Vignettes of the World
At the fringe of the old district of To Kwa Wan, there is an ensemble of red brick buildings, exuding and atypical colonial nostalgia in this part of eastern Kowloon. Known as the Cattle Depot of To Kwa Wan, this site was, for as long …
Stanley is a familiar place to all in Hong Kong. Located by the southeastern waters of Hong Kong, Stanley was the first site of settlement for the British colonial administers. It is named after the British Colonial Secretary, Lord (Edward Henry) Stanley. Stanley was the …
The Christ the King Chapel was a pleasant surprise. Tucked away in the quieter space between Causeway Bay and Tin Hau, the chapel comes with beautiful neoclassical architecture and a generous garden space. A short walk here from the thoroughfare of Causeway Bay offers a respite that calms one’s spirit.
The Christ the King Chapel is part of the St. Paul’s Convent Church ensemble of buildings under the Order of the Sisters of St. Paul Chartre. In its vicinity lies the St. Paul’s Hospital and St. Paul’s Convent School.
Regem Regum Venite Adoremus
“Let us adore the King of Kings,” as the Latin phrase lies just beneath the chapel’s pediment. It was in the name of Christ’s glory that the Order of the Sisters of the St. Paul’s Chartre first arrived in Hong Kong in 1848 from France, with the aim of apostolic mission in the newly established British colony.
The Sisters of St. Paul put their charitable mission into action soon after they arrived, as they received the first orphan under their care. They would take in thousands more in the decades to come.
From the initial work in rescuing abandoned children, the Sisters extended their services to educating the orphans, then to children in general. They also began caring for the elderly and disabled. From that came the provision of medical care, namely, the St. Paul’s Hospital.
Expansion became necessary when the Sisters began offering more and more services to the community. From their original workplace in Wan Chai, the Order of the Sisters of St. Paul‘s Chartre moved to a factory building in Causeway Bay in 1915. Thus they had the venue to build permanent institutions for their services. It was around this time that Mother Felicie Jourdan was praying for a chapel to serve the spiritual needs of the Sisters.
In 1928, the foundation stone was laid for the chapel. It was dedicated and celebrated for use in 1930. The name “Christ the King Chapel” was a name given since 1995. The original features of the chapel were carefully preserved throughout its renovations.
Although the chapel is in fact big enough to accommodate 1,000 worshippers at a given time, it is named a chapel because it was always meant to be a place of private prayers for the Sisters. Although it does hold Sunday mass now, the chapel is still considered a private venue and there is no wedding celebration there.
Christ the King Chapel is the work of architect Joseph V Chanatong, who drew upon Roman architectural inspiration with Corinthian columns as the chapel’s key feature, and a covered colonnade lines the three exterior sides of the nave.
A cruciform plan serves as the basic layout of the building. There is a beautiful pediment and a dome to complete the Classical Revival style. Atop the gabled roof is a beautiful bell tower.
It is noteworthy that, amidst a generally western design, the roof of Christ the King Chapel is lined with double Chinese tiles.
Christ the King Chapel is a Grade 1 Historic Building.
The address of Christ the King Chapel is 33 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. The interior of the chapel is open to public during Sunday service.
Historic Building Appraisal Number 87, Antiquities Assessment Board.
The Sisters of St. Paul Chartre on Christ the King Chapel.
We were the only tour in this slightly overcast afternoon. Armando began the stories of Corregidor as our tour bus took us to the first spot, the Battery Way. The Middleside Barracks We passed by the Middleside Barracks, it being located in the middle section …
During the Spanish colonial times (1565 to 1898), Corregidor was already a location of choice as the Spanish site of maritime administration. Any ship that was to pass through to Manila Bay had to show their papers at Corregidor and have their goods inspected. The …
The date of my visit at Corregidor is June 23, 2026.
Corregidor, as derived from the Spanish word “corregimiento,” means “corrector” or “magistrate.” It is pronounced “cor-RE-idor”, where the “g” is silent.
At the cusp of Japan’s successful occupation of the Philippines during the early stages of the Pacific War, there was never any doubt that surrender in Corregidor was the best possible outcome for the island and the stationing forces — although not before a brutal battle was fought at the island.
Corregidor is one of the four islands that constituted the collective harbor defense of Manila Bay at Cavite. Corregidor, being the largest of the four, was a fortified island since the Spanish colonial times. The four islands of Corregidor (Fort Mills), El Fraile Island (Fort Drum), Caballo Island (Fort Hughes), and Carabao Island (Fort Frank) served defensive functions throughout the American colonial times. When the Americans took over the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, they fortified further the smaller islands close to Corregidor. Fort Drum became known as the “Concrete Battleship” because it was completely built into the shape and form of a battleship in 1909 and fitted with turrets.
