Wan Chai
See Wan Chai District for the broader administrative district that covers Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, etc.For a place in Sai Kung Peninsula, see Wan Tsai |
Tai Yau Arcade in Wan Chai |
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Old-fashioned shops in Wan Chai squatters are typical examples of modern Lingnan architecture, compared to those found in Guangzhou and Taipei. Attached to the second storey from the pavement, numerous pillars were built in front of the closed stores. |
Wan Chai (or
Wanchai, 灣";
Cantonese IPA: ;
Jyutping: waan1 zai2;
Pinyin: Wān Zaǐ;
lit. "a small bay, a cove") is an area situated at the west of the
Wan Chai District, in the north of
Hong Kong Island, in
Hong Kong, beginning from
Canal Road in the east, to
Arsenal Street in the west and
Bowen Road in the south. The area north of
Gloucester Road is often called
Wan Chai North.
Wan Chai is one of the busiest commercial areas in Hong Kong with many small- and medium-sized companies gathering, likewise various shopping centres and restaurants serving cuisines of different countries.
Wan Chai North features office towers, parks, hotels and a world-class conference centre. The locality is also a highly-populated yet ever-aging residential zone, facing an
urban decay problem. Arousing much public concern, the government has put an overwhelming attempt in
district regeneration in recent years.
In addition to local residents, up to 600,000 people commute daily to the locality for school or work, or simply to shop and enjoy its amenities. Wan Chai offers an urban and expedient public transportation system including the Mass Transit Railway (
MTR), buses, mini buses (a.k.a. light public bus or maxicab) and
trams. Taking a
ferry from Wan Chai is a handy method for those who need to cruise across the
Victoria Harbour to
Kowloon. Each day, crowds of people come to the region to experience its fascinating diversity. There are many world-class commercial complexes and
skyscrapers, the most notable ones being the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre,
Central Plaza and
Hopewell Centre.
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The coastline of Wan Chai in the early 1960s |
Wan Chai (formerly
Ha Wan 下',
lit. "a bottom ring"; as, geographically, its location is relatively low) is one of the earliest developed areas in Hong Kong.
Central,
Sheung Wan,
West Point and Wan Chai are collectively known as the
four rings (四') by the locals.
Wan Chai literally means "a cove" in
Cantonese. But Wan Chai itself was no longer a cove due to drastic city development and continual
land reclamation. Before the British colonisation, there had been Chinese villagers already dwelling along the undisturbed coastline of Wan Chai, i.e. the today's location of
Hung Shing Temple, and most of them were fishermen. They got together to work around the area near Hung Shing Temple overlooking the entire harbour and worshiped
Hung Shing Ye as God of the Sea. Hung Shing Temple is still erecting in its original location in
Queen's Road East, but years of reclamation have pushed the shoreline farther away. Now the temple is surrounded by clusters of residential and commercial buildings. When the British arrived Hong Kong, the areas around
Spring Garden Lane began to develop in various businesses.
Start-up
It is said that an unknown millionaire owned
Spring Garden Lane, building his residence, pier and warehouse in the vicinity.
Spring Garden was the exact name of his mansion. The Cantonese name
Chuen Yuen (
lit. a garden in
spring) is, in fact, a translating corruption of
Spring Garden, which originally means "a garden with a
spring". The spring mentioned possibly refers to the mountain creek beside
Hopewell Centre in
Queen's Road East. Around Spring Garden Lane are
Lee Tung Street,
Swatow Street and
Amoy Street where abounded with warehouses storing cargoes to be shipped to Chinese coastline cities. There were also dockyards in
Ship Street and
McGregor Street for building and repairing ships. The periphery of
Sun Street,
Moon Street and
Star Street is the original site of the
first power station in Hong Kong.
Reclamations
Areas around
Queen's Road East were the most hustling place in Wan Chai in the early days. The shape of Wan Chai's seashore had been alternating, being extended outward, merely owing to persistent reclamation schemes. Early in
1841, Queen's Road East, where the earliest coastline was located, was constructed and a reclamation project had undergone. The coastline was consequently extended to
Praya East, i.e. today's
Johnston Road. Tram rails were then built in
1902 at the same location. Twenty years later, there was another large-scale reclamation lasting for nearly a decade. As a result, the coastline was extended farther to Gloucester Road after the nine-year project;
Hennessy Road and
Lockhart Road were set up as well. The reclamation after
WWII, from
1965 to
1972, pulled the coastline out to the areas around
Convention Avenue and the
Wan Chai Pier. The last reclamation happened to cater for the construction of the second phase of the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Retrace the Wan Chai coastline over the years at the
wccoastline.org website.
