Lan Kwai Fong (often abbreviated as LKF) is a small square of streets in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. The area was dedicated to hawkers before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but underwent a renaissance in the mid-1980s. It is now a popular

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

haunt in

for drinking, clubbing and dining. The street Lan Kwai Fong is L-shaped with two ends joining with

D'Aguilar Street D'Aguilar Street (, formerly ) is a street in Central, Hong Kong. It is named after George Charles d'Aguilar (1784–1855), Major General and Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong from 1843 to 1848. Location D'Aguilar Street is an L-shaped str ...

Location

Lan Kwai Fong as an area is defined by D'Aguilar Street and the smaller lane, Lan Kwai Fong, an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane. Both streets turn 90 degrees to form a rectangle. It is near the

Mid-Levels Mid-Levels is an affluent residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located between Victoria Peak and Central. Residents are predominantly more affluent Hong Kong locals and expatriate professionals. The Mid-Levels is further ...

. Its eating and drinking establishments are considered upmarket in price and the area is also considered a tourist spot. From the west side of the rectangle, Wo On Lane and Wing Wah Lane extend to host several more spots for drinks and food. The area arguably extends to Wellington Street and

Wyndham Street Wyndham Street is a one-way street in Central, Hong Kong. It is one of the earliest colonial streets, once known as Pedder Hill. Location It starts at the junction with Hollywood Road and Arbuthnot Road, near the Central Police Station, and ...

, through to the

Hong Kong Fringe Club The Fringe Club is a not-for-profit arts organisation. Its mission is to help emergent artists, promote Hong Kong artists abroad through cultural exchange and overseas touring, and conserve and develop Hong Kong cultural heritage. It provides ...

. It is also home to a small number of

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

History

Before the Second World War, Lan Kwai Fong was dedicated to hawkers. In early days, the square housed many mui yan (), or marriage arrangers, a role exclusively held by females. Mui yan were marriage intermediaries between two families in traditional times. It was thus known as Mui Yan Hong or Hung Leung Hong. After the opening of the disco club "Disco Disco" by Gordon Huthart on 23 December 1978 in the basement of 40

, the development of the Lan Kwai Fong area accelerated, making it famous all over the world. The disco club was once popular among celebrities and

expats An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

, but then it was closed in 1986. Inspired by

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Crescent Street Crescent Street (officially in french: rue Crescent) is a southbound street in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Running perpendicular to Saint Catherine Street, Crescent Street descends from Sherbrooke Street south to René Lévesque Boulevard. ...

, the Montreal-raised businessman

Allan Zeman Allan Zeman GBM, GBS, JP (Chinese name: 盛智文; born 18 July 1949) is a Hong Kong business magnate. Background and personal life Allan Zeman was born into a Jewish family in Regensburg, Germany; and was raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canad ...

decided to open a restaurant called "California" on Lan Kwai Fong in 1983 since he believed that expats in Hong Kong at the time needed more places for hangouts. Since then, he has been nicknamed "the Father of Lan Kwai Fong" (蘭桂坊之父). Between 2011 and 2015, a massive change was underway, following Zeman's decision to replace his block in Lan Kwai Fong. This led to a substantial area of Lan Kwai Fong becoming a construction site.

Special occasions

The crowds during special occasions such as

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

put the place at a literal standstill with the large numbers.

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

control is employed at such times, to manage the crowds.蘭桂坊：廿四味與啤酒共存

Street culture

In recent years, street performing has become a new scene in Hong Kong's street culture. Some of the performers decide to set their stages at Lan Kwai Fong, usually with the medium of singing and playing guitar in an acoustic setting.

New Years Eve tragedy

Junction of D'Aguilar Street and Lan Kwai Fong

On 1 January 1993, 21 people were killed and 62 injured in a large-scale

human crush Crowd collapses and crushes are catastrophic incidents that can occur when a body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When a body of people reaches or exceeds the density of , the pressure on each individual can cause the crowd to collapse ...

incident whilst celebrating the

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

in Lan Kwai Fong. More than 15,000 people were crammed into the area for the New Year countdown at the time. As midnight approached, increasing rowdiness caused the crowd to collapse in on itself, King of the hill looks to Hollywood's heights

SCMP The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

, 27 Mar 2006 The

Hong Kong government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...

appointed then-

Court of First Instance A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance w ...

judge

Kemal Bokhary Syed Kemal Shah Bokhary ( ur, , ; born 25 October 1947) is a judge in Hong Kong. He was one of three Permanent Judges of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal from its inception in 1997 until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in Oc ...

to conduct an inquest into the disaster. The stringent crowd control measures now in force at major holidays and events are a direct consequence of the inquest's recommendations.

Transport

There are several ways to access Lan Kwai Fong other than taxi, which include:

Public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

MTR The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is a major public transport network serving :Hong Kong. Operated by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), it consists of heavy rail, light rail, and feeder bus service centred on a 10-line rapid transit network ...

Central station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

, Exit "D2" *

Airport Express The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output capa ...

Hong Kong station Hong Kong () is a station of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong. It is the eastern terminus of the and . It is situated between Man Cheung Street and Harbour View Street, Central, Hong Kong Island, and sits underneath the International Fina ...

, Exit "B2" or "C" *

Public bus Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications ...

, route no. 12M, 13 and 40M

References

External links

Official website of Lan Kwai Fong AssociationOfficial website of Lan Kwai Fong GroupOfficial website of Lan Kwai Fong Entertainments
* {{Human stampedes Central, Hong Kong Tourist attractions in Hong Kong Restaurant districts and streets in Hong Kong Human stampedes in 1993 1993 in Hong Kong Roads on Hong Kong Island