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The Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate was constructed in the 1960s as one of Hong Kong’s earliest public housing developments. Just prior to its scheduled demolition four decades later, John Choy was commissioned to photograph the soon-to-be deserted estate. To his surprise, Choy found himself deeply affected by the crumbling housing blocks and their residents. He became determined to create an in-depth record of not just the estate, but a unique way of life.
Created over a period of a year, Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate gives a sense of how the human spirit transcends the narrow physical confines of the man-made environment. By keeping the spotlight firmly and intimately on the estate’s residents, Choy’s photographs build an unusually full impression of individual subjects and the bonds between them.