Queen's Road
Encyclopedia
Queen's Road is the first road in Hong Kong
built by the Government of Hong Kong
between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui
to Wan Chai
. At most points, it marks the original shoreline before land reclamation
projects permanently extended the land into Victoria Harbour
.
The road is split into four, from west to east: Queen's Road West (Chinese:
皇后大道西), Queen's Road Central (皇后大道中), Queensway
(金鐘道), and Queen's Road East (皇后大道東).
built the first section to Sai Ying Pun
with the help of 300 coolies from Kowloon
. It ran parallel to the beach where Sir Henry Pottinger setup his tent in 1842.
Named after Queen Victoria
of the British Empire, it was mistakenly translated into Chinese as 皇后 (Pronunciation in Cantonese
: wòhng hauh? / wong4 hau6 ?
) -- queen consort
.
New arrivals to Hong Kong as late as the second half of the 19th century were surprised at the condition of the road. Instead of a proper road, as could only be expected of one named for the Queen in the largest British outpost east of Singapore
, travellers found a pocked dirt road prone to dust clouds and puddles of mud.
When Hong Kong was founded as a Crown Colony
in 1842, Queen's Road was the hub of activity. Its development was haphazard, and its path winding as it made its way through the newly-founded city including the Hong Kong Club
for tai-pans
. Between squatter huts, military encampments, and taverns, the first governors built their homes along Queen's Road. The first post office and Christian
churches soon followed.
In 1878 a Christmas fire broke out destroying a large area of the slums. The eyewitness account was recorded by Constance Frederica Gordon Cumming in the book Wanderings in China. The fire raged for 17 hours burning down 400 houses covering 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of area. It left thousands in the community homeless. The devastated structures in ruin were reused for reclamation
adjacent like the area around Bonham Strand
.
Queen's Road has shrugged its past and is now home to some of Hong Kong's most expensive land and famous buildings.
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to Sheung Wan
. It was one of the first roads to be built when the crown colony was founded (Hollywood Road
is another of the early roads). It was a major infrastructure of Queen's Town, later renamed the City of Victoria.
Queen's Road Central intersects with the similarly named, and thus easily confused, Queen Victoria Street
, a short street that ends a few blocks near One IFC
.
Queen's Road Central merges with Des Voeux Road Central to become Queensway at Garden Road
.
From 1942 to 1945, the road was renamed Meiji
-dori by the Japanese occupation government.
was re-routed and renamed as Queensway (金鐘道) in 1967. It merges with the Queen's Road Central and Des Voeux Road Central at its west end and connects with Hennessy Road
and Queen's Road East to the east.
to Shek Tong Tsui beginning at the Possession Street
junction.
and Wan Chai
. Queens Road East forks to the south from Queensway near Justice Drive, where Queensway turns into Hennessy Road
. It runs along the old northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island
.
. In the transition period before sovereignty transfer
, there were rumours that all streets and roads related colonial figures like Queen's Road would be renamed in honor of Chinese communists. Lo Ta-yu
(羅大祐), a song writer, has written a song with Albert Leung
(林夕) titled 皇后大道東 (Queen's Road East), performed by Lo Ta-yu
and Ram Chiang Chi Kwong (蔣志光) in 1991, to describe the change in this transition period.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
built by the Government of Hong Kong
Government of Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR...
between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui
Shek Tong Tsui
Shek Tong Tsui is a town in Sai Wan on the north shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it belongs to the Central and Western District....
to Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
. At most points, it marks the original shoreline before land reclamation
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
projects permanently extended the land into Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
.
The road is split into four, from west to east: Queen's Road West (Chinese:
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
皇后大道西), Queen's Road Central (皇后大道中), Queensway
Queensway, Hong Kong
Queensway is a major road in the Admiralty of Central, Hong Kong. It was originally a section of Queen's Road East to its westmost before the Hong Kong Government separated and renamed it as its present name in 1967...
(金鐘道), and Queen's Road East (皇后大道東).
History
The Road was originally 4 miles (6.5 km) long in 1841. The Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
built the first section to Sai Ying Pun
Sai Ying Pun
Sai Ying Pun is an area in Western District on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is part of Central and Western District in district administration....
with the help of 300 coolies from Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
. It ran parallel to the beach where Sir Henry Pottinger setup his tent in 1842.
Named after Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
of the British Empire, it was mistakenly translated into Chinese as 皇后 (Pronunciation in Cantonese
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
: wòhng hauh? / wong4 hau6 ?
Jyutping
Jyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
) -- queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
.
New arrivals to Hong Kong as late as the second half of the 19th century were surprised at the condition of the road. Instead of a proper road, as could only be expected of one named for the Queen in the largest British outpost east of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, travellers found a pocked dirt road prone to dust clouds and puddles of mud.
When Hong Kong was founded as a Crown Colony
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
in 1842, Queen's Road was the hub of activity. Its development was haphazard, and its path winding as it made its way through the newly-founded city including the Hong Kong Club
Hong Kong Club
The Hong Kong Club is the first Gentlemen's club in Hong Kong. Opened on 26 May 1846, at 1 Jackson Road overlooking the Cenotaph, it is a private business and dining club in the heart of Central, Hong Kong. Its members were among the most influential people in the city, including such...
for tai-pans
Tai-Pan
The term tai-pan was originally used to describe a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
. Between squatter huts, military encampments, and taverns, the first governors built their homes along Queen's Road. The first post office and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
churches soon followed.