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The changes of Wan Chai's coastline from 1842 to 1997 |
Buildings
Throughout the development of the region, the architecture in Wan Chai has changed by leaps and bounds. In the earliest stage, buildings in Wan Chai were still short in a typical
Chinese style. A notable example would be the
Hung Shing Temple, which was built in the
Qing Dynasty. The British migrants coming to Hong Kong in the later time instilled ground-breaking western concept of building; colonial-styled roofs, columns, ceilings were commonly found in the edifices built after the British colonisation, such as the
Old Wan Chai Post Office (built in
1912), the
"Blue House" (
1920s). The
Wan Chai Market (
1930s) was under the influence of
Streamline Moderne (also known as Streamlined Moderne or Art Moderne) architecture, a popular style of building of the 1930s (it is often confused by local architects and laypeople alike with the Bauhaus style of architecture). Erecting along
Johnston Road, where lie lines of
tram trails, are suviving examples of pre-World War II shophouses or tenement houses. Similar structures are found in
Tai Wong Street East and
Heard Street. Buildings built shortly after WWII include shophouses on
Lee Tung Street and
Tai Yuen Street, and the early Modernist
Caltex House (also known as
"Ha Ba (i.e. Harbour) Oil Station") on Johnston Road, which is a true
Bauhaus-style building. In the 1950s and 1960s, an increasing number of
girlie bars and
nightclubs were opened in the
red-light district by the side of
Jaffe Road and
Lockhart Road to entertain visiting sailors who usually landed at Fenwick Pier. Beyond Gloucester Road is the commercial area developed in the late 1970s and 1980s, a time at which Hong Kong underwent economic development in full speed. At the same time, buildings like the
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts,
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), and
Central Plaza were constructed on the new reclaimed land.
Golden Bauhinia Square and the second phase of HKCEC are situated at the seashore, overlooking
Victoria Harbour.
Community life
Dining
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Lung Mun, an old-styled Cantonese restaurant |
Like many Chinese in other places, the Wan Chai residents enjoy eating very much. In the early days, Wan Chai was still a developing business district, and people living there were not that well-off. Therefore, the restaurants in the neighbourhood usually offered food that was reasonably priced and yet nutritious. Most eateries were
cha-chan-teng, a typical local-styled
fast-food restaurant, selling
milk tea, sweet buns, and baked
egg tarts. Some food was even served as a heathy food: numerous
Chinese drinking shops offered some cheap
Chinese herbal tea, like
leong cha (
lit. cool tea) and
ya-sai mei (
lit. twenty-four flavours) for curing
sore throat and , and people thus could save money for visiting the doctor. The ex-governor of Hong Kong, Lord
Chris Patten, even tried a bowl of herbal tea in an old drinking shop before his return to the
United Kingdom.
Dai pai dong, an open-air restaurant in a big tent, was another common kind of restaurant that appeared in Wan Chai. Despite the unclean and hot conditions, many people would like to enjoy fresly-made
steamed rice roll,
congee and
chow mein early in the morning. Due to
urban renewal projects in recent years, most tai-pai-dongs have been closed down.
For those having a greater purchasing power, they would prefer having breakfast at Chinese restaurants, known as "
yum cha", and enjoying their freshly-brewed
cuppa. People usually had "one bowl with two pieces" (一盅兩件, meaning a cup of tea with two
dim sums) for breakfast. There were three old-fashioned Chinese restaurants in Wan Chai, namely
Lung Mun,
Lung To, and
Lung Tuen. Only
Lung Mun is still operating at present. Later, there were also lots of restaurants serving
vegetarian cuisine, catering for the
Buddhists and people yearning to keep fit. The oldest vegetarian restaurant in the area has started its business more than a century ago.
In the
1980s, more and more
western restaurants were set up in Wan Chai. Nowadays,
Japanese,
Korean,
Vietnamese,
Thai and
Indian restaurants are also very common in the locality. There are also many
fast food restaurants serving
Cantonese and other Chinese dishes, such as
Maxims and
Café de Coral. Jaffe Road and Lockhart Road are famous for pubs.
