Project Plum Grove focuses on the revitalisation of Mui Tsz Lam, a 400-year-old Hakka village in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Facing the threat of redevelopment, Mui Tsz Lam has been transformed through a collaborative restoration process led by Professor Chung. By blending traditional Hakka building techniques with innovative design, the project has restored two ruined houses, one now serving as a culture gallery, the other as a community space. His team has engaged students, villagers, and volunteers in hands-on conservation, and invited 200 former villagers to a reunion at the site to reconnect with their heritage, drawing wide public attention. The project’s success has enabled further expansion, with over HK$6 million in grants supporting restoration efforts in seven additional villages.

Judges of the THE award praised the project as a “highly effective, innovative and well-executed project with measurable impact”, noting that student, staff and local engagement had breathed new life into the abandoned place and re-energised a local culture that risked being lost to the march of modernity.