[2] Most of the city's historic colonial architecture had been bulldozed for development before the British government handed the territory back to China in 1997.

[citation needed] In 2008, the government of Hong Kong partnered with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to conserve and revitalise the complex,[5] which turned into one of the most significant and expensive revitalisation projects in the territory, costing HK$1.8 billion;[6] work began in 2011.

[8][9] The Buildings Department prosecuted a subcontractor it deemed responsible for the accident, which was reportedly triggered by the failure of a brick pier that had been structurally undermined.

[11] The remodelled compound was opened to the public in three phases, beginning with the inaugural "100 Faces of Tai Kwun" exhibition, on 29 May 2018.

[citation needed] In 2018, Time magazine induced Tai Kwun in its "World's Greatest Places 2018" list.