Queensway, Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
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. Its Chinese
name can be transliterated as Golden Bell Road, a reference to a golden bell in the Admiralty Dockyard situated there at that time, and has nothing to do with the Queen. It merges with 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 at its east-end.
Despite being only about 600 metres long, it houses numerous famous and important sites.
At Garden Road
-Queen's Road Central-Des Voeux Road Central junction sits the Bank of China Tower at the Central end of the road; which in turn sits adjacent to Cheung Kong Centre.
Cheung Kong Centre is the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings founded by Li Ka Shing
with Chater Garden
- a popular place for protesters to gather - on the opposite. At the Wan Chai
end, stands the Headquarters
of the Hong Kong Police Force
.
Major sites located along the "hillside" (Southern side) of the road are; in order of position beginning from the west-side of Queensway; Cheung Kong Centre, Bank of China Tower, the Hong Kong Park
(where the Flagstaff House and Museum of Tea Ware are located), Queensway Government Offices
, High Court alongside the Queensway, and the Swire-owned Pacific Place
shopping centre, hotels and office towers complex.
The hotels- Conrad Hotel & Island Shangri-La Hotel sits atop the roof of 2 Pacific Place
mall while the JW Marriott Hotel and The Swire Offices Building sit atop 1 Pacific Place.
On the "waterfront-" (northern side) of the road, there stands; again in order beginning from west-end of Queensway; Chater Garden
, the Lippo Centre
, Queensway Plaza shopping mall- a large one-storey shopping complex semi-detached
with the United Centre
office block. Queensway Plaza is also linked to Pacific Place; across a width of Queensway by means of a skywalk
. Further down the road there stands the recreational park- ""Harcourt Park".
The road continues on until it splits into two different roads at the east-end junction.
, Murray Barracks
and Victoria Barracks
while to the north, the Admiralty Dock. The Flagstaff House
was the residence of the Commander British Forces of Hong Kong between 1842 to 1978. These were gradually removed and replaced as Central district expanded.
The present-day Queensway is much wider than before. The carriageways of Queensway are separated by the turn-of-the-century public transport, Hong Kong Tramways
. Pedestrians must make use of footbridges when crossing the road or going to the tramway stop islands.
since 2003.
and Smithfield
have a single word road name in the territory.
Admiralty, 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...
of Central
Central, 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...
, Hong Kong
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...
. 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. Its 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...
name can be transliterated as Golden Bell Road, a reference to a golden bell in the Admiralty Dockyard situated there at that time, and has nothing to do with the Queen. It merges with 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 at its east-end.
Important buildings
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...
-Queen's Road Central-Des Voeux Road Central junction sits the Bank of China Tower at the Central end of the road; which in turn sits adjacent to Cheung Kong Centre.
Cheung Kong Centre is the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings founded by Li Ka Shing
Li Ka Shing
Sir Ka-shing Li, GBM, KBE, JP is a Chinese business magnate based in Hong Kong. He is the richest person of East Asian descent in the world and the eleventh richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of US$26.0 billion on 10 March 2011...
with Chater Garden
Chater Garden
Chater Garden , located in the Central District of Hong Kong, is a public park directly east of the Legislative Council building. It is named after Sir Paul Chater, and one side of the garden is on Chater Road which is also named after him.-History:...
- a popular place for protesters to gather - on the opposite. At the 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...
end, stands the Headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of the Hong Kong Police Force
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force is the largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. It is the world's second, and Asia's first, police agency to operate with a modern policing system. It was formed on 1 May 1844, with a strength of 32 officers...
.
Major sites located along the "hillside" (Southern side) of the road are; in order of position beginning from the west-side of Queensway; Cheung Kong Centre, Bank of China Tower, the Hong Kong Park
Hong Kong Park
The Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of HK$398 million and opened in May 1991, it covers an area of 80,000 m² and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with natural landscape....
(where the Flagstaff House and Museum of Tea Ware are located), Queensway Government Offices
Queensway Government Offices
The Queensway Government Office Building is a skyscraper located in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong. The tower rises 56 floors and in height. The building was completed in 1985. It was designed by the Hong Kong Architectural Services Department, and was developed by Fujitec...
, High Court alongside the Queensway, and the Swire-owned Pacific Place
Pacific Place
Pacific Place is a complex of office towers, hotels and a shopping centre situated at 88 Queensway, in Admiralty, Hong Kong. The latest phase, Three Pacific Place, is located at 1 Queen's Road East....
shopping centre, hotels and office towers complex.
The hotels- Conrad Hotel & Island Shangri-La Hotel sits atop the roof of 2 Pacific Place
Pacific Place
Pacific Place is a complex of office towers, hotels and a shopping centre situated at 88 Queensway, in Admiralty, Hong Kong. The latest phase, Three Pacific Place, is located at 1 Queen's Road East....
mall while the JW Marriott Hotel and The Swire Offices Building sit atop 1 Pacific Place.
