Oasis amid HK's mad housing market

Hong Kong

RED-WHISKERED bulbuls start chirping at around 5 am at Wonderland Villas, a hilltop housing complex in northern Hong Kong, the history of which has mirrored the city's political, economic and social fortunes.

Built in 1984, the year colonial power Britain signed an agreement to hand Hong Kong back to China, the complex was one of the pioneering designs of its time, a cluster of 22 curvaceous white apartment blocks complete with clubhouse, tennis courts and swimming pool.

Prices at Wonderland have risen, waned and risen again, as Hong Kong property has swung through boom and bust to become one of the world's most expensive markets.

The lack of affordable housing has become a major political issue for Hong Kong as it approaches th…