Stanley, or Chek Chue, is a coastal
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and a popular
tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural b ...
in Hong Kong. It is located on a
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
on
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 ...
. It is east of
Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay or Tsin Shui Wan is a bay in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, located in the Southern District, Hong Kong. It is one of the most expensive residential areas in the world.
Geography
Repulse Bay is located in the southern ...
and west of
Shek O
Shek O is an area of the south-eastern part of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. It can refers to Shek O village or Shek O Peninsula or Shek O Headland. Administratively, they are part of Southern District.
Geography
The name "Shek O" literal ...
, adjacent to
Chung Hom Kok and
Tai Tam
Tai Tam or ''Tytam'' is an area in Southern District on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Tai Tam means a ''big pool'' in the Chinese language which illustrates a triangular bay, namely Tai Tam Bay between Stanley Peninsula, D'Aguilar Peak ...
. Administratively, it is part of the
Southern District.
The Chinese name "Chek Chue" refers to the original village-town but "Stanley" generally refers to all the surrounding areas of the peninsula on Hong Kong Island.
Name
There are two possible origins of the name "Chek Chue".
Legend has it that the notorious
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
Cheung Po Tsai
Cheung Po Tsai (; born Cheung Po; 1783–1822) was a navy colonel of the Qing dynasty and former pirate. "Cheung Po Tsai" literally means "Cheung Po the Kid". He was known to the Portuguese Navy as ''Quan Apon Chay'' during the Battle of th ...
was active in Stanley. That is why the district became known in Cantonese as Chak Chue (). There was once a Cheung Po Tsai Cave near the Tin Hau Temple west of Stanley, but the cave was filled in the early 1950s.
The original Cantonese name of the village was believed to be based on a big tall cotton tree (''
Bombax malabaricum
''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus '' Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...
'', ''
Bombax ceiba
''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...
'' ) often covered with bright red blossoms at the time, hence red pillar () in
Hakka language
Hakka (, , ) forms a language group of varieties of Chinese, spoken natively by the Hakka people throughout Southern China and Taiwan and throughout the diaspora areas of East Asia, Southeast Asia and in overseas Chinese communities around ...
.
It was given an English name after
Lord Stanley (subsequently Earl of Derby), British
Colonial Secretary at the time of the
cession of Hong Kong to the United Kingdom, and subsequently
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.
History
After the annexation of Hong Kong in 1842, the British made Stanley the temporary administrative centre, before moving it to the newly founded
Victoria City (present day
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 ...
) on
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 ...
.
Stanley Fort
Stanley Fort is a military installation on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Built originally to serve the British Armed Forces, it now houses the Hong Kong garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force. It has also been use ...
was where British and Canadian troops mounted a last stand during 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 ...
. The survivors surrendered to
Japanese forces in December 1941. The fort, which was the former
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
barracks in Stanley, is now occupied by the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
following the
transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admini ...
to the
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 ...
in 1997.
Places of interest
Stanley Market and Pat Kan Uk
Stanley Market is situated in Stanley New Street near the Stanley food market. It is an array of small shops and street stalls.
Pat Kan Uk is a row of eight houses. Many people think they are abandoned pre-war buildings but each of them is still a home to local elders. There were eight houses belonging to farming families in Wong Ma Kok before the Sino-Japanese War. The government recovered the land to develop barracks and a terrace of eight houses was built here as relocation homes for the local residents.
Stanley Main Street
Stanley has many bars and restaurants on its waterfront along Stanley Main Street.
To the west of Stanley Main Street, past the amphitheatre in Stanley Plaza is the
Tin Hau Temple
Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong are dedicated to Tin Hau (Mazu). Over 100 temples are dedicated (at least partially) to Tin Hau in Hong Kong. A list of these temples can be found below.
Famous temples
Famous Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong include:
...
(Temple of the Queen of Heaven). Built by
Cheung Po Tsai
Cheung Po Tsai (; born Cheung Po; 1783–1822) was a navy colonel of the Qing dynasty and former pirate. "Cheung Po Tsai" literally means "Cheung Po the Kid". He was known to the Portuguese Navy as ''Quan Apon Chay'' during the Battle of th ...
in 1767, it is one of the oldest temples in Hong Kong.
Murray House
Murray House is a Victorian-era building originally built in the present-day business district of Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of the
Murray Barracks
Murray Barracks () was a barracks for the British Army garrisoned in Admiralty, Central in Hong Kong. It was named after Sir George Murray, the Master-General of the Ordnance at the time of construction.
Location
It was situated between present ...
, the building was relocated to Stanley during the 2000s.
Stanley Plaza
Adjacent to Murray House and Lung Tak Court, Stanley Plaza opened in 2001. It includes a shopping arcade and an outdoor community amphitheatre. The complex is owned by
The Link REIT
Link Real Estate Investment Trust (, or ; previously known as The Link Real Estate Investment Trust (, or ), managed by Link Asset Management Limited, is the first real estate investment trust in Hong Kong and currently the largest in Asia in ...
