Wah Fu Green Delight: Celebrating Memories, Craft and Community

As Wah Fu Estate enters the countdown to clearance and relocation, its more than 50-year history is coming into focus. Built in the 1960s, Wah Fu has grown into more than a public housing development: a familiar neighbourhood shaped by generations of residents, everyday routines and shared memories. The estate is scheduled to be demolished in three phases, with completion estimated by 2041, residents are preparing to leave a place many have called home for decades.

Curated by onebite design, Wah Fu Green Delight was created as a community event to celebrate the estate and support residents through this period of transition. This programme unfolded in three interconnected parts, combining practical assistance, cultural heritage and collective celebration. More than a journey into the past, the carnival created an opportunity for residents to carry their memories and traditions forward as they prepared for the next stage of their lives.

The first part was in collaboration with the Housing Authority, where we connected residents with renovation experts to carry out home maintenance work before the residents are required to move out.

The second part explored the tradition of the fire dragon dance, which visited Wah Fu Estate during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Many residents would have watched the dragon parade through the estate over the years. Through a three-hour dragon-head bamboo-binding workshop, residents ranging from the age of 4 to over 75 joined the workshop and had the opportunity to learn how the frame is made to experience this living cultural tradition through their own hands.

For the third part of the programme, residents brought forward old belongings in search of forgotten treasures and stories. The Sheung Wan Sewing Squad, from our Project House 1QRW initiative, reached out to the community and helped alter old clothes so they could be worn again. Electrical and electronic equipment was collected under the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), helping residents dispose of unwanted items properly.

A series of workshops invited participants to recycle paper and transform used cans into bird ornaments. A public wall workshop also brought residents together to co-create a mural that reflected the neighbourhood’s collective identity. The carnival opened with an interactive performance, inviting local residents and students to take part in the celebration and experience the dragon dance. Throughout the event, participation was enthusiastic and deeply personal. Residents actively sought help to sort through belongings they might not be able to bring to their new flats. At the same time, they were making the most of every remaining moment in Wah Fu Estate and joined as many activities as they could.

Wah Fu Green Delight was more than a carnival. It was a space for repair, remembrance and letting go: a way for the community to care for its homes, pass on its traditions and celebrate the stories embedded in the estate before its next chapter begins.