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Sai Wan, also known as Western district, or simply Western, is an area in
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...
,
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 ...
that corresponds to
Sai Ying Pun Sai Ying Pun is an area in Western District, on Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. It is administratively part of the Central and Western District. Etymology In Cantonese, ''Sai'' () means "west" and ''Ying Pun'' () means "camp", especially a ...
,
Shek Tong Tsui Shek Tong Tsui or Belcher Point is an area in Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it belongs to the Central and Western District. This area is bounded north by the Victoria Harbour, south by Pok Fu Lam Road and Third ...
,
Belcher Bay Belcher Bay is a bay at Kennedy Town on the northwest shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located east of Sulphur Channel. The bay is named after Edward Belcher, a Nova Scotia-born British naval officer who surveyed the surroundin ...
and
Kennedy Town Kennedy Town is at the western end of Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It was named after Arthur Edward Kennedy, the 7th Governor of Hong Kong from 1872 to 1877. Administratively, it is part of Central and Western District. Due to its ...
. It formed part of the
City of Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
.
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, a former cape where major government structures in Sai Wan are close to, also used to refer to Sai Wan. After Hong Kong's handover to
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, Sai Wan become the location for the
Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (; abbr. LOCPG or 香港中聯辦) is the agency that represents the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong. It replaced the New Ch ...
and people in Hong Kong, including the former head of the Liaison Office
Zhang Xiaoming Zhang Xiaoming (; born 3 September 1963) is a Chinese politician. He was the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong and then of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, before being demoted to deputy direc ...
, colloquially refer the name Sai Wan as the Liaison office itself.


History


History of Sai Ying Pun

In the early 1800s, Sai Ying Pun was known as a place to settle the Chinese immigrants. It was built from the west of Tai Ping Shan. Europeans were also assigned to live in the same area. However, they were separated at the
High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
where Chinese were excluded from living. In 1880, sewerage was installed into the area, with the main flow coming down Centre Street. Streets were covered with macadam and concreted at the same time. In 1890s, a severe epidemic outbreak of the
bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...
afflicted Sai Ying Pun residents. Sheung Fung Lane residents were almost wiped out during the period. Government Reports identified this area as the no. IX health district and went into great detail about the buildings where the disease occurred. The neighboring area, Tai Ping Shan, was the most infected place in the city. It was resumed, abandoned and demolished to improve hygiene.


History of Shek Tong Tsui

The name of
Shek Tong Tsui Shek Tong Tsui or Belcher Point is an area in Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it belongs to the Central and Western District. This area is bounded north by the Victoria Harbour, south by Pok Fu Lam Road and Third ...
derived from a famous ancient stone pond, "Shek Tong" () in Cantonese, inside the area. The stone pond was located at modern-day Hill Road and The Belcher's, and was mined by the
Hakka people The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhe ...
since the 17th century. In 1903, the first land reclamation of Shek Tong Tsui was finished. In the meantime, the largest brothels in the city, which were located at the
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. Name The original Chinese name was ...
, were destroyed by a big fire. Consequently, Hong Kong Governor
Matthew Nathan Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan (3 January 1862 – 18 April 1939) was a British soldier and colonial administrator, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Quee ...
decided to move all Hong Kong Island's brothels to Shek Tong Tsui in the early 1900s due to the large area recently claimed from the land reclamation. The place was then being well flourished as a red light district and came to its golden period. Numerous Cantonese opera theaters and restaurants were founded because of the business of brothels. It was the best place to entertain the affluent Chinese in Hong Kong. Queen's Road was the first road built in Hong Kong, constructed by the British from 1841 to 1843. It connected the Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui to Wan Chai. Brothels in this area had also inspired numerous novels and Hong Kong films, most notably ''
Rouge Rouge is the French word for "red" and may refer to: Compounds * Rouge (cosmetics), a cosmetic used to color the cheeks and emphasize the cheekbones * Jeweler's rouge or iron(III) oxide * Rouging, a form of corrosion applicable to stainless ...
'' (1987), starring
Anita Mui Anita Mui Yim-fong (; 10 October 1963 – 30 December 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actress who made major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and received numerous awards and honours. She remained an idol throughout her career, and i ...
and
Leslie Cheung Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actor. Throughout a 26-year career from 1977 until his death, Cheung released over 40 music albums and acted in 56 films. He was one of the most prominent ...
.