On the "waterfront-" (northern side) of the road, there stands; again in order beginning from west-end of Queensway; Chater Garden
Chater Garden
Chater Garden , located in the Central District of Hong Kong, is a public park directly east of the Legislative Council building. It is named after Sir Paul Chater, and one side of the garden is on Chater Road which is also named after him.-History:...
, the Lippo Centre
Lippo Centre, Hong Kong
The Lippo Centre is a pair of twin office towers in Hong Kong, previously known as the Bond Center . The buildings are located at 89 Queensway, in Admiralty on Hong Kong Island. They were taken over by the Lippo Group after the collapse of the Bond Corporation...
, Queensway Plaza shopping mall- a large one-storey shopping complex semi-detached
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
with the United Centre
United Centre
United Centre is a Ukrainian political party. It is an offspring of Our Ukraine. It will participate in the next Ukrainian parliamentary election independently. Legally United Centre is the successor of the Party of Private Property , registered with the Ministry of Justice on September 24, 1999....
office block. Queensway Plaza is also linked to Pacific Place; across a width of Queensway by means of a skywalk
Skyway
In an urban setting, a skyway, catwalk, sky bridge, or skywalk is a type of pedway consisting of an enclosed or covered bridge between two buildings. This protects pedestrians from the weather. These skyways are usually owned by businesses, and are therefore not public spaces...
. Further down the road there stands the recreational park- ""Harcourt Park".
The road continues on until it splits into two different roads at the east-end junction.
Military history
Before 1980s, both sides of the road were for British military structures. Located on the South of the road were Wellington BarracksWellington Barracks, Hong Kong
Wellington Barracks was a British Army barracks in Admiralty of Central on the north side of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The three storey Classical architecture building was built in 1854. The barracks had an army hospital, and this still exists as Hong Kong International School. The barracks...
, Murray Barracks
Murray Barracks
Murray Barracks was a barracks for British Army in Admiralty of Central in Hong Kong. It was named after Sir George Murray, the Master-General of the Ordnance at the time of construction.-Location:...
and Victoria Barracks
Victoria Barracks, Hong Kong
The Victoria Barracks were a barracks in the Admiralty district of Central on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The barracks were constructed between the 1840s and 1874, and situated within the area bounded by Cotton Tree Drive, Kennedy Road and Queensway, Hong Kong. The Barracks with Murray Barracks,...
while to the north, the Admiralty Dock. The Flagstaff House
Flagstaff House
Flagstaff House is the oldest example of British-style architecture remaining in Hong Kong. It is located in 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central - within the Hong Kong Park....
was the residence of the Commander British Forces of Hong Kong between 1842 to 1978. These were gradually removed and replaced as Central district expanded.
Layout
The road was not as straight as its present form. Two close bends in the mid-section formed an S-shape. It was also known as death bend of Queensway (金鐘道死亡彎角) that it frequently resulted in traffic accidents of mobile vehicles and trams. A straightening project was carried out in 1974 and officially completed on 12 January 1975.The present-day Queensway is much wider than before. The carriageways of Queensway are separated by the turn-of-the-century public transport, Hong Kong Tramways
Hong Kong Tramways
Hong Kong Tramways is a tram system in Hong Kong and one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by Veolia Transport, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch circulating Happy Valley...
. Pedestrians must make use of footbridges when crossing the road or going to the tramway stop islands.
Events
Although Queensway is a main road in Hong Kong, the road has hosted various major marches and protests including July 1 marchesHong Kong July 1 marches
The Hong Kong 1 July march is an annual protest rally originally led by the Civil Human Rights Front since the 1997 handover on the HKSAR establishment day. However, it was not until 2003 that the march drew large public attention by opposing the legislation of Basic Law Article 23...
since 2003.
Trivia
The road is sometimes mistaken written as Queensway Road by local people. It might be affected by the suffix 道 (to, lit. road) of its Chinese name, as only few roads like GlenealyGlenealy
Glenealy is one of few roads or streets without suffix in Hong Kong. Located in the Mid-levels on the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, it starts from Ice House Street and goes uphill to Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, across Robinson Road and ends at Hornsey Road and Conduit Road.It was...
and Smithfield
Smithfield, Hong Kong
Smithfield is a street with a length of approximately 1,300 m. in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Its northern section is a commercial and residential area, while its southern section is a road connecting it to Pok Fu Lam Road.-Location:...
have a single word road name in the territory.
See also
- List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
- Murray HouseMurray HouseMurray House is a Victorian-era building in Stanley in Hong Kong. Originally built in the present-day business district of Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks, the building was relocated to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2000s.- Architecture :Murray House was one...
, Stanley, Hong KongStanley, Hong KongStanley is a town and a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It located on a peninsula on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. It is east of Repulse Bay and west of Shek O, adjacent to Chung Hom Kok...