Entertainment
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Two south Asian boys playing basketball in the Southorn Playground |
The
Southorn Playground was a major landmark to the senior residents of Wan Chai. It is linked both as a place of leisure and work. Its character changed through the day. In the morning, labourers (commonly known as "
coolies") came together to wait for employment. Other labourers provided "
massage" service for these "coolies" to alleviate their pain and physical tiredness. In the evening, it was altered into an open-air, working class "night club" where yet other groups of labourers entertained people by selling food, performing Chinese magic and
kung fu. Today, the Southorn Playground still remains popular among Wan Chai dwellers: the senior citizens would spend time playing
Chinese chess in here, while the younger generation would play
football and
basketball. Street basketball games are held occasionally in the playground which attract flocks of Hong Kong young spectators and ball players.
Education
Several renowned schools were located in Wan Chai before and after the
WWII. One of these was established by the famous traditional teacher,
Mo Dunmei (莫敦梅). Started as a
shushu (書塾) in 1919, the school was renamed
Dunmei School (敦梅學校) in 1934. It taught classical Chinese writings and
Confucian ethics. The school had once been closed during the
Japanese Occupation. After the war, the school continued to provide Chinese education for children from more affluent families. In response to the great demand for school places in the neighbourhood, it also provided fee reduction for poorer children. Without a unified school premise, classes had to be run in separate apartments in pre-war tenement buildings throughout Wan Chai. This was one of the problems shared among private Chinese schools.
Sex work
Prostitution is one of the oldest occupations in Wan Chai. Senior residents recall that sex work was actually an integral part of neighbourhood life. Some residents take it for granted whereas others feel ashamed of sharing the locality with sex workers. Despite rapid changes as a result of reclamation and redevelopment, the presence of sex workers operating in the midst of ordinary residents continues to be a distinct feature of the region. The ethnic picture had been dramatically illustrated to the western world in the movie
The World of Susie Wong. Now in
Hennessy Road, numerous bars and nightclubs, like the
Tonnochy Night Club, still can be found, with myriads of characteristical neon light signboards dazzling in the dark. They are popular particularly among visiting
American navy,
mainlanders and businessmen from all over the world.
Military
From the early 20th century, Wan Chai had chiefly become a Chinese residential zone, but it was also tasselled by British military establishments - the army barracks and the naval Dockyard. The Naval Dockyard is another well-remembered signpost. Instead of saying naval dockyard in conversational Chinese, they refer to
dockyard as
dug yar or
dog yar. This Sinicization and the amalgamation of English vocabulary into the local Chinese language reflects the interconnectedness between the colonial power and ordinary people's lives. This regal landmark also circuitously endangered the area as it became a target of the bombing both by the Japanese in 1941 and the
Allies during the
Japanese occupation.
Wan Chai is part of the
Wan Chai District, which covers
Causeway Bay,
Happy Valley,
Jardine's Lookout,
Tai Hang and
Stubbs Road. Out of the 11 constituencies of the
Wan Chai District Council, 3 are within Wan Chai, and 1 is halfly lying within the area of Wan Chai.
Religious diversity and eclecticism
People in Wan Chai have a wide range of religions like
Buddhism,
Taoism,
Catholicism,
Protestantism,
Sikhism and
Islam, showing an enormous diversity in spiritual belief. Despite such great differences, eclectic mixtures of diffenent religions are yet not uncommon in the neighbourhood.
Hung Shing Temple, for example, is a typically
Taoist temple; the worship of mortals-turned-immortals is the distinct characteristic of the Chinese religion. There is, however, also a
Buddhist Kwun Yum chapel situated beside the main altar inside the Temple. People coming to worship
Hung Shing Ye would also burn joss sticks to Kwun Yum as well, showing their pious respect.
Da Siu Yan, or literally known as "Hit little men", is another blended religious ceremony, a disproportional combination of
Confucianism,
Taoism and
folk religions. Some old female "psychics" perform this ancient ceremony under the
Canal Road Flyover in particular days of a lunar month.
Christianity is another popular religion in the neighbourhood. The
Wan Chai Church of Christ offers religious services mainly to the
Filipino community in Hong Kong. The
Masjid Ammar mosque is part of the Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Center in
Oi Kwan Road. It is an eight-storey building without the traditional Moorish look, but is indeed one of the most important Islamic community centers in Hong Kong. The
Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple located in Wanchai is the biggest Sikh temple in Hong Kong.
