University Hall, University of Hong Kong
residential hall of the University of Hong Kong
University Hall (Chinese: 大學堂), or UHall, is a historical residential hall for males at the University of Hong Kong. University Hall is one of the oldest residential halls under the university's hall system and houses about 110 students. Its hall colours are green, black and silver. It is located at 144 Pok Fu Lam Road, close to the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir within the Pok Fu Lam Country Park on the western side of Hong Kong Island.
The building itself dates back to 1861 when a wealthy Scottish trader named Douglas Lapraik built the Douglas Castle as the place of his residence. University Hall was formally established in 1954 after the University of Hong Kong bought the heritage building from the French Mission in Hong Kong, and the castle was officially named as the University Hall and opened as a male residential hall in 1956.
History
The founders of Douglas Castle (1861–1894)
The castle itself was established by Douglas Lapraik, a Scottish trader who made his wealth with shipbuilding and dock renting. Douglas talent for business opportunities soon made him one of the richest people in Hong Kong at his time and inspired him to improve his living conditions in line with the standards of a Tai Pan in Hong Kong. In 1860, Douglas had heard about the government's plans to build a water reservoir and park on the island's south-western part at the valley around Pok Fu Lam. The reservoir was a solution to the emergent problem of clean water supply in Hong Kong.
The public source identifies “University Hall, University of Hong Kong” as residential hall of the University of Hong Kong. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around University, Hall and Hong.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “University Hall, University of Hong Kong”, the useful work is to connect “residential hall of the University of Hong Kong” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7894714. VIAF identifies the subject as 733149544565300490009. Authority coordinates are 22.263, 114.135. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1861, 1954, 1956 and 1894.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “University Hall, University of Hong Kong” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.