The Free School was built in 1847, the same year when the Walled City was erected, in a structure that resembled an examination hall. Apart from providing free education, it was also a place where villagers got together to discuss matters of importance. It was, in fact, with the intention of attracting emigrants that the Kowloon Inspectorate established the Free School: soldiers needed supplies, and emigrants were necessary if fishing and mining industries were to be put in place. The policy, that is to say, was similar to that of today’s new town planning, which involves establishing new schools to attract resettlement.

A few steps forward would take you to the Pavilion of the Winner’s Star (“Fui Sing Kok”), the tallest structure of the Walled City. The Winner’s Star was thought to be the star of the god of examination who ruled the results of the Civil Service Examination. The two-storey Pavilion of the Winner’s Star was therefore related to studying. Back in 1897 when it was built, the Lung Tsun Free School was on its opposite, the two separated by a public square. A large screen wall to which the Pavilion butt up was etched the words “Hai Bin Zhao Lao” (“a cultural district by the sea”), describing how the coastal Free School was a place of knowledge and wisdom.