In 1878 a Christmas fire broke out destroying a large area of the slums. The eyewitness account was recorded by Constance Frederica Gordon Cumming in the book Wanderings in China. The fire raged for 17 hours burning down 400 houses covering 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of area. It left thousands in the community homeless. The devastated structures in ruin were reused for reclamation
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
adjacent like the area around Bonham Strand
Bonham Strand
Bonham Strand is a combination of two streets in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong: Bonham Strand and Bonham Strand West ....
.
Queen's Road has shrugged its past and is now home to some of Hong Kong's most expensive land and famous buildings.
Sections
Queen's Road Central
Queen's Road Central (皇后大道中) runs from CentralCentral, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
to Sheung Wan
Sheung Wan
Sheung Wan is an area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Western District...
. It was one of the first roads to be built when the crown colony was founded (Hollywood Road
Hollywood Road
Hollywood Road is a street in Central and Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.Hollywood Road is filled with trinket and antique shops of all sorts: from Chinese furniture to porcelain ware, from Buddha sculptures to Tibetan rugs, from Japanese netsukes to Coromandel screens, from Ming...
is another of the early roads). It was a major infrastructure of Queen's Town, later renamed the City of Victoria.
Queen's Road Central intersects with the similarly named, and thus easily confused, Queen Victoria Street
Queen Victoria Street, Hong Kong
Queen Victoria Street is a street in Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The street links Queen's Road Central, Des Voeux Road Central and Connaught Road Central. It is where Central Market and the headquarters of Hang Seng Bank locates....
, a short street that ends a few blocks near One IFC
International Finance Centre
The International Finance Centre is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District....
.
Queen's Road Central merges with Des Voeux Road Central to become Queensway at Garden Road
Garden Road, Hong Kong
Garden Road is a major road on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, connecting the Central and Mid-levels areas.At its lower end, Garden Road forms a grade-separated intersection with Queensway. For most of its length, Garden Road carries traffic only in the downhill direction. Uphill traffic is carried...
.
From 1942 to 1945, the road was renamed Meiji
Meiji
Meiji may refer to:* Meiji Restoration, the revolution that ushered in the Meiji period* Meiji period - the period in Japanese history when the Meiji Emperor reigned...
-dori by the Japanese occupation government.
Queensway
A section of Queen's Road East in what is now AdmiraltyAdmiralty, Hong Kong
Admiralty is the eastern extension of central business district of the Central on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It is located on the eastern end of the Central and Western District, bordered by Wan Chai to the east and Victoria Harbour to the north. The name of Admiralty refers to the former...
was re-routed and renamed as Queensway (金鐘道) in 1967. It merges with the Queen's Road Central and Des Voeux Road Central at its west end and connects with Hennessy Road
Hennessy Road
Hennessy Road is a thoroughfare on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It connects Yee Wo Street on the east in Causeway Bay, and Queensway on the western end in Wan Chai.The road is named after John Pope Hennessy, the Governor of Hong Kong between 1877 and 1882....
and Queen's Road East to the east.
Queen's Road West
Queen's Road West (皇后大道西) runs from Sheung WanSheung Wan
Sheung Wan is an area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Western District...
to Shek Tong Tsui beginning at the Possession Street
Possession Street
Possession Street is a street in Sheung Wan, from Queen's Road West to Hollywood Road, on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The street marks the boundary of Queen's Road West and Queen's Road Central....
junction.
Queen's Road East
Queen's Road East (皇后大道東) runs between Happy ValleyHappy Valley, Hong Kong
Happy Valley is a mostly residential suburb of Hong Kong, located in the northern part of Hong Kong Island. Administratively, it is part of Wan Chai District....
and Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
. Queens Road East forks to the south from Queensway near Justice Drive, where Queensway turns into Hennessy Road
Hennessy Road
Hennessy Road is a thoroughfare on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It connects Yee Wo Street on the east in Causeway Bay, and Queensway on the western end in Wan Chai.The road is named after John Pope Hennessy, the Governor of Hong Kong between 1877 and 1882....
. It runs along the old northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
.
In pop culture
Queen's Road is an icon of British Colonial Hong KongBritish Hong Kong
British Hong Kong refers to Hong Kong as a Crown colony and later, a British dependent territory under British administration from 1841 to 1997.- Colonial establishment :...
. In the transition period before sovereignty transfer
Transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong
The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, referred to as ‘the Return’ or ‘the Reunification’ by the Chinese and ‘the Handover’ by others, took place on 1 July 1997...
, there were rumours that all streets and roads related colonial figures like Queen's Road would be renamed in honor of Chinese communists. Lo Ta-yu
Lo Ta-yu
Lo Ta-yu or Luo Dayou is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter who, during the 1980s, affected Chinese pop and rock music with his melodic lyrics, his love songs, and his witty social and political commentary that he infused in his more political songs, often to the point that some of his songs were...
(羅大祐), a song writer, has written a song with Albert Leung
Albert Leung
-Education:He was educated at the boys school Chan Sui Ki College and La Salle College, and graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1984.-Songwriting career:He has been a cantopop lyricist since 1985, using the pen name Lin Xi...
(林夕) titled 皇后大道東 (Queen's Road East), performed by Lo Ta-yu
Lo Ta-yu
Lo Ta-yu or Luo Dayou is a Taiwanese singer and songwriter who, during the 1980s, affected Chinese pop and rock music with his melodic lyrics, his love songs, and his witty social and political commentary that he infused in his more political songs, often to the point that some of his songs were...
and Ram Chiang Chi Kwong (蔣志光) in 1991, to describe the change in this transition period.