History of Belcher Bay

Belcher Bay was named after
Edward Belcher Admiral Sir Edward Belcher (27 February 1799 – 18 March 1877) was a British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer. Born in Nova Scotia, he was the great-grandson of Jonathan Belcher, who served as a colonial governor of Massachuse ...
who landed on Possession Point at the north shore of Hong Kong Island and made the first British survey of Hong Kong Harbour on 25 January 1841. Belcher Bay,
Gin Drinkers Bay Gin Drinkers Bay or Gin Drinker's Bay, also colloquially known as Lap Sap Wan, was a bay in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong. The bay was reclaimed in the 1960s and became Kwai Fong and part of Kwai Hing. At the mouth of the bay stood the island of Pil ...
and
Tseung Kwan O Tseung Kwan O New Town is one of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on reclaimed land in the northern half of Junk Bay (known as Tseung Kwan O in Chinese/Cantonese language) in southeastern New Territories, after which it is named. ...
were known as the 'Bay of Trash' in Hong Kong. Belcher's Street is the main street in Kennedy Town of Hong Kong. It connects Victoria Road and Queen's Road West. A small section in its west end built a turn around for Hong Kong Tramway. It is currently used as a site for ships to load and unload goods.


History of Kennedy Town

Kennedy Town was the western section of the historical Victoria City. It was named after the governor Arthur Edward Kennedy who initiated land reclamation along the coast of this area in 1886. It formed a narrow coastal strip of land that included the Kennedy Praya and the coastal area from Beach Street via Collinson Street to Shek Tong Tsui.Kwok, Ka-chun, Peter, "Remodelling U.C. Complex in Kennedy Town", University of Hong Kong, 1995 In 1903, 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, ...
erected seven boundary stones for the city, inscribed "City Boundary 1903". One of them is located at the Kennedy Town Temporary Recreation Ground at Sai Ning Street (). From 1933 to 1939, more land was reclaimed along the coast of Kennedy Town, yet the construction was suspended due to the
Battle of Hong Kong The Battle of Hong Kong (8–25 December 1941), also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the ...
in 1941. Another land reclamation was conducted recently at the end of the 20th century.


Historical Buildings, Landmarks

*Lo Pan Temple, a Grade I historic building *Elliot Pumping Station & Filters Senior Staff Quarters, No. 77 Pok Fu Lam Road, a Grade II historic building *Elliot Pumping Station & Filters Workmen's Quarters, a Grade III historic building *Elliot Pumping Station & Filters, Treatment Works Building, a Grade III historic building *Ex-Western Fire Station, No. 12 Belcher's Street, a Grade III historic building. Converted into the Po Leung Kuk Chan Au Big Yan Home for the Elderly *Sai Ying Pun Community Complex *
University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...
*China Merchants Group The Westpoint *Sai Wan Harbour *Ching Lin Terrace *
Kwun Lung Lau Kwun Lung Lau is a public housing estate in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. It is one of the first public housing developments in Hong Kong, built in 1967 to alleviate a housing crisis in the territory. It is on 20 Lung Wah Street. It consists of ...


See also

*
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park is a waterfront park in the Sai Ying Pun area of Hong Kong Island, facing Victoria Harbour. The park is named after Sun Yat-sen, and is the only one in Hong Kong named for a Chinese historic figure. History Resident ...
– formerly called Western Park


References

{{coord, 22.285, N, 114.132, E, source:kolossus-zhwiki, display=title Central and Western District, Hong Kong Places in Hong Kong