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Southorn Playground is a sports and recreational ground in
Wan Chai Wan Chai is 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, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to th ...
,
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 ...
. It comprises a
football pitch A football pitch (also known as soccer field) is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural tu ...
, four
basketball court In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor sur ...
s, and a children's playground. Southorn Playground is bounded by
Hennessy Road Hennessy Road () is a thoroughfare on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It connects Yee Wo Street on the east in Causeway Bay, at the junction with East Point Road, Jardine's Bazaar and Great George Street in East Point, through Bowrington, to ...
to the north, Luard Road to the west,
Johnston Road Johnston Road () is a major road in Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. Location Johnston Road spans from the junction with Heard Street, Hennessy Road and Stewart Road on its east, towards another junction with Hennessy Road and ...
to the south, and buildings to the east. It has been Wan Chai's main recreational area since the 1930s. It was named in 1934 after Sir
Wilfrid Thomas Southorn Sir Wilfrid Thomas Southorn (4 August 1879 – 15 March 1957) ( Chinese Translated Name: 修頓, Old Translated Name:蕭敦), known as Tom, was a British colonial administrator, spending the large part of his career in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) bef ...
, the Colonial Secretary from 1925 to 1936. Though the site is not big, it is often used for district functions such as fun fairs and sports matches. It is also popular among local residents as a place for daily relaxation and socialisation.


History


Early years

The land on which the Southorn Playground sits was
reclaimed Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lak ...
from
Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental i ...
as part of the
Praya East Reclamation Scheme Praya East Reclamation Scheme () was a large scale land reclamation project in Colonial Hong Kong lasting from 1921 to 1931 under Sir Catchick Paul Chater.
during the 1920s. In 1929, the government set up the Playing Fields Committee to study the provision of children's playgrounds. The committee recommended setting aside areas for children, and
Thomas Southorn Sir Wilfrid Thomas Southorn (4 August 1879 – 15 March 1957) ( Chinese Translated Name: 修頓, Old Translated Name:蕭敦), known as Tom, was a British colonial administrator, spending the large part of his career in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) bef ...
suggested preserving the land between Johnston Road and Hennessy Road as a playground. Two designated playgrounds, the Blake Gardens and the Wanchai grounds (today's Southorn Playground), were allotted by the government to the Chinese Y.M.C.A. and the Rotary Club, respectively. On 1 July 1933, the new Children's Playground Association (today the Hong Kong Playground Association) took over responsibility of these grounds. A public toilet and bathhouse opened on 12 February 1934 at the junction of Hennessy Road and O’Brien Road. A formal opening ceremony was held for the then-Wanchai Children's Playground, officiated by Thomas Southorn and Rotary Club president
Ts'o Seen Wan Tso Seen-wan, (, 10 November 1868 – 20 January 1953), also Ts'o Seen Wan, S. W. Tso or S. W. Ts'o, was a distinguished Hong Kong lawyer, politician, businessman and educationalist. Formerly served in Legislative Council, Sanitary Board and Di ...
, on 11 July 1934. The playground was actually open in some capacity prior to the commemorative opening ceremony – an April 1934 news article stated that the facility already had an average daily attendance of some 275 children. Following the
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Imperial Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the Governor of Hong Kong, Mark Aitchison Young, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of British Hong Kong, Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. The surr ...
(1941–1945), the government endeavoured to rehabilitate the derelict playgrounds of the territory. The ''Government Gazette'' announced on 11 October 1947 that the Southorn Playground would be re-allocated to the Children's Playground Association – unlike other playgrounds, which remained in government hands in anticipation that the
Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Servic ...
would ultimately take over their management. The Children's Playground Association constructed the War Memorial Centre, a welfare and sports centre, in the eastern portion of Southorn Playground. It was completed in 1950 and offered children recreational opportunities as well as a library. A new covered basketball court opened at the centre on 5 June 1951. This eastern portion of the playground also hosted the Family Planning Association and the Violet Peel Clinic.


1980s developments

By the 1980s, the western outdoor part of the playground was managed by the
Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Servic ...
, while the Playground Association managed the covered stadium in the eastern part. To make way for the construction of the
Mass Transit Railway 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 ...
(MTR)'s first line on Hong Kong Island, the
Island line Island Line or Island line may refer to: * Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong * Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England ** Island Line (brand) Island Line is a brand of the ...
, various Urban Council sites had to be borrowed or permanently alienated from the council's purview. The chairman of the council,
A. de O. Sales Arnaldo Augusto de Oliveira Sales, GBM, CBE, GCIH, JP, (; 13 January 1920 – 6 March 2020) was a Hong Kong/Portuguese sports figure who was chairman of the Hong Kong Olympic Academy and president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Commi ...
, was adamant that the play areas of Southorn Playground not be encroached upon. In early 1981 the council agreed to hand over two sites at Southorn Playground: a refreshment kiosk in the northwestern portion of the park (now home to a railway tunnel ventilation shaft), and the site of the O'Brien Road Public Toilet, which had been demolished earlier. In 1982, the Southorn Playground Temporary Market was constructed by the Urban Council to accommodate market stall lessees displaced during the redevelopment of the nearby Lockhart Road Market. It was located on the present-day site of the basketball courts. The War Memorial Centre, Violet Peel Clinic, and Family Planning Association in the eastern part of the playground were all demolished to make way for the MTR station that opened on 31 May 1985 as part of the first phase of the Island line. They were temporarily relocated off-site during construction of the station. On top of the station the Southorn Stadium (), Southorn Centre (), and Southorn Garden (, a residential building) were built. The Southorn Stadium is an indoor recreational complex, owned by the Hong Kong Playground Association, intended as a replacement for the War Memorial Centre. The Southorn Centre is a commercial building that houses many government offices. The Violet Peel Methadone Clinic is now located on the ground floor of Southorn Garden, while the Family Planning Association is housed in the ground floor of the Southorn Centre.


