Cheung Chau Info Center

Cheung Chau Cinema is located at San Hing Back Street, covering more than 30,000 square feet. It served the neighbourhood for more than 60 years (1931–1997) and was rated as a Grade III historic building on September 2, 2011. Before the construction of a permanent cinema on Cheung Chau, entertainment for the islanders was watching Chinese Opera during deities' festivals and the Tai Ping Ching Chiu (Bun) Festival. Most performances were held inside temporary buildings. Other forms of performance, such as traditional puppet shows, were mainly held by private drama groups in public squares and in front of temples. There was no fixed and permanent place for film showing on the Island until the completion of Cheung Chau Cinema in Autumn 1931. According to the record of government historic buildings, Cheung Chau Cinema was one of the only two cinemas built in the New Territories before the World Wars.

Cheung Chau Cinema, built 1931

The land where the Cinema stands belonged to Wong Wai Tsak Tong in 1898, according to the colonial land record. Before that, the land was leased for stock raising, occupied by small shacks without any permanent building. In 1931, Mr. Yiu bought the land and built Cheung Chau Cinema. The Cinema resumed operation after the Second World War, with more Chinese immigrating to the Island in the late 1940s and 1950s, bringing booming business. During the 1950s, the Cinema was invested by movie tycoon Mr. Deacon Chiu (邱德根), who came to Hong Kong from Shanghai after the war. It became one of 14 cinemas run under Far East Entertainment Limited.

With new investment, Cheung Chau Cinema underwent several improvements, including new internal facilities and an increase of seats to nearly 600 at peak. According to senior residents, business was booming between the 1960s and early 1980s. Crowds always gathered at the entrance waiting for film showings. Hawkers selling grilled squid, sugar cane, and preserved plums gathered at the entrance. Large film posters attracted passers-by to enter and watch movies.

Although the Cinema ceased operation in 1997, it was often missed by Hong Kong people. A movie "Just One Look" (一碌蔗) was filmed there in 2002. It was renovated for this purpose, but fell into disrepair again. The pitched roof of the central auditorium collapsed between 2004 and 2005. In 2012, the cinema and adjacent land were sold to the current owner. As one of only two surviving prewar cinemas in Hong Kong, the new owner recognises its great historical value, making conservation of the main building the key essence of the revitalisation project. The cinema's mission focuses on cultural inheritance — promoting intangible cultural heritage through workshops, film sharing, and linkage to the metaverse, allowing locals and tourists to experience the traditional culture of Cheung Chau and Hong Kong.

The building was built by Li Shing Ki of Cheung Chau, using local stones for load-bearing walls and reinforced concrete for the floor and flat roof. It was located just one street behind the busiest market, near the pier. The Cinema was designed with an elaborate gable wall bearing the name board "長洲戲院" in Chinese. Beside the name are eight small characters — "秋季" (Autumn) meaning the Cinema was completed in Autumn 1931. The name board was clearly visible from the pier in the old days, when the surroundings were all low-lying houses. These words are still there today! The Cinema was designed as a dual-role entertainment building: a raised stage for live performance and a white screen for film projection. Initially only silent Chinese films were shown. Storytellers were employed to explain the silent scenes to the audience before audio films were introduced.

Two sets of vintage 35mm Peerless Magnarc Type F movie projectors stood at the centre of the projection room, connected by pipes leading to exhaust fans on the roof. There were two doors on each side for exit after screenings. A concrete cantilevered story-teller platform stood in the middle — a special feature dating back to the silent movie era of the early 1930s, when interpreters were needed. Skirting-level tracks were installed at the side walls to guide exit paths in the dark. The auditorium originally had over 500 seats arranged in 18 rows of 15, separated by a crossing corridor. Seats were made of metal frames with plastic folding seats, fixed firmly on the cement floor and painted green. The floor was designed with slight falls from rear to front for unobstructed views. Windows on the side walls were fitted with timber windows, painted glass panes, and inner grilles.

When the Cinema first started, each ticket only cost a few cents. Later, services were enhanced with both Chinese and Hollywood films. According to a Hong Kong magazine, tickets were divided into three classes: HK$0.7, HK$1.2, and HK$1.5. The most expensive class was in the central portion of the auditorium. The Cinema ceased operation after showing its last film on July 4, 1997. Before closure, ticket prices had risen to $20 and then $25, with complimentary tickets attached. The Cinema showed three sessions daily: 1:30pm, 4:30pm, and 7:30pm, later changed to 1:30pm, 7:30pm, and 9:30pm. According to residents, this was to suit the ferry schedules when most residents returned from Hong Kong Island.