Street entertainments
Wan Chai dwellers enjoy street entertainments, from
street basketball to
Chinese chess, from window shopping to
soccer. Some people would dress in a very casual way when taking part of these pastimes: perhaps a
T-shirt and a pair of shorts going along with a pair of
flip-flops. People call this kind of outfit the "neighbour look". The
Southorn Park would be the best rendezvous for social gathering due to its terrific location and zero entrance fee. Sitting on the stage aside, many senior citizens would like to spend an hour or two in the Park, chatting with their old mates, playing Chinese chess, or sometimes enjoying a
football match. Similar to the
Victoria Park in
Causeway Bay, the
Southorn Park provides ball fields for both soccer and
basketball, which attract many sportive youngsters to have fun in there. Occasionally,
three-player drill contests and
hip hop dance competitions are held in the Park.
Notable celebrities
*
Siu SeeEach day, crowds of people come to the locality to experience its vitality and fascinating diversity. There are many world-class commercial complexes and skyscrapers, the most notable being the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and
Central Plaza. At the same time, inimitable structural design reminding people of the past has also been preserved. Wan Chai's renowned historical spots and cultural vestiges include
Old Wan Chai Post Office, Hong Kong's oldest post office and a declared monument,
Hung Shing Temple which sees the seaside development one and a half centuries ago, and
Pak Tai Temple where a bronze figurine is dedicated to
Pak Tai. Moreover, a three-storeied, highlighted pergola with a pre-war frontispiece wall exhibiting reflective classical taste and the imaginative touch of customary buildings has been built right opposite to
Li Chit Garden in
Li Chit Street after the Garden's renovation.
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Wanchai Computer Centre where people can buy cheap computer equipment |
Wan Chai's streets are steeped in history and offer an astonishing range of shopping. Walking down
Queen's Road East a number of excellent
rattan and Chinese furniture shops could be hit upon. Spring Garden Lane is a great place to pick up clothes at very competitive prices. The market stalls exclusively sell products originally meant for export, meaning quality and price are very competitive. It also connects to local wet and dry markets, and so offers a multicultural experience in the heart of Wan Chai.
Spring Garden Lane is in between Queen's Road East and
Johnston Road.
Besides
Sham Shui Po, which is located in
Kowloon, people can buy low-priced computer hardwares and applications in the area. Interestingly enough, certain medium-sized shopping centres are named in numerals, such as Oriental 188, 328, and 298 Computer Centre. The Wanchai Computer Centre would be the most popular computer center in Wan Chai. In spite of the abundance of sophisticated computer equipment, pirated discs abound in the computer shops.
Central Plaza is a modern triangular office building. Completed in
1992, it stands near Wan Chai Bay and occupies 7,230 m². The land and construction costs totaled
HK$ 5 billion. This 374-metre, 78-story high skyscraper was once Asia's tallest and the world's fourth tallest building. At present it is the second tallest in Hong Kong. The apex of Central Plaza is designed as a unique neon tower clock. It consists of four spandrel neon bands, each representing 15 minutes, and the colour changes from top to bottom. When the four bands are of the same colour, an hour has passed.
More than an innovative clock, LightimeTM has become a new symbol of Hong Kong in a similar way to which the
Eiffel Tower reminds people of
Paris.
Located outside the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre,
Golden Bauhinia Square, which witnessed the establishment of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region, represents the end of British colonial rule and the return of the territory to China. A flag-raising ceremony is held there on a daily basis.
Wan Chai
Tai Fat Hau footbridge make an absorbing display of art available. Made up of 30,000 citizens' fingerprints, the sticker pictures on the 50 poles of the footbridge, designed by famous artists and lay out "50 landscapes of Wan Chai", are now in line for enclosure in
Guinness World Records Primetime. The Footbridge Gallery is located at the junction of
Hennessy Road and Queen's Road East.
Lovers' Rock reclines on the hillside of
Bowen Road near
Shiu Fai Terrace and looks like a stone pen sticking out of a stone base. This special looking rock is said to have granted happy marriages to pious worshippers. In certain days, couples who want a happy marriage come to the Lovers' Rock to burn
joss sticks and candles in sincere worship. Many overseas tourists, attracted by its reputation, come to marvel at the Lovers' Rock. From that location, they can also enjoy a splendid view of the whole of
Wan Chai District,
Happy Valley Racecourse,
Central Plaza, the
Hopewell Centre and other famous buildings in the community.
To appreciate a lush view of Wan Chai, tourists can take several routes up to
the Peak. They may start from the old stone stairs facing
Ship Street, or from the brae contiguous to
Old Wan Chai Post Office and then ascend, step by step, to the top where grass and trees thrive. The flag-raising ceremony held every day at the Expo Promenade of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is always a must-see occasion that should not be missed; especially on July 1, the anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR and on October 1, the National Day, times when the ceremony is most spectacular.
