Hong Kong’s spookiest ghost stories and urban legends

This 1989 incident is (in)famous for being the only case that the Hong Kong authorities have tacitly agreed to be supernatural. In December that year, the Chiu Yong Kee cha chaan teng in Tai Po Tin took a phone order for four people’s worth of food, to be delivered to a unit in Hei Sau Gardens located in western Tai Po Tin. Money was handed to the delivery person through an opened crack in the door and the food was asked to be placed outside. When the owner of the cha chaan teng cashed out the till, he found a stack of ‘hell money’ – joss paper burned by Chinese people for deceased loved ones to use as money in the afterlife.

Convinced that the whole affair was an awful prank after the same thing happened the very next day, the owner decided to make any following deliveries himself. Sure enough, on the third day, an order came through again and money was handed over through a small gap in the open door – this time, the owner checked that the notes were legal tender and deliberately kept them in a separate compartment from the rest of the restaurant’s money. When there was hell money in the till again the next morning, the terrified boss called the cops.

The police eventually forced their way into the silent apartment, and discovered four corpses that had evidently been dead for about a week. The creepy thing is that neighbours noted being disturbed by the sounds of mahjong coming from the apartment; the hell money showed fingerprints of the cha chaan teng owner and two of the dead bodies; and the coroner reported that there was food in the corpses that had only been digested for a day or so. This case thoroughly baffled the authorities – what do you make of it?

This well-publicised incident shook Hong Kong to its core back in 1981. To celebrate the one-month birth anniversary of their baby, a couple hosted a banquet at the top-floor restaurant of what was then referred to as the Duke of Windsor Social Services Building. As the story goes, that very night, the mother dreamt of a red-eyed fox spirit who was furious that they failed to offer her a toast during the celebration, and threatened to harm the child in retribution. The couple rushed to their baby, but it was already dead.

When the grieving pair returned to Windsor House to get to the bottom of things, they found seven markings on the marble wall outside the restaurant that resembled fox heads. Of course, the media had a field day with this news, and Windsor House was eventually so packed with curious members of the public that they had to cover the marble slab, shut the building down for a day, and have the offending section of wall removed.

After the incident, a children’s playground was supposedly built on the rooftop of the building – but it was never opened to the public. Presumably, this was to appease the spirit of the child who died. The Duke of Windsor Social Services Building has since been demolished and Windsor House erected in its place, but who knows if the vengeful fox spirit might still be lingering around?

The 1984 movie The Occupant had a song as part of its soundtrack that became infamous among Hong Kong’s broadcasting industry. Allegedly, whenever Connie Mak’s song Nights of the Night (夜夜痴纏) was played on late-night radio, strange voices could be heard layered in the track itself, and paranormal activities would occur in the broadcasting rooms such as shadows flickering around, lights switching on and off, and objects being moved around without explanation.

Multiple DJs had supposedly experienced this phenomenon, and to this day, you’re unlikely to hear this song come up on the nighttime airwaves, not even on the oldies or classics stations.

Arguably the Hong Kong-version of Japan’s famously creepy suicide forest, the Cheung Chau vacation venue of Bella Vista Villa has been the crime scene of over 20 murders and suicide cases over the past 30 years or so. Couples who have visited the beautiful sea-view rooms have reportedly been unpleasantly spooked by apparitions of the villa’s wailing victims, so make sure to do your research before your next staycation.

Nestled within Plover Cove Country Park rests an idyllic waterfall trickling into a shallow pool of rocks. This is the Bride’s Pool. People say it got its name when a bride was being carried by sedan chair to a nearby village where her husband-to-be was waiting, when one of the porters slipped in the rain, causing her to fall into the rapids. Her body was never found. Today, some people report seeing a woman dressed in a red cheongsam brushing her hair near the majestic waters.

Built in 1892, the High Street Community Centre was once a psychiatric hospital and execution hall during the Japanese Occupation. There remain rumours of women crying, mysterious footsteps, men bursting into flames, and decapitated ghosts on the site. To this day, locals refer to this building as the ‘High Street Haunted House’.

Near this bridge in Tai Po, ashen-faced children have been seen waving to passing cars at night, and mini-bus drivers have said some of their passengers have vanished once they alighted the bus. Many believe that they may be the ghosts of the children who drowned in flood in 1955, for whom there’s a monument erected nearby. The fact that its Chinese name literally means ‘Severely Haunted Bridge’ is not creepy at all...

In the early 80s, a young woman fell onto the tracks at Yau Ma Tei station just as the train was arriving. People reported hearing blood-curdling screams and the train driver recalled a harrowing bump. But as medical personnel arrived, they found no one – not even a drop of blood. The investigation failed to find any leads and the incident was written off as a ‘collective hallucination’.

This Wan Chai historic building is one of Hong Kong’s best-known haunted houses. Japanese soldiers used it as a brothel and a place of torture, and it is said that female spirits still roam headless at night. In 2003, a group of youngsters decided to visit the place and, after spending the night, had to receive psychiatric treatment as they were so traumatised by the experience.

Established in 1931 and abandoned 67 years after, this deserted school and former WW2 burial ground is one of the most famous supernatural hotspots in Hong Kong. A group of 12 middle schoolers once reportedly visited the ominous building, only to be met by mysterious footsteps, creepy scraping noises, and a female spectre dressed in red. To make matters worse, some of the group were apparently driven into mad, human-biting frenzies, and claimed to have visions of people dying gruesome deaths afterwards. 

Sai Kung is a popular hiking spot for many. But the disappearance of hikers around the ‘mystic realm’ has led people to believe that there could be an entrance to another parallel timeline or dimension. Oh, we’re so serious. In 2005, a police officer who was hiking near Pak Tam Chung got lost and called for help, but the coordinates he gave couldn’t be located by the dispatcher. To this day, he was never found. 

Near the Chinese University of Hong Kong, numerous male students have reported seeing a girl with a braided hair crying alone at night. The wickedly creepy part is that, after approaching her, she turns to reveal a completely featureless face.

The story goes that there was a couple from mainland China who crossed the border illegally who tried to hop off the train before it reached a checkpoint. The boyfriend made it, but unfortunately for the girl, she got her braid caught on the train, which ended up ripping off her hair and face. The tree-lined alley near where the train tracks used to be is now called Single Braid Road, which is just creepy as hell.

CUHK has more than one creepy tale. Rumour has it that college boys who pass by the Lotus Pond in Chung Chi College at night might encounter a girl who would ask for the time. If they reply, the girl will drag them into the pond and drown them. This urban legend came after the story of a girl who was waiting by the pond for her boyfriend, but found out that he was cheating on her with another female classmate. Devastated, she threw herself in the water and eventually drowned.