Shek Kip Mei (石硤尾) is an area in New Kowloon, the North Eastern Kowloon Peninsula of Hong Kong. A fire broke out there in 1953, which destroyed all the makeshift homes of the immigrants from Mainland China fled to Hong Kong, has resulted in the launching of the public housing programme in Hong Kong. After the fire, the government launched a programe to build public apartments for the population living there. The government then destroyed the rest of the makeshift houses left untouched by the fire and built several new public apartment called Shek Kip Mei Low-cost Housing Estate (石硤尾廉租屋邨). The people in those apartments shared one toilet and each apartment was about only 300 feet but accommodated about 5 people each. The rent was $14 dollars a month in those apartment. In contrast, the rent for a commercial store downstairs was $100 per month. New Kowloon is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tates Cairn and Kowloon Peak. ... The Kowloon Peninsula, commonly referred to as Kowloon, is a peninsula, in the south of the mainland part of the Hong Kong territory. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... In this map of China, the light-coloured areas represent Mainland China, while yellow coloured area refers to Taiwan. ... Public housing or social housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... An apartment (or flat) is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building. ...

These houses were visited by tourists and they were known to them as a "prison".

The Government now has plans to redevelop the area, however, backed off under great opposition as many believe they symbolized the history of Hong Kong.

Shek Kip Mei now has several housing include the pulic apartments Pak Tin Estate and the private housing such as Beacon Heights and Dynasty Heights.

Shek Kip Mei has several malls and churches.

It is served by Shek Kip Mei Station of MTR. Shek Kip Mei (石硤尾, Jyutping: sek6 gip6 mei5, pinyin: Shíxiáwěi) is a station on the Hong Kong MTR Kwun Tong Line. ... Logo of the MTR corporation Causeway Bay station on the Island Line. ...