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An Overview of the Hall System at The University of Hong Kong

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ScopeUniversity-wideScopeCollegeEra1910sEra1920sEra1950sEra1960sEra1980sEra1990sEra2000sEra2010sEra2020sGenreGeneral historyGenreInstitutionalGenreDataThemeHall cultureThemeUniversity originsThemeStudent organizations

This is the master index for HKU’s accommodation system. HKU operates a hall system, not a collegiate system: undergraduates join a hall of residence, which sits alongside their academic faculty and provides whole-person education and community life. In-depth profiles of individual halls live in separate files within this directory; this page offers the system-wide overview, the evolutionary timeline, and a quick-reference table of every hall.

1. How the system works: halls vs colleges

HKU’s accommodation model descends from British university traditions. According to the HKU Undergraduate Handbook, every full-time undergraduate must apply for formal membership of at least one hall or residential college; even if a student never secures a room, their hall affiliation is an institutional component of campus life.

Dimension HKU Hall System CUHK College System
Established 1912 (St. John’s precursor) 1963 (three founding colleges merged)
Teaching function Does not directly manage teaching Colleges run general-education / college-based courses
Student affiliation Hall Member College Member
Non-residential identity “Non-Residential Hall” category exists College membership does not depend on residence

2. Timeline of development

(i) 1912–1950s: Laying the British foundation

Year Event
1912 The Anglican Church Missionary Society establishes the precursor of St. John’s Hall (St. John’s Hall), HKU’s first hall of residence; it welcomes its first students as soon as lectures begin
1913 Lugard Hall opens as the first university-run male residence; Eliot Hall (1914) and May Hall (1915) follow soon afterwards — the three later merge to become the “Old Halls”
1929 Ricci Hall, founded by the Jesuits, officially opens on 16 December 1929, remaining HKU’s only Catholic hall
1941–1945 All halls close during the war; buildings suffer damage under Japanese occupation
1951 Lady Ho Tung Hall is founded, housing 85 women in its first year — for decades it remains HKU’s only all-female hall
1953 Hornell Hall (men) and Duchess of Kent Hall (women) are established
1954 The University purchases the castle at 144 Pokfulam Road (formerly the Nazareth House / Douglas Castle) for HK$1.6 million
1955–1956 St. John’s College (under its current name) moves to its present site at the junction of Pokfulam Road and Pokfield Road; University Hall formally opens in 1956 with about 52 residents

(ii) 1960s–1990s: Expansion

Year Event
1967 Robert Black College is founded, serving postgraduates and visitors
1968 The old Morrison Hall is demolished
1969 The three Old Halls are formally unified under the name “Old Halls”
1980 Swire Hall officially opens on 11 November, funded by the Swire Group
1985 Simon K.Y. Lee Hall opens with 300 places — the first project of the Simon K.Y. Lee Foundation
1992 The Old Halls officially close; Lee Hysan Hall and R.C. Lee Hall are founded in the same year
1994 Wei Lun Hall opens, supported by the Wei Lun Foundation
1995 Lee Chi Hung Hall (non-residential) is founded
1998 Lady Ho Tung Hall is refurbished; Graduate House opens

(iii) 2000s–present: Jockey Club Student Villages and residential colleges

Year Event
2001 Jockey Club Student Village I (91 Pokfulam Road) is completed; Starr Hall (500 places, HKU’s largest hall) opens, and Lady Ho Tung Hall moves into the village
2005 Jockey Club Student Village II (109 Pokfulam Road) is completed; the rebuilt Morrison Hall opens, joined by Lee Shau Kee Hall and Suen Chi Sun Hall
2012 Four residential colleges are created at Jockey Club Student Village III (Lung Wah Street, Kennedy Town): Shun Hing College, Chi Sun College, Lap-Chee College, and New College
2015 The official inauguration ceremony of Jockey Club Student Village III takes place

3. Hall quick-reference table (2025/26)

Residential halls (under CEDARS)