2005 redesign proposal

Wan Chai District Council The Wan Chai District Council is the district council for the Wan Chai District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Wan Chai District Council currently consists of 13 members, of which the district is divided into 13 constituencies ...
and the
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
invited English designer
Thomas Heatherwick Thomas Alexander Heatherwick, (born 17 February 1970) is an English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio. He works with a team of around 200 architects, designers and makers from a studio and workshop in ...
and urban renewal specialist Fred Manson to improve the playground in 2005. The proposal aimed to redevelop the space through a public art intervention. It was hoped that the project would serve as a model of community participation in public art in Hong Kong. The project aimed to generally improve and update the playground, and make it an artwork in its own right. An unnamed developer offered to pay for half the redevelopment while the District Council sought about HK$100 million from the government to make up the difference. The
Leisure and Cultural Services Department The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultural ...
was uninterested, stating, "In view of the keen competition for public resources for the development of much needed leisure facilities in other areas with greater urgency, e.g. new towns like
Tung Chung Tung Chung, meaning " eastern stream", is an area on the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. One of the most recent new towns, it was formerly a rural fishing village beside Tung Chung Bay, and along the delta and lower courses of T ...
and
Tin Shui Wai Tin Shui Wai New Town is a satellite town in the northwestern New Territories of Hong Kong. Originally a ' fish pond area, it was developed in the 1980s as the second new town in Yuen Long District and the eighth in Hong Kong. It is due northw ...
, there is less priority for a redevelopment proposal which aims at adding value to an existing well-used venue."


2005 WTO Ministerial Conference

Southorn Playground was originally one of the designated protest areas for the
WTO Ministerial Conference of 2005 The Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, also known as the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference and abbreviated as MC6, was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong from 13 to 18 Dece ...
(MC6), which was held during 13–18 December 2005 at the
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, along with AsiaWorld–Expo. It is located in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong Island. Built along the Victoria Harbou ...
. However, the government decided it would not be used for demonstration purposes after taking into account the
Wan Chai District Council The Wan Chai District Council is the district council for the Wan Chai District in Hong Kong. It is one of 18 such councils. The Wan Chai District Council currently consists of 13 members, of which the district is divided into 13 constituencies ...
's view that the playground is too far from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (0.4 km away) and protesters may end up cramming in Wan Chai. The playground therefore was only reserved for MC6-related public activities such as public forums, bazaars and cultural performances.


Use of facilities

Southorn Playground was a major landmark to senior residents of
Wan Chai Wan Chai is 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, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to th ...
. Back in the 1950–1960s, it was a place of both work and entertainment. Its character changed throughout the day. In the morning, labourers (commonly known as "
coolies A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...
") gathered in the playground to start their day. They gave each other Chinese herbal
massage Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...
s to alleviate fatigue and pain because it was costly to seek proper medical treatment. In the evening, the playground transformed into an open-air, working class night club where visitors enjoyed Chinese magic and
kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
performances, as well as street food. Nowadays, Southorn Playground remains popular among Wan Chai dwellers: senior citizens pass time by playing
Chinese chess ''Xiangqi'' (; ), also called Chinese chess or elephant chess, is a strategy board game for two players. It is the most popular board game in China. ''Xiangqi'' is in the same family of games as ''shogi'', ''janggi'', Western chess, ''chatu ...
there, while young people regard it as one of their favorite spots for
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
. The annual
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
Streetball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...
Challenge is held in the playground which attracts flocks of Hong Kong basketball fanatics and young spectators. It has also one of the most well-known basketball courts in Hong Kong, and street legends story often start in Southorn Playground.


Recent developments

Southorn Stadium (the indoor arena building) was renovated in 2013. Under the Wan Chai Station Lee Tung Street Subway Scheme, a 100-metre pedestrian subway is being built to connect the redeveloped
Lee Tung Street Lee Tung Street (), known as the Wedding Card Street (; ) by locals, was a street in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The street was famed in Hong Kong and abroad as a centre for publishing and for the manufacturing of wedding cards and other similar items ...
with the MTR station. The children's playground and one of the four basketball courts at Southorn Playground have been periodically closed to facilitate construction. Additionally, the
Civil Engineering and Development Department The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) is a department of the Hong Kong government that reports to the Development Bureau. Its major services include provision of land and infrastructure, port and marine services, geotechni ...
has commissioned a study into increasing the use of underground space in densely built-up areas. The study focuses on
Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, urban area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hu ...
,
Causeway Bay Causeway Bay is list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, an area and Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, straddling the border of the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern and the Wan Chai District, Wan Chai ...
, Happy Valley, and
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...
/Wan Chai. Southorn Playground has been identified as one of the open spaces to be investigated for underground space development potential.


See also

*
List of urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong include: Note: Most public parks and gardens in Hong Kong are managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Hong Kong Island * Aberdeen Promenade (Aberdeen) * Aldrich Bay Park ( Al ...


References


External links

* *
Southorn Stadium – Hong Kong Playground Association
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