To most foreigners, Wanchai is still synonymous with images of sailors and soldiers during the Vietnam war relaxing , and enjoying the vibrant nightlife of Wanchai, especially along LockHart rd. Some 'girlie bars' remain today, but the main attraction for locals and tourists alike are the large number of bars,discos, and eating establishments.Wanchai can be enjoyed by young and old 24 hours a day.
Near the waterfront are the
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the
Hong Kong Arts Centre, two of the most popular venues for theatrical and cultural performances in Hong Kong. The Academy is a convenient venue to perform live art performances such as
dramas,
mini-concerts,
dances, and
musicals. Every year there are many
Broadway musicals playing in the Academy, like
Singin' in the Rain,
Saturday Night Fever, and
Annie, which gain overwhelming response from the locals. The Art Centre also houses a few galleries, rehearsal rooms, and restaurants that promote the views of the harbour.
On the right of the harbour is the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). A
HK$ 4.8 billion convention centre extension was completed expeditiously in line with the
1997 handover of Hong Kong from the
United Kingdom to the
People's Republic of China. The extension covers over 16 acres (65,000 m²) of newly reclaimed land, adding an extra 38,000 m² of function space to the existing convention centre. The HKCEC is not a place designated only for international conferences and commercial meetings only, but also for various cultural events in Hong Kong. Every year in July, there is a gigantic
book fair held in the Centre, promoting a good reading habit to Hong Kong people. Then a comic fair follows in the next month at the same location. Comics from different countries, likewise their spin-out products, can be found in such occasion; a
cosplay competition would be held at the same time, and cosplay fans would dress up as their favourite comic or animation characters.
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Old dilapidated buildings in metro area |
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The new and the old in Wan Chai |
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The "Blue House" in Stone Nullah Lane |
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Lee Tung Street |
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a printing shop closed down with a sign posted by the Urban Renewal Authority. |
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Banners brandished all over Lee Tung Street against the demolishing action of the government |
Wan Chai faces a serious problem of
urban decay. In order to tackle the problem, the government has launched a series of
urban renewal projects to bring new life into the area.
Urban decay in Hong Kong
At present, there are about 9,300
private buildings in the metro area defined by the
Planning Department (i.e
Hong Kong Island,
Kowloon,
Tsuen Wan District and
Kwai Tsing District) which are 30 years old and above. In ten years' time, the number of buildings over 30 years old will increase by 50%. The problem of ageing buildings is serious in older urban areas.
To address the problem of urban decay and improve the living conditions of residents in dilapidated areas, the Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance (Chapter 563) was enacted in July 2000. The Ordinance provides a new institutional framework for carrying out urban renewal. The
Urban Renewal Authority was established on May 1, 2001.
The Urban Renewal Proposals
Introduction
The proposals started with a broad assessment of the magnitude of the urban renewal problem. Information on building age and conditions extracted from databases kept by the Planning, Buildings, Fire Services, and
Home Affairs Departments, and the
Land Development Corporation was utilised as the preliminary basis for assessing the need for urban renewal. The proposals gradually broadened to include district and planned development, transport, socio-demographic and environmental considerations in delineating urban renewal project areas. Many of the priority project areas are concerted in localised parts of the aged urban areas. The proposals took on a targeted area approach to urban renewal. Wan Chai is one of the nine targeted areas initially delineated to focus redevelopment and rehabilitation actions in a corresponding manner. The other areas are
Ma Tau Kok,
Tai Kok Tsui,
Sham Shui Po,
Yau Ma Tei,
Yau Tong,
Kwun Tong,
Sai Ying Pun and
Tsuen Wan.
Aims
Although
urban renewal is difficult to define clearly, it normally involves relatively large-scale redevelopment of urban areas, rather than piecemeal rebuilding of individual buildings or the provision of specific facilities. Its objectives include:
* improvements to the urban environment and infrastructure by the provision of more open space, community and other facilities;
* enhancements to urban layouts,
road networks and other
infrastructure;
* the substitution or overhaul of archaic buildings;
* better exploitation of land;
* thinning out of development and population densities to reduce the strain on over-burdened transport and other infrastructure;
* making accessible land to meet various uses such as housing, and
* redeveloping a particular area in order to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of neighbouring areas by private developers, as enhanced property values make this more viable.