Hall English name Founded Gender Approx. places Notes
University Hall University Hall 1956 Male ~110 Housed in a historic castle (Tudor/Gothic Revival), the hall with the richest heritage
Ricci Hall Ricci Hall 1929 Male ~250 Founded by the Jesuits; HKU’s only Catholic hall
Morrison Hall Morrison Hall 2005 (rebuilt) Mixed ~300 Originally 1913, demolished 1968, rebuilt 2005
Lady Ho Tung Hall Lady Ho Tung Hall 1951 Female ~400 HKU’s only all-female hall
Swire Hall Swire Hall 1980 Mixed ~400 Supported by the Swire Group; located on the eastern edge of the main campus
Simon K.Y. Lee Hall Simon K.Y. Lee Hall 1985 Mixed ~500 First project of the Simon K.Y. Lee Foundation
Lee Hysan Hall Lee Hysan Hall 1992 Mixed ~400 Motto: Unity, Harmony, Choice and Responsibility
R.C. Lee Hall R.C. Lee Hall 1992 Mixed ~400 Motto: Freedom and Responsibility, Unity in Diversity
Wei Lun Hall Wei Lun Hall 1994 Mixed ~400 Supported by the Wei Lun Foundation; near the medical campus
Starr Hall Starr Hall 2001 Mixed 500 HKU’s largest residential hall
Lee Shau Kee Hall Lee Shau Kee Hall 2005 Mixed 300 High proportion of international students (over one-third non-local)
Suen Chi Sun Hall Suen Chi Sun Hall 2005 Mixed ~350 Supported by the Suen Chi Sun Charitable Foundation

Residential colleges (Jockey Club Student Village III, Kennedy Town)

According to an HKU press release (2015 inauguration), Jockey Club Student Village III provides 1,800 places, 67% of which are for non-local students, and was named through a HK$108.25 million donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust:

College English name Named after
Shun Hing College Shun Hing College The Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund (which has partnered with HKU for over thirty years)
Chi Sun College Chi Sun College The Suen Chi Sun Charitable Foundation (the same foundation that earlier supported Suen Chi Sun Hall)
Lap-Chee College Lap-Chee College Commemorates HKU’s 14th Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lap-Chee Tsui
New College New College The Tung Foundation

Non-Residential Halls

Hall English name Founded Gender
Hornell Hall Hornell Hall 1953 Male
Duchess of Kent Hall Duchess of Kent Hall 1953 Female
Lee Chi Hung Hall Lee Chi Hung Hall 1995 Mixed

Postgraduate residences

Residence Founded Capacity Notes
Robert Black College 1967 — Postgraduates and visitors
Graduate House 1998 197 188 single rooms + 9 doubles
Mui Fong House — 250 Sai Ying Pun, predominantly single rooms
Ching Lin Terrace — 105 Former Han Wah College premises

4. St. John’s College (separate profile)

St. John’s College is HKU’s oldest residential unit (roots in 1912) and holds a unique legal status — it was established under the St. John’s College Ordinance (Cap. 1089 of the Laws of Hong Kong), making it the only hall within HKU constituted under its own piece of legislation as a “College.” For the full story, see the St. John’s College profile.

5. The four great traditional halls

Among HKU’s halls, the following four are collectively known as the “four great traditional halls” by virtue of their long history and deep-rooted cultures:

  1. University Hall — Housed since 1956 in the old castle; a male hall. Detailed profile
  2. St. John’s College — Precursor from 1912, founded by the Anglican Church. Detailed profile
  3. Ricci Hall — Founded by the Jesuits in 1929; a male hall. Detailed profile
  4. Lady Ho Tung Hall — Founded in 1951; HKU’s only all-female hall. Detailed profile

Sources

Sources · verify independently

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Further reading
Residence · Same person/event HKU Hall Culture in Full: A Century of High Table Dinners, Committee Elections, and the Seniority System High Table Dinners, committee elections, and the seniori Colleges · Same person/event University Hall: An Old Castle, a Copper Spiral Staircase, and a Century of Brotherhood The main building of University Hall can be traced back Colleges · Same person/event St. John's College: HKU's oldest residential community The predecessor of St. John's College was founded in 191 Colleges · Same person/event Ricci Hall: Founded by the Jesuits in 1929, Hong Kong's Only Catholic Hall Ricci Hall was founded and opened by the Society of Jesu Colleges · Same person/event Lady Ho Tung Hall: HKU’s Only All-Women’s Residential Hall Lady Ho Tung Hall was built in 1951 with a HK$1 million