At the fall of the Bataan Peninsula, Corregidor was the “last man standing” in terms of the United States’ presence in the Asia Pacific. The original plan was to hold out for 60 days, as a way to delay Japan’s rapid succession of its attacks in Asia. The troops held on for five months and that has resulted in a tactical advantage in the eventual trajectory of the Pacific War.
General Macarthur: I shall return.
When General MacArthur left Corregidor in March 1942, the island was left in the command of Major General Jonathan M. Wainwright. The longstanding rivalry between the army and the navy was so significant that General MacArthur, being a general of the United States Army, had to leave the island in its northern dock (he was heading south to Australia) because the Navy had the southern part of Corregidor.
Corregidor is shaped like a tadpole, with a pointy tail on its eastern end. The island has a total area of about 2,200 acres (5.5 square kilometers). As it had a long history serving as the military bases for both the Spanish and the Americans, there are an enormous number of military facilities there.
To name a few, there are three large barracks (Bottomside, Middleside and Topside) that came with full-serviced venues for culture and recreation (indoor swimming pool, theater, church), more than 20 batteries with 56 guns and mortars installed, and the famous Malinta Tunnel. Half a day was a rush for one to tour just some of the key infrastructures on the island.
It does take some luck for one to be able to visit Corregidor these days. Before the COVID 19 pandemic, tours would run throughout the day in the island. At its heyday, the Corregidor Tour would operate in ten tourist buses throughout any day of the week. Tourism boomed to a point of a proper hotel being run on the island to accommodate overnight stay. Needless to say, that all tours stopped during the pandemic. It is a great pity that tourism in Corregidor has never revived since (and we learned about the possible reasons during the tour too). All but one tour bus is now serving the sparsely scheduled tours at the island.
I looked online and found some potential operators. The first one that I approached was bounced back as an email that no longer existed. I then approached Villa Carmen Resort. I am grateful for Villa Carmen Resort for its professionalism in handling my request throughout the planning. The wonderful staff have the ready mindset to solve problems and to offer a world-class tour experience.
If you are willing to pay a very high cost, the tour can run for 1-2 people in a private setting. Although I was exceedingly keen to see the island, the cost for 1 person in a private tour was frankly way out of my budget (they would charge a solo tourist the cost for 2). I happened to be able to sign up for a potential group tour that requires 9 participants for it to be offered. The tour was finally confirmed in the second last day before I was due to fly out to Manila. In the meantime, I took the risk in booking my accommodation in Mariveles for the night before the tour without having the confirmation of the tour.
Although a day trip from Manila to the Bataan Province is possible, it requires a very early morning start (5 to 6 am the latest) for a private car to arrive at Corregidor for the late morning session of the tour at 11am. If all runs well, you will end the tour at 4pm, and take 3.5 hours of a private ride back to Manila on the same day.
There used to be a ferry that ran between Manila and the Bataan Peninsula, but it no longer operates. Land transportation is the only way from Manila to Bataan. I took a local bus (more than four hours one way) from Manila. Private car would be very expensive, but it takes less than four hours.
In the morning of the tour, I further had the problem of having to head out to Villa Carmen Resort from my hotel in Mariveles. The ride would take a good 45 minutes. There were bus lines that ran in the area, but I opted for a tricycle. The ride was very bumpy but it was the right choice.
I think it would make sense, for the purpose of the Corregidor tour, for one to opt for Villa Carmen Resort as the accommodation of choice in Bataan.
Transportation in the Bataan Province come in two options. One is the bus, and the other is the tricycle. It is a fair practice for you to tell the tricycle driver the distance that is required, and there is a standard rate for the distance traveled. From Mariveles to Villa Carmen, I paid 300 pesos and I did not think that the driver ripped me off.
I was delighted to arrive at Villa Carmen early in the morning. The tour was to begin at 11am and I had coffee at their seaside restaurant with al fresco seating for an hour before the tour. The day was slightly overcast to start, but that fit the mood perfectly. War history is meant to be gloomy.
Perhaps it is no surprise that Americans are the keen tourists for this type of historical tour. All of the tour members are Americans. That guaranteed cordiality throughout our time together.
And here I would just like to give top kudos to our wonderful Filipino guide, Armando. He gave impassioned speeches throughout the tour that moved us by the words and the spirit. With conviction, he spoke about the injustice that was done to the Philippines during the Pacific War. No, not just by the Japanese, but also in the way that the Americans have not managed to do enough for the Filipinos either. It was a sombre occasion for all.
From the Zero Kilometer Death March Park, the van took the tour group to board a boat. We were on our way to the island, finally. On our way, we passed by the Sisiman Cove, where the PT boats once docked for their night patrol missions.
When I arrived, the first impression of Corregidor was, “it is now, finally, at peace.”
Application for the Corregidor Island to be a UNESCO World Heritage has been submitted and it is on the tentative list for consideration.
Tour of the Corregidor by Villa Carmen Resort
The Wikipedia on Corregidor.
The UNESCO Tentative List on Corregidor.