Examples
Two pilot townscape enhancement schemes, namely
Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai and the area around
Lan Kwai Fong and adjoining the
Central District Central-Mid-Levels escalator (the
Soho area), are proposed to preserve their unique local character and to enhance their attractiveness to tourists. For the Stone Nullah Lane area, it is proposed to form part of an adjoining redevelopment priority project area. The redevelopment project will be carefully designed to integrate with the preservation of a group of the adjoining buildings of heritage value. It will be carried out by the
Urban Renewal Proposals.
Demolition of Lee Tung Street
Lee Tung Street, better known by its local nickname "Wedding Card Street", is famous for its printing shops that sell custom-made wedding cards, coloured flashy red for luck. Despite efforts by local residents and conservationists to save the street's character, old buildings along the street are scheduled for demolition. Many proprietors have shut down their shops and moved out. Today, most stores have signs that say "This is an
Urban Renewal Authority Property" on their front gates. Campaigners who fought to keep the street's character concede that the buildings are in poor shape, but they are sad to see Hong Kong losing another piece of its
cultural identity.
Renovation of Tai Yuen Street
Visitors may gain a distinctive experience of bustling local street-stall shopping in
Tai Yuen Street. About 200 huckster stalls sell a wide variety of
dried goods, garments and household products there. Fascinating goods are offered at bargain prices. Some of them, such as
dumplings,
Chinese herbal medicine and
preserved food are predominantly tourist attractions to overseas travellers. This is a place where old houses and modern mansions mingle, creating an interesting disparity. Today, as Wan Chai becomes a business hub, the government is planning to have these stalls moved into a new indoor market building.
Relocation
Commercial tenants face similar problems as their domestic counterparts in that low-cost premises are getting hard to find in Wan Chai. Affordable commercial space is not always available in newly-developed commercial buildings. Even owner-operators of commercial premises are unable to relocate in the same district because the compensation they get from the
Urban Renewal Authority do not always match the purchase price of similar-sized properties in the same district. It was proposed, therefore, that options should be made available to owners or tenants so that they can choose between physical relocation by developers, cash compensation to allow them buy or rent elsewhere, or wind up their businesses altogether.
Renewal of Southorn Playground
In partnership with the
Wan Chai District Council, the
British Council Hong Kong invited English designer,
Thomas Heatherwick, and urban renewal specialist,
Fred Manson, to lead a public art project at
Southorn Playground. The project seeks to increase the amount of public space available with the use of art. Art in public spaces is about making art for the benefit of the citizens, the community who uses it. It is not about putting sculptures in a public area for people to look at. Instead, it is about establishing a relationship with the community and improving the quality of the environment. The project will endeavour to create a public art intervention in Southorn Playground, which will meet the community's needs and address the cultural complexities of Wan Chai. It is hoped that the project will serve as a model of community participatory approach in public art in Hong Kong. In summary, the project's objectives include:
*To create changes so people will take a fancy to it;
*To make it better so people will benefit from it;
*To bring it up to date so that it has new significance as Wan Chai's main square in the past, present and future, and
*To make the playground a public art in its own right.
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
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The floor plan of the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation |
After the completion of the
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation Feasibility Study in
1989, the then
Land Development Policy Committee endorsed an idea of ongoing execution of the reclamation. The reclamation comprises three district development cells separated by parks, namely, Central, Tamar and Exhibition. These development cells were further divided into five phases.
Objectives
The proposed reclamation extends along the waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay. The broad objectives of the project, inter alia, include :
*to supply land for the
Hong Kong Station and the extended overrun tunnel of the
Airport Express;
*to provide land for
Central-Wan Chai Bypass and
Island Eastern Corridor Link;
*to offer land for the upcoming
Shatin to
Central Link;
*to give land for the potential North
Hong Kong Island Line;
*to improve the surroundings of neighbouring crowded districts by providing supplementary open space on the new reclamation; and
*to integrate the development with the existing areas.The reclaimed land above the underground transport infrastructure could be used to construct a world-class waterfront
promenade.
Wan Chai Development Project
=Phase I
=
Wan Chai Reclamation Phase I (
a.k.a. Island Reclamation for the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Extension) includes the formation of an island of 70,000 m² by reclamation at the northern side of the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to supply land for building an additional room to the Centre. The island configuration is to ensure that water quality in the vicinity remained at satisfactory levels after reclamation was completed. Works commenced in March
1994 and were completed in July
1997.
