仔（香港貿易發展局）
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is established by statute to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong trade.
Memory A statutory body promoting Hong Kong's external trade, the HKTDC also runs trade facilities such as the Convention Centre.
Background The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) was established by statute in 1966. As a statutory body, it is tasked with promoting, assisting and developing Hong Kong's external trade. Its work includes helping local firms reach overseas markets and running trade-promotion facilities such as the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. With trade and exports central to Hong Kong's economy, the council took on the role of promoting the territory's goods and services abroad, giving exporters a dedicated body to support their overseas efforts.
Source HKTDC: About the Council（Hong Kong Trade Development Council） · official publication
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1966 · 沙田（香港中文大學）
The Graduate School of The Chinese University of Hong Kong is established.
Memory Set up soon after CUHK’s founding in 1963 and offering master’s and doctoral programmes, it underpinned the university’s research mission.
Background In 1966 the Graduate School of The Chinese University of Hong Kong was established, only a few years after CUHK itself was founded in 1963. By offering master's and doctoral programmes it tied teaching closely to research, underpinning the university's identity as a research institution and answering a growing local demand for advanced academic talent. Its creation marks a point at which higher education in Hong Kong began moving beyond undergraduate teaching toward organised, systematic research training.
Source CUHK: history of the university（The Chinese University of Hong Kong） · official publication
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1966-03-22 · 尖沙咀（海運大廈／海港城）
Ocean Terminal opens in Tsim Sha Tsui as Hong Kong's first large shopping centre and cruise terminal.
Memory Built by the Wharf group, it was later absorbed into Harbour City and forms part of today’s mall.
Background Ocean Terminal opened in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1966, built by the Wharf group, and was Hong Kong's first large shopping centre combined with a cruise terminal. It was later absorbed into Harbour City and forms part of today's large mall. The project pioneered the combination of a shopping centre with a passenger pier, reflecting the link between sea passenger traffic and retail development at the time. Official sources date its opening to 1966, with the opening day recorded as 22 March.
Source Harbour City Ocean Terminal official website（Harbour City Estates） · official publication
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1967 · 薄扶林（南區）
Wah Fu Estate is born, the first HA estate to embody a self-contained community concept.
Memory Built on a hillside in phases, Wah Fu was a large public estate on the urban fringe and part of many Hongkongers' collective memory.
Background Completed in 1967, Wah Fu Estate was the Housing Authority's first public estate built around the idea of a self-contained community. Constructed in phases on a hillside in Pok Fu Lam, it was unusually large for a public estate on the urban fringe. Shops, schools and community facilities within the estate allowed residents to meet most daily needs on the spot, and this planning approach influenced later public housing design in Hong Kong.
Source Housing Authority: Wah Fu Estate 50th Anniversary（Housing Authority） · official publication
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1967 · 全港
Hong Kong first introduces measles immunisation in 1967, a key starting point of the childhood vaccination programme.
Memory Introducing measles immunisation began Hong Kong's childhood vaccination programme, later extended to many diseases.
Background Hong Kong first introduced measles immunisation in 1967. This was a key starting point for the childhood vaccination programme, which later grew to cover many other infectious diseases. Measles is a highly contagious disease, and vaccination can reduce its spread within the community. With the introduction of the measles vaccine, childhood disease prevention in Hong Kong developed from single-disease vaccination into a more systematic immunisation programme, part of wider public health efforts to control infectious diseases in the territory. The vaccine thus became a lasting feature of child health services.
Source CHP Measles vaccination document（Centre for Health Protection, DOH） · official publication
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1967 · 九龍塘（香港生產力促進局）
The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is established by statute to promote increased productivity across Hong Kong business sectors.
Memory A statutory body giving industry technology, management and training support to raise productivity.
Background The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) was established by statute in 1967. As a statutory body, it works to raise productivity and operational efficiency across Hong Kong's business and industrial sectors. Its services cover technology, management and training support to help enterprises improve production and operations. As Hong Kong's industry developed after the war, the council took on the role of providing technical and management assistance to the sector, supporting local firms as manufacturing expanded. The council continues to provide such services to industry today.
Source HKPC: background（Hong Kong Productivity Council） · official publication
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1967 · 灣仔（司徒拔道）
Lingnan University is re-established on Stubbs Road in Hong Kong, continuing the tradition of Lingnan in the city.
Memory After Guangzhou's Lingnan University closed in 1952, alumni re-established it as 'Lingnan College' on Stubbs Road in 1967; it was retitled Lingnan University and became UGC-funded in 1999.
Background In 1967 Lingnan University was re-established on Stubbs Road in Hong Kong, continuing the educational tradition of the former Lingnan University in Guangzhou. After the Guangzhou institution closed in 1952, its alumni revived teaching in the city under the name Lingnan College, and in 1999 the college was retitled Lingnan University and brought under the University Grants Committee. The revival reflected how Hong Kong absorbed educational traditions that came south from the mainland after the war, and how such institutions gradually won full university status.
Source Lingnan University: Milestones（Lingnan University） · official publication
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1967-05-06
The 1967 leftist riots begin as a labour dispute and escalate into large-scale unrest lasting about six months.
Memory Spark from a labour dispute at a Kowloon factory, it grew into months of unrest, protests and bomb attacks.
Background On 6 May 1967 the 1967 leftist riots began in Hong Kong. The trouble was sparked by a labour dispute at a factory in Kowloon and grew into large-scale unrest lasting about six months, including rioting, demonstrations and bomb attacks. The unrest was one of the most serious tests of public order and government in post-war Hong Kong, and it continued for months before coming to an end after about half a year of unrest and bomb attacks. The riots began as a labour dispute and escalated over the months that followed.
