Eu Tong Sen died out of sickness in June 1941, a few months before the Japanese invaded Hong Kong. During the 18-day Battle of Hong Kong, Repulse Bay was hard hit as a battlefield, and the Japanese Army took over Eucliffe, slaughtering 54 war prisoners there. After that, naturally, it became “the most ill-omened house in Hong Kong”. The castle was later put in the charge of Eu’s son, Andrew Eu, a movie enthusiast and one of the founders, together with Harold Hsiao-Wo Lee and Sir Run Run Shaw, of Television Broadcasts and Capital Artist Entertainment. Eucliffe, therefore, was often used for movie making. So “starry” was the castle that we might have a “Eucliffe Gala”!
Eucliffe at Repulse Bay consisted of two castle structures, each with a tower. It was famous for the large collection of western ancient armour inside, as well as the exterior stained glass windows. Out in the lush garden there was also a greenhouse. Eucliffe neighboured the equally idiosyncratic Repulse Bay Hotel of the Kadoorie family, a favourite gathering place of the high society, and together the two edifices were the landmarks of Repulse Bay. The Hotel, opened in 1920, was positioned as a one-of-a-kind resort in Hong Kong. It featured the best beach of the city, an ideal place for the higher class to slack off as it was seldom visited by commoners before the war. Transport was also straightforward; the government had already built a through route, Repulse Bay Road, to accommodate its development, and it required only 20 minutes or so to drive from the Hotel, and also Eucliffe, to the central district. Accessible, tasteful and stylish, it was a de facto “chic” spot at that time!