=Phase II
=
Wan Chai Development Phase II extends along the water's edge from the Central Reclamation Phase III to
Causeway Bay. This project together with Central Reclamation Phases I, II and III will mainly provide land for the construction of the
Central-Wan Chai Bypass and the
Island Eastern Corridor Link, the Hong Kong Island section of the
Shatin to
Central Link and the North
Hong Kong Island Line. The project is being reviewed at the moment.
Public opposition
Not everyone welcomed with the reclamation plan warmly. Some Hong Kong residents thought the action was totally unnecessary; it did nothing good, merely reducing the size of
Victoria Harbour. Instead of building a bypass, the opponents urge the government to start an
electronic road toll scheme in the community. In October
2003, close to 1,000 protesters marched on the Central Government Offices calling for a halt to reclamation work in the harbour. They also promised to follow up with a three-pronged protest next month using land, sea and air to get their message across. The march was one of several protests in recent weeks over harbour projects, which the government says are necessary to ease traffic congestion in Central. The government had lost the first round of a court battle, but then appealed against the decision.
Among the protesters was
Save Our Shorelines spokesman
John Bowden who, like many among the group, was dressed in blue. The
Society for the Protection of the Harbour applied for a stay of order and judicial review in September
2003, prohibiting the government from continuing with the third phase of the Central reclamation project. The government resumed work to reclaim 230,000 m² of the harbour last week after the society failed in its bid to get hold of a court order to provisionally halt work ahead of December's judicial review. The government finally won the lawsuit, and the reclamation continued under immense social dissatisfaction.
Mega Tower
Hopewell Holdings Limited was planning to build an entertainment complex and a hotel, Mega Tower, in the areas of
Ship Street and
Kennedy Road. The latest planning proposal was rejected by the Town Planning Board. The development is now on hold, and Hopewell is planning to appeal.
Geographically, Wan Chai is in the midway between the west (
West Point and
Central) and the east (
Causeway Bay and
North Point) of the
Hong Kong Island, thus linking up all major roads and traffic pathways on the Island. Consequently, a transport network with a high accessibility is highly demanded. Now, Wan Chai has an efficient yet complicated transport network, merely due to various reclamations in the locality. Several highways were built to connect neighbouring districts. Like most of Hong Kong's urban areas, public transport is the common mode of travel for the majority of Wan Chai residents. So as to cater 600,000 people from different districts gathering every day to school, work, and shop in Wan Chai, a wide range of public transport services is offered to allow smooth enormous population movements during peak hours.
Main roads and tunnels
Gloucester Road is also connected to the first underwater tunnel in Hong Kong, the
Cross-Harbour Tunnel, connecting
Hong Kong Island at
Kellet Island (a former island now connected to Hong Kong Island by reclamation) and a reclaimed site at Hung Hom Bay in
Kowloon. The Tunnel provides a direct linkage between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, making it possible to drive directly between the isolated island and the
peninsula. Prior to the tunnel's opening, cross-harbour vehicular traffic depended solely upon ferries. With the tunnel linking the main financial districts on both sides of Victoria Harbour, it became the busiest route in Hong Kong, with (as of March 2005) 121,700 vehicles using it daily.
*
Aberdeen Tunnel*
Canal Road flyover
*
Cross-Harbour Tunnel*
Gloucester Road*
Hennessy Road*
Queen's Road East*
Wanchai RoadMass Transit Railway
 |
A Wan Chai street chock-full with buses and taxis |
The main
MTR railway is beneath
Hennessy Road in the locality. Due to the large area of Wan Chai, more than 50 entry/exit gates and 8 entrances/exits are set up. One of the entrances/exits is on the footbridge along
O'Brien Road, which leads to
Immigration Tower in Wan Chai North.
*
MTR:
Island Line -
Wan ChaiTrams serve between
Shau Kei Wan on the east of the island, and
Kennedy Town on the west, with a branch circuit in
Happy Valley. The route serves the
Johnston Road and
Hennessy Road at Wan Chai.
Buses
Most buses travel in Wan Chai from
Admiralty to
Causeway Bay via
Hennessy Road, whereas some would use
Johnston Road or Gloucester Road as detours.