The Wikipedia on Fort Drum.
Mtncorg, Artillery of Corregidor – Big Guns on an Island, Meandering Through the Prologue.
On my way to Mariveles (pronounced “ma-ri-VEI-les”), I checked Google Map impatiently because the bus ride was taking a very long time. As the bus passed through the mountainous road going southwest, I noticed something quite unusual. A pin on the Google map says, “Death …
The Fire Dragon of Tai Hang is an event of immense significance not only for the local community of Tai Hang, but also for Hong Kong. It has been included in the third list of national intangible heritage in China since 2011. The Fire Dragon …
The Nanzhong School 南中學校 of Shenzhen is breathtakingly beautiful.
Shenzhen is proud of its libraries, and rightly so. There is a long list of libraries in Shenzhen that caters to all interests, from small community reading rooms to state-of-the-art heaven for bookworms.
The Nanzhong School, as it is revived since 2018, is a small community library in the Pingshan District of Shenzhen. I paid a visit in September 2026.
The Nanzhong School came into being in 1931 as the combined school for the Duimianhan Cun and Shushanbei Cun Villages. Its story was significant in two ways. First, the school was the very manifestation of the two villages’ good will. In the beginning, Duimianhan Cun and Shushanbei Cun did not get along. In an effort to bring forth reconciliation, the two villages decided to send their children to one school. The school was thus created with peacemaking in mind.
Furthermore, the Nanzhong School was one of the first schools in Shenzhen that embraced the new curriculum post 1911 Revolution, which overturned the Qing dynasty (and supposedly all things feudal). The former educational emphases on the Chinese classics was replaced by modern objectives in natural sciences in this school.
All parties saw the Nanzhong School as a worthy cause and the work began in full motion. Hong Kong based overseas Chinese Hui Kei Cheuk supplied the land. Hui Yeung Shing contributed 1/3 of the costs. Then the villagers contributed the rest, be it in money or in effort.
The name Nanzhong consisted of the two characters, “Nan” (of Xiunan National Primary School) and and “Zhong” (of Peizhong National Primary School), each word taken from one character in the names of the two former villages schools.
The school children of both villages attended Nanzhong School. Soon enough, the school acquired a very good reputation with its educational approach. By 1954, its student body grew to more than 300 as further neighborhood schools were merged into Nanzhong School. The school has thus carried forth the original purpose of bringing unity to the immediate neighborhood, indeed elevating itself to a significance that has far reaching impact for Shenzhen as well.
The Nanzhong School building exhibits some typical characteristics of buildings built by overseas Chinese, in a “fusion” style, called Chinese eclectic, that involves notable Chinese and western elements.
Commentators suggest that the Nanzhong School shows a Southeast Asian style, a key feature of which were the columns that line amidst the “flying eaves,” which are considered features of traditional Chinese architecture. The rolling arched top in the façade stands out as the indicator of the fusion intention in the architectural design.
Finally, the porch stands prominently featuring three plain arched entrances, with corresponding arches in the open balcony on second floor in more ornate details, including decorative partition columns.
The two-story building is built of bricks and concrete, with white walls and black tiles. The words “Nanzhong School” as they appear now were part of the effort to restore the old building.
Perhaps no one was spared of the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and it was the turning point for the Nanzhong School as well. The school declined from its heyday at that historical point and eventually moved out of its original venue during the 1980s. The beautiful school building was left in ruins for decades.
Fast forward to 2012, there were plans to pull down the old school building to make way for road construction. The surrounding area of Pingshan District is now home to the Shenzhen Technology University. By all measures, the urban landscape of the Pingshan District is that of sophistication and learnedness.
But that is also why the Nanzhong School was preserved. There were calls in the community to keep the school, and the authority acceded to such calls. In 2017, the Shenzhen Municipality declared Nanzhong School as a historical building. There is a roundabout now right outside of the school as the Plan B that was carried out to preserve and revive the heritage of Nanzhong School.
I think it is incredibly smart that the school now serves as a small library (it has a collection of books but I think it positions itself more like a community reading room). There is a café there as well. I was very eager to spend an afternoon there doing my writing at this wonderfully bookish venue.
It takes 2.5 hours for me to get to the Nanzhong School from Hong Kong (and I already live in the closest town to China in Hong Kong). On the day of visit, which was September 8, 2026, the school was closed for repairs. I was told that the date of reopening is not known yet.
But just a quick look at the library gave me goosebumps. It is so calm, so comfortable, and so “new literati.” I can’t wait to visit again when it is reopened. It really is worth the trip from Hong Kong.
www.newton.com.tw, Nanzhong School.
The Wikipedia on the Nanzhong School (Chin).
There are two kinds of heritage dining. Proper heritage dining is to eat at a restaurant that comes with a long history. Its food, its story and its business are all part of the heritage, its value lies in the intangible qualities of the dining …