Since the end of the nineteenth century, the present site of the Jao Tsung-I Academy has served successively as a customs station, as dwellings for Chinese labourers, as a quarantine station, as a prison, as a hospital for infectious diseases, and as a psychiatric rehabilitation centre. It has performed totally different roles and functions in response to the different needs of society at different times.
The compound has now been revitalised as a cultural landmark. Its cluster of buildings has been converted into various types of facilities, continuing to play a part in furthering cultural exchange.

The site of Jao Tsung-I Academy has more than 100 years of rich and vibrant history. In this long history, it was used as a customs station, Chinese laborers’ quarters, a quarantine station, a prison, an infectious disease hospital and a psychiatric rehabilitation care home. For more than a century, this place has reflected the historical and social changes of Hong Kong.

Now it is revitalized as a center that promotes Chinese culture and facilitates cultural exchange.