*
NWFB: 2, 2A, 2X, 8, 8P, 15, 18, 18P, 19, 23, 23A, 23B, 25, 26, 38, 42, 63, 66, 81, 720, M722
*
Citybus: 1, 5, 5B, 6, 6X, 8X, 10, 11, 37A, 37B, 40, 40M, 70, 72, 72A, 76, 77, 85, 90, 92, 96, 97, 260, 592, 780, 788, 789, to and from
airport via
WHC: A11, A12, E11
*
Tunnel buses:
**
Cross-Harbour Tunnel: 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 116, 117, 170, 171, 182
**
Eastern Harbour Crossing: 601, 603, 619, 671, 680, 681, 690, 692
**
Western Harbour Crossing: 905, 914, 960, 961, 962, 968, 969
There is a bus terminal opposite the
Star Ferry Pier.
Taxis
Only red taxis serve in Wan Chai. Fares are charged according to distance travelled and waiting time, measured by a meter on board, and surcharges for luggages and adjoining tolled tunnels into the bargain. Besides some restricted
kerbs in the highways, there are some designated pick-up and drop-off points exclusively for taxis in the region. Most taxis are independently owned and operated, but some are owned by taxi companies and the drivers are the employees.
Minibus
Public light buses (usually referred to as minibuses, also known as maxicabs) run the length and breadth of Hong Kong, through areas which the standard bus lines cannot or do not reach as frequently, quickly or directly. Minibuses carry a maximum of 16 seated passengers; no standing passengers are allowed.
There are two types of minibus: green minibus and red minibus. In general, green minibuses operate scheduled service, with fixed routes and fixed fares. Red minibuses run on non-scheduled service, although some routes may in effect become fixed over time. Minibuses typically offer a faster and more efficient transportation solution due to their small size, limited carrying capacity, frequency and diverse range of routes, although they are generally slightly more expensive than standard buses. The popularity of public light bus services in Hong Kong is due to the high population densities which are needed to support the extensive network of minibus routes.
*
Green: 4A, 4B, 4C, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14M, 21A, 21M, 24A, 24M, 25, 28, 30, 31, 35M, 36X, 39M, 40, 56, 69
*
Red:
**
West Point -
Causeway Bay (
Daimaru)/
Shau Kei Wan**
Tsuen Wan - Wan Chai
**
Sheung Shui - Wan Chai
**
Yuen Long - Wan Chai
Ferries
Main article: Wan Chai Pier
Star Ferry, the sole ferry operator in the area, offers several lines across the
Victoria Harbour, from
HKCEC, Wan Chai to
Cultural Centre in
Tsim Sha Tsui or to
Whampoa Garden in
Hung Hom. Even though there are now more modern ways to cross the harbour by
MTR and road tunnels, the Star Ferry continues to provide an efficient, popular and inexpensive mode of crossing the harbour. The route is also popular with tourists, and tickets for visitors, which permit unlimited travel, are offered. All ferries have chimneys in purple colour.
Star Ferry Pier is located at
Convention Avenue.
* Wan Chai is a prominent location in the video game
Deus Ex. Many architectural and geographical elements are represented faithfully considering the graphics technology of the time (
2000).
* Wan Chai is also in the Video Game
Shenmue II. It is divided into 7 quarters.
*
Wan Chai District*
Causeway Bay*
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts*
Wan Chai Sports Ground*
:Category:Wan Chai North{{HKDistrict |centre =
Wan Chai District |north = (
Victoria Harbour) |west =
Central and Western District |east =
Eastern District |location =
Causeway Bay | Happy Valley | Jardine's Lookout | Stubbs Road | Tai Hang | Wan Chai
| Wan Chai North | Wong Nai Chung Gap |south =
Southern District |
Documents*
A Study on Historical and Architectural Context of Wan Chai Market written by the
Hong Kong Institute of Architects. May
2004. (
Adobe Acrobat pdf format)
Project pages*
"Wan Chai ‧Today‧Tomorrow and After" Roadshow*
Save Wan Chai Market Action*
Wan Chai Memory‧Photo and Writing CompetitionPress*
Renovation of Southorn Playground by
Ta Kung Pao. 29 March 2005.
Website*
Hong Kong Fun in 18 Districts - Wan Chai*
Remembering Wanchai " A Community Oral History Project conducted by the
University of Hong Kong Centre of Asian Studies
*
Centamap, providing informations of transport in Wan Chai
Official websites*
Wan Chai District Council*
Hong Kong Fun in 18 Districts - Wan ChaiPersonal website*
A memoir of a Wan Chai District resident (Traditional Chinese only)
Other websites*
Retracing the Wan Chai Coastline - with oral history interviews with old residents (Traditional Chinese only)