. Numerous free concerts and events are held in the amphitheatre throughout the year. In November 2011, Stanley Plaza reopened after a major renovation which was part of the transfer from government ownership to Link REIT ownership. A number of Asian and western restaurants, a good supermarket, Starbucks, McDonald's and a variety of shops can be found in Stanley Plaza. Well integrated with the Stanley Main Street waterfront and historic Murray House, Stanley Plaza provides convenient access to nearby tourist spots such as Tin Hau Temple and Stanley Ma Hang Park.
Stanley's beaches
Stanley is famous for its two beaches:
Stanley Main Beach, located on the eastern side of the peninsula, and
St. Stephen's Beach, on the western side. Both beaches are sandy and have areas designed for
barbecues. Like many beaches in Hong Kong, they also have netted perimeters to protect swimmers from sharks.
The larger of the two beaches - Stanley Main Beach, which is also popular with
windsurfers
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
and other watersport enthusiasts, hosts the Stanley
Dragon Boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family ...
Championships each year in June to celebrate the
Tuen Ng Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival ( zh, s=端午节, t=端午節) is a traditional Chinese holiday which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to late May or June in the Gregorian calendar.
Names
The Eng ...
.
There is a Water Sports Training Centre run by the Government located at Stanley Main Beach. Courses are offered at reasonable prices and are very popular.
St. Stephen's College
St. Stephen's College is a primary and secondary school that has been located in Stanley for over 100 years. It has both day students and boarding facilities. Originally a private school, St. Stephen's College became a government-funded public school during the late 1900s.
The college's oldest building, the School House, was declared a monument in 2011, being one of the few schools in Hong Kong to own a Declared Monument in its campus.
Correctional Services Department (CSD) Complex
Stanley Prison is a maximum security level correctional facility, established in 1937, that houses the most hardened of criminals from the Hong Kong Judicial System. The Pak Sha Wan Correctional Institution (a medium security institution established in 1999) and the Tung Tau Correctional Institution (a minimum security institution established in 1982) are all part of the overall
Hong Kong Correctional Services
Hong Kong Correctional Services (also called Correctional Services Department (CSD)) is responsible for the management of prisoners and prisons in Hong Kong. The Commissioner of Correctional Services reports to the Secretary for Security.
...
Department complex in Stanley. Nearby on Stanley Village Road is the Ma Hang Prison (a minimum security institution established in 1974) which houses male adult prisoners and clinically old prisoners of low security risk.
The CSD Staff Training Institute is also located in Stanley. It is responsible for planning and implementing training programmes to equip CSD staff with relevant knowledge.
The
Correctional Services Museum is located at the entrance to the CSD complex in Stanley. It is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily except Mondays and public holidays. The Museum's collection has over 680 artefacts in nine galleries occupying some 480 square metres. Admission to the museum is free of charge.
Ma Hang Park
Stanley Ma Hang Park opened on 17 January 2011. The park has an area of 50,000 square-meters featuring various thematic zones to cater for people of all ages and interests. Pedestrian paths have been improved to enable safe and easy access to the various thematic zones, with display boards set up to introduce the birds, butterflies and plant species found in the park.
Pak Tai
Hēidì () or Hēishén (), who is the Běidì (, Cantonese: ''Pak Tai'') or Běiyuèdàdì () is a deity in Chinese religion, one of the cosmological " Five Forms of the Highest Deity" (). He is also identified as ''Zhuānxū'' (), today frequ ...
Temple is also a part of the park. It was built in 1805 when Stanley was a major fishing village, and dedicated to the "protector of fishermen".
Other areas of interest in Stanley
* The
Stanley Military Cemetery
Stanley Military Cemetery is a cemetery located near St. Stephen's Beach in Stanley, Hong Kong. Along with the larger Hong Kong (Happy Valley) Cemetery, it is one of two military cemeteries of the early colonial era, used for the burials ...
is located near St. Stephen's Beach.
* The
Old Stanley Police Station
The Old Stanley Police Station () was a police station constructed in 1859 in Stanley, Hong Kong Island. It is now the oldest remaining police station building in Hong Kong, and was declared a monument on 15 January 1984.[declared monument of Hong Kong
In the sport of cricket, a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture occurs when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings without batting. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 15 of the ''Laws o ...]
. Today it retains the original architecture, but inside it houses a
ParknShop
ParknShop (styled ''PARKnSHOP'', ) is one of the two largest supermarket chains in Hong Kong, the other being Wellcome. ParknShop operates more than 300 outlets in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China.
The first ParknShop store opened in Stanley ...
Supermarket.
*
Blake Pier at Stanley
Blake Pier at Stanley ( Chinese: 赤柱卜公碼頭) is a public pier in Stanley, Hong Kong. The name originally referred to Blake Pier, Central, a ferry pier in Central, Hong Kong. The pier was named after Sir Henry Arthur Blake, the twelft ...
* The Stanley Municipal Building opened in the summer of 2006. It houses some government offices, a medium-sized branch of the
Hong Kong Public Library containing both English and Chinese books. It also houses several recreational rooms such as basketball and badminton courts. There is a "garden zone" on the roof of the
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
section of the building with a view of Stanley Harbour.
*The
Stanley Fort
Stanley Fort is a military installation on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Built originally to serve the British Armed Forces, it now houses the Hong Kong garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force. It has also been use ...
is a
PLA
PLA may refer to:
Organizations Politics and military
* People's Liberation Army, the armed forces of China and of the ruling Chinese Communist Party
* People's Liberation Army (disambiguation)
** Irish National Liberation Army, formerly called ...
military barracks located at the southernmost part of Stanley peninsula, south of the lighthouse. It is not open to tourists or to the public.
Education
* The is located in Stanley.
Stanley is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 18. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and Hong Kong Southern District Government
Primary School.
Public housing
Ma Hang Estate
Ma Hang Estate () is a
public housing estate
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
in Stanley. Formerly the site of Ma Hang
Squatter Area, the estate is designed as "working village" and consists of 5 residential blocks completed between 1993 and 2000 for providing in-site rehousing for squatters. Stanley Plaza,
Murray House
Murray House is a Victorian-era building in Stanley, Hong Kong. Built in the present-day business district of Central in 1846 as officers' quarters of the Murray Barracks, the building was moved to the south of Hong Kong Island during the 2 ...
and
Blake Pier at Stanley
Blake Pier at Stanley ( Chinese: 赤柱卜公碼頭) is a public pier in Stanley, Hong Kong. The name originally referred to Blake Pier, Central, a ferry pier in Central, Hong Kong. The pier was named after Sir Henry Arthur Blake, the twelft ...
are also the territories of Ma Hang Estate.
Lung Yan Court
Lung Yan Court () is a Home Ownership Scheme court in Stanley, next to Ma Hang Estate. Formerly the site of Ma Hang
Squatter Area, the court has two blocks built in 1993.
Lung Tak Court
Lung Tak Court () was originally planned for rental housing, but it was later converted to
HOS ''court'' for sale. it consists of 4 blocks built in 2000. Owners who have paid the land premium may rent their premises out in the open market. Apartments in this area offers an attractive alternative to living in the more built up areas like Wanchai or North Point because there is much more greenery and open spaces around and buildings in Stanley are low rises. It is considered to be very convenient because it is located right next to Stanley Plaza and to the transport interchange.
Transport
Stanley is served by several bus routes along
Repulse Bay Road
Repulse may refer to:
Places
* Repulse Island National Park, Queensland, Australia
* Repulse Bay, Hong Kong
** Repulse Bay Beach, a beach in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong
** The Repulse Bay, a residential building in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong
* Naujaat ...
and
Tai Tam Road
Tai Tam Road in Hong Kong links the districts of Chai Wan and Stanley on Hong Kong Island. This road connects Chai Wan Road, the northern end of Shek O Road, Turtle Cove, Tai Tam and Stanley. The Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir's dam constitutes a s ...
. It is easy to reach with several buses that go back and forth from all over Hong Kong, for example the bus routes 6, 6A, 6X, 66 and 260 (Citybus) from Central Exchange Square, the bus route 973 from Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, the bus route 73 from Cyberport and 63 from Causeway Bay, as well as a bus from Chai Wan. In addition to the many bus routes, Stanley is also served by a taxi stand. The taxis in Stanley are red colour taxis.
The number 40 green minibus runs 24 hours a day. The terminus in Causeway Bay is located in Jardine's Crescent, just opposite SOGO Department Store.
There is no direct MTR route serving the Stanley area directly. The South Island MTR Line provides an alternative option for Stanley, as passengers can use the Ocean Park station (MTR) to connect to different areas in Hong Kong and change to bus and minibus services to avoid traffic congestion in north Hong Kong island and Aberdeen Tunnel. People in Stanley can also connect to the Chai Wan MTR station by bus or number 16 minibus.
Demographics
According to ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' in a 2015 article, Stanley has a "a sizeable French population." This population was reported to have come in the late 2000s and early 2010s and consisted of young professional French people.
See also
*
Beaches of Hong Kong
Hong Kong has a long coastline that is full of twists and turns with many bays and beaches. Many of them are well sheltered by mountains nearby, as Hong Kong is a mountainous place. As a result, large waves seldom appear at the bays, making the ...
*
List of places in Hong Kong
The following is a list of areashttp://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/MusicOffice/download/imts18.pdf of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Island
* Central and Western District
** Central District
***Admiralty
**Mid-Levels
***Soho
**Sai Wan
***Kennedy ...
*
Tourism in Hong Kong
The tourism industry has been an important part of the economy of Hong Kong since it shifted to a service sector model in the late 1980s and early 90s. There has been a sharp increase of domestic tourists from Mainland China following the i ...
*
Maryknoll House (Stanley)
Maryknoll House () is a Heritage conservation in Hong Kong, Grade I historic building located in Stanley, Hong Kong, Stanley, Hong Kong.
History
Built in 1935, Maryknoll House served as the local headquarters of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brother ...
References
External links
Strolling Around Stanley Market
More pictures of Stanley
{{Coord, 22, 13, N, 114, 13, E, type:city, display=title