Central (also
Central District; ), the central business district of
Hong
Kong
, was commonly known as part of Victoria City
. It is an area on the north shore of
Hong Kong Island.
It is located across
Victoria
Harbour
from Tsim Sha Tsui
, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula. It is the
central business district
of Hong Kong, and many multinational
financial services corporation have
their
headquarters in the area.
Consulates general and consulates of many countries are also
located in this area, as is
Government
Hill, the site of the government headquarters.
The area, with its
proximity to Victoria Harbour, has served as the centre of trade
and financial activities from the earliest day of British colonial era
in 1841, and continues to flourish and serve as the
administrative centre after the transfer of sovereignty to China
in
1997. The area was the heart of Victoria City, although that name is rarely used
today.
In
district council elections, the area belongs to Central and
Western District
, together with its western counterparts Sheung Wan, Mid-levels,
Sai Wan, Sai Ying
Pun, Shek Tong Tsui and Kennedy Town.
Naming
The area of
Chong Wan (中環), officially named Central in
English, was one of the districts (四環九約) in Victoria City. The
English name
Central
became prevalent after the
Island
Line of the
MTR metro system was built in
early 1980s, and the connected
stations of Pedder and Chater renamed as
Central.
On some older maps, it
and the area to its west are named Kwan Tai Lo
(羣帶路) below Victoria
Peak
. It formed a channel, Chung
Mun (中門), with Tsim Sha Tsui, on the sea route along the coast of southern China. The eastern part of
Central District has been known as
Admiralty since the completion of
Admiralty Station in the early
1980s.
History
1911 map of the Central
waterfront (Connaught Road)
The
British
landed on
Possession Point of
Sheung Wan in 1841. They soon decided to build a
city on the north coast of Hong Kong Island, and the present-day
Central was chosen to house major military facilities and
administrative centre.
The area soon attracted both Westerners and Chinese to trade and live in the area, and a
Canton
Bazaar
(precursor of Central Market
) was built between Cochrane Street and Graham Street in 1842. The area was
soon zoned for Westerners only, and the Chinese residents were
resited to Sheung Wan. [It was zoned for "Western-style buildings,"
meaning buildings with minimum space and hygiene standards]. The
area was largely dominated by the presence of Victoria City. The
popularity of this area would also boost the population from 5,000
in 1841 to 24,000 in 1848.
Government
House and other
Hong Kong
Government buildings were completed during this period on
Government Hill.
Various barracks,
naval base and residence of Commander, Flagstaff House
were built on the east end of the district.
Between
1860 and 1880 the construction of City Hall, Theatre Royal and
other financial structures made Central the heart of Hong Kong. In 1904 the
Praya Reclamation Scheme added of
land to Central's waterfront. Much of the proposals came from
Sir Paul Chater and
James Johnstone Keswick. During the
1920s, Hong Kong was able to push far ahead economically, because
of the cohesive collaboration between Central and all waterfront
commerce.
The military structures survived until the 1980s.
Only Flagstaff House
remains as Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong Park
. City Hall
sat on the present premises of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters
. Hong Kong's first road, Queen's Road
, passes through the area and the business centre
continued to expand toward the shoreline as far as the reclaimed
lands.
Notable places, streets and buildings
AIG Tower
Two International Finance Centre
Entertainment Building
Night shot of Central Pier.
Places and streets
Buildings
Hotels
Central,
together with Tsim Sha
Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui
East, is home to many hotels.
Schools
Places of worship
Transport
Public transport
The area is a major transport hub for Hong Kong (see also
Transport in Hong Kong).
Expressways and routes
References
- Sanderson, Edgar. [1897] (1897) The British Empire in the
Nineteenth Century: Its Progress and Expansion at Home and Abroad.
Blackie publishing. No ISBN digitalized doc from Stanford
university
- Wordie, Jason. [2002] (2002) Streets: Exploring Hong Kong
Island. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN
962-2095631
External links
(IFC)
(Japanese Consulate-General Hong Kong is located on
its 46th and 47th floor.)
, Admiralty)
)
(Sheng Kung Hui,
Anglican Church)
and Cheung
Chau
and Yung Shue
Wan
on Lamma
Island
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