Source Hong Kong Yearbook 2021, Chapter 22: History（Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region） · official publication
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1967-11-14 · 黃大仙（獅子山隧道）
The Lion Rock Tunnel, the first road tunnel in Hong Kong, opens on 14 November 1967 linking Sha Tin and Kowloon.
Memory Opened amid the expansion of the road network; dates cited for the official opening vary around 14 November 1967.
Background Opened on 14 November 1967, the Lion Rock Tunnel linked Sha Tin and Kowloon as Hong Kong's first road tunnel. Governor David Trench officiated at the ribbon-cutting, and its Kowloon end runs through the Lung Cheung Road and Lion Rock Tunnel Road area into Wong Tai Sin district. Amid the continued expansion of the road network, the tunnel offered a new route between Sha Tin and Kowloon and paved the way for later development of the eastern New Territories. The official transport statistics date the opening to 14 November, though some sources count an open day.
Source Transport Department: non-harbour crossings table 3.2(a)（Transport Department） · official publication
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1967-11-14 · 九龍／沙田（獅子山）
The first tube of the Lion Rock Tunnel opens, the first vehicular tunnel in Hong Kong linking Kowloon and Sha Tin.
Memory Hong Kong's first road tunnel, opened by Governor Trench, linked Kowloon and Sha Tin.
Background On 14 November 1967 the first tube of the Lion Rock Tunnel opened, the first vehicular tunnel in Hong Kong, with Governor Trench presiding at the opening. Boring through Lion Rock, it linked Kowloon with Sha Tin and cut a journey that had previously wound over mountain roads. As the first road tunnel joining Kowloon and the New Territories, it improved access to Sha Tin and helped prepare the ground for the new town that later grew there. It also set a pattern for the tunnel-building programme that followed.
Source HyD: Road Tunnels of Hong Kong（Highways Department） · official publication
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1967-11-19 · 九龍塘（電視廣播城前身）
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) begins broadcasting, the first free-to-air television station in Hong Kong.
Memory TVB began over-the-air broadcasting, marking a shift from the earlier cable service, Rediffusion.
Background Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) began broadcasting in November 1967, becoming Hong Kong's first free-to-air television station. It used over-the-air transmission, so viewers could watch without a wired connection, marking a shift from the earlier cable service, Rediffusion. Free wireless television lowered the barrier to viewing and helped bring the medium into ordinary households. Recorded by official corporate sources, this date is a landmark in Hong Kong's broadcasting history.
Source TVB corporate information（Television Broadcasts Limited） · official publication
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1968 · 灣仔
After the late-1960s reclamation of Wan Chai, the Wan Chai Ferry Pier is relocated from the Gloucester Road area to its present site beside the Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Memory The new pier stood where the Convention Centre area is today, though later reclamation and expansion changed the shoreline again.
Background Wan Chai was reclaimed again in the late 1960s, and the Wan Chai Ferry Pier moved from the Gloucester Road area to its present site beside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The new pier stood where the Convention Centre area is today, though later reclamation and expansion of the centre left the original site very different from its present look. The Wan Chai District Council confirms the pier was relocated to the present site after that reclamation, but the exact date has not been verified by a first-hand official source.
Source Wan Chai District Council: History of the Wan Chai Ferry Pier（Wan Chai District Council） · official publication
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1968 · 大埔（船灣）
Plover Cove Reservoir completes as the first reservoir built in the sea in Hong Kong.
Memory Formed by damming a sea inlet, it is often described as the first large freshwater reservoir built in the sea.
Background Plover Cove Reservoir was completed in 1968 as the first large reservoir built in the sea in Hong Kong. The project dammed off a sea inlet, pumped out the seawater and filled the basin with fresh water, and is often described as the first large freshwater reservoir built in the sea. This approach overcame the limits of inland sites for reservoirs and increased Hong Kong's water storage capacity; its design is still often seen as an example of bold engineering, even today.
Source Waterworks milestones and heritage（Water Supplies Department） · official publication
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1969 · 全港（公共小型巴士）
Public light buses are legalised as a regulated vehicle class in 1969, originally limited to 14 seats.
Memory Once regularised, minibuses became a legal vehicle class, initially limited to fourteen seats and later sixteen.
Background In 1969 the government brought public light buses into regulated public transport, making them a legal vehicle class, at first limited to fourteen seats and later raised to sixteen. Before this, many minibuses operated informally; once regularised they had to be licensed, filling a role between buses and taxis. The change both answered demand for flexible feeder services and brought scattered small-scale passenger services under government control, and the minibus has since become a familiar part of daily travel in Hong Kong.
Source Transport Department: public light buses（Transport Department） · official publication
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1969-11-24 · 中環（中西區）
The Hang Seng Index launches on 24 November 1969, Hong Kong's first stock market index.
Memory Compiled by Hang Seng Bank with base date 31 July 1964=100, reflecting overall market performance.
Background The Hang Seng Index was launched on 24 November 1969 as Hong Kong's first stock market index. Compiled by Hang Seng Bank with a base date of 31 July 1964 set at 100, it was designed to reflect the overall performance of the local market. Before its introduction the market lacked a single, widely recognised gauge of overall movement; the index supplied a common reference point for investors and market participants and became a standard measure of Hong Kong share performance.
Source Hang Seng Indexes: Index Series（Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited） · official publication
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