History of Hong Chi Pinehill Village

Pinehill Village, which is located in Nam Hang, Tai Po, was given to Hong Chi Association (formerly The Hong Kong Association for the Mentally Handicapped) by the Christian Children's Fund in 1973. In those days Pinehill Village was very isolated. The 14.5 acres of land, which previously housed the Pinehill Village Babies Home (an orphanage for babies), Clarks Children's Home (a children orphanage) and a school, catered for more than 30 students from pre-school to school age with all grades of intellectual disabilities.




To cope with the need of service development for people with intellectual disabilities, Hong Chi Association has explored and expanded its services in the Village in different aspects of our work. For children services, Hong Chi Pinehill Pre-school Centre, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, is established to provide year-round residential care and education for children aged 0-6 who are orphans or whose families have difficulties with taking care of them. Also, the first children hostel in Hong Kong - Hong Chi Little House, was set up by the Association in 1989. Combining The Santa House and The Pine House which were built later, Hong Chi Children Home was formed to provide children with mild intellectual disabilities with a household environment to receive proper training and individual care.


For educational services, as the formerly Education Department assumed the responsibility for the education of all children with moderate intellectual disabilities in 1979, The Pinehill Village Training Centre was registered as Pinehill Village School. Part of the Severe Grade Unit were registered as Pinehill Village No. 2 School and part of the Children Centre were registered as Pinehill Village No. 3 School to provide special education to students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The schools have been re-named Hong Chi Pinehill School, Hong Chi Pinehill No.2 School and Hong Chi Pinehill No. 3 School now.


Regarding job training, the first vocational training centre with residential service, Pinehill Village Advanced Training Centre, was set up in the Village in 1976 to provide manufacturing-related training for young adults with intellectual disabilities. In 2003, the Centre was re-named Hong Chi Pinehill Integrated Vocational Training Centre, offering full-day job training, supported employment service, job re-training service and sheltered employment service to the trainees. Training and job opportunities have also been provided by Hong Chi Pinehill Pottery since 1993 which lets trainees with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities develop their artistic talents and pottery skills.



Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Association renovated and transformed the village’s staff hostel into the first training hotel facility in Hong Kong, namely The Jockey Club Hong Chi Lodge, in 2008 for people with intellectual disabilities to receive training in hotel housekeeping and catering services. Trainees can also develop organic farming skills in the Village's farmlands, such as the Hong Chi Homestead and the Hong Chi Farmstead, which can help them to explore job opportunities in the growing environmental market.


Over the years, Pinehill Village has grown and developed to operate different service units and facilities, providing services for about 600 children, students and trainees with intellectual disabilities.