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No surpise here - that's me in the sign. The sign reads:

TAI FU TAI

This elegant house was built in the fourth year of Tongzhi (1865) of the Qing Dynasty as a residence of Man Chung-luen whose ancestors had settled here in Sun Tin since the fifteenth century. He is said to have passed the Imperial Civil Examination of jinshi and was addressed by the dafu (taifu) title.

The building is considered one of the most beautifully- embellished traditional buildings in Hong Kong and is renowned for its five architectural decorations. Two honorific boards carved in Chinese and Manchu characters, bestowed on Man Chung-leun's parents and grand-parents by the Qing Emperor, are the only ones of the type found in Hong Kong.

With the public-spirited co-operation of the managers of Man Wah Cheung Tong, this residence is protected under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. The restoration of this building was undertaken by the Architectural Services Department in 1988 with the generous donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

Tai Fu Tai was declared a monument on 1 July 1987.

THIS IS A VALUABLE PART OF OUR HERITAGE. PLEASE RESPECT IT.

ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY