High Street Haunted House — the former mental asylum of Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong

The Sai Ying Pun Community Complex on High Street in Hong Kong's Western District occupies a building that was formerly a mental asylum and nursing quarters during the colonial era. The building, constructed in the early 20th century, served as a Japanese military execution site during the World War II occupation of Hong Kong, adding layers of trauma to its already troubled history. The site is widely considered one of the most haunted locations in Hong Kong. Visitors and staff have reported hearing screaming and wailing from the building, particularly at night, seeing ghostly figures in the windows, and experiencing intense feelings of dread near the former treatment rooms. According to local accounts, the Japanese used the building to execute prisoners of war and civilians, and the spirits of the victims are said to be trapped within the structure. In Hong Kong's Cantonese spiritual tradition, locations where violent death occurred are especially prone to hauntings, and the combination of mental illness, colonial-era asylum conditions, and wartime atrocities has created what many consider the most spiritually tormented building in the territory. Taoist priests have performed multiple exorcism ceremonies at the site, and some sections of the building remain off-limits.