Victoria Park ( zh, t=維多利亞公園, s=维多利亚公园, p=Wéiduōlìyà Gōngyuán) is a public park in
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 ...
,
Wan Chai District,
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 park is named after
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
, who has
a statue in the park. It is around in size and contains sporting facilities for tennis, association football, basketball, handball, volleyball, swimming, jogging, fitness, roller skating, and bowling.
The park first opened to the public in October 1957 and was revamped in the early 2000s. Owned and operated by the
Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong, the park is open all year, free of admission charge. It is Hong Kong's most popular public park, with more visitors than
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 ...
and
Kowloon
Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...
parks combined.
Site
Victoria Park is located 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 ...
, in the
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 ...
area of
Wan Chai District. It is situated on the shore of Causeway Bay
typhoon shelter and separated by a
breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:
* Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour
Places
* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia
* Breakwater Island
Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
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 ...
. The park is bounded by
Causeway Road
Causeway Road () is a main road in Hong Kong. Situated in Causeway Bay, it joins Yee Wo Street in the west and King's Road. It is a boundary of Eastern District and Wan Chai District. North side of the road is Victoria Park in Eastern District ...
to the southeast,
Gloucester Road to the west,
Victoria Park Road
Victoria Park Road () is a road in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Its western section between Gloucester Road and Island Eastern Corridor before the completion of Central–Wan Chai Bypass, served as a portion of Route 4. It starts at the junction o ...
and
Island Eastern Corridor to the north, and Hing Fat Street to the east.
The park is bordered on the south by the
Hong Kong Central Library and the Regal Hongkong Hotel, on the east by the Park Towers residential complex, on the north by a fire station and Citicorp Centre office tower, and on the west by
Windsor House Windsor House may refer to:
* Windsor House (Belfast) – a high-rise building built in 1974
* Windsor House (Hong Kong) – a high-rise building built in 1979
* Windsor House, London – an office building built in 1973
It may also refer to:
* H ...
retail mall and The Park Lane Hong Kong hotel. A small square, Tung Lo Wan Garden, is located in the north-eastern portion of Victoria Park. Two stations,
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 ...
and
Tin Hau, are located near the park. There are bus lines and a tramline along
Causeway Road
Causeway Road () is a main road in Hong Kong. Situated in Causeway Bay, it joins Yee Wo Street in the west and King's Road. It is a boundary of Eastern District and Wan Chai District. North side of the road is Victoria Park in Eastern District ...
, which run beside the park. Several pedestrian bridges with escalators and elevators have been built to connect the park to the Causeway Road.
History
Previously, the park's location served as a
typhoon shelter, known as
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter is a typhoon shelter located in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, between the Hong Kong Island entrance of Cross-Harbour Tunnel on Kellett Island and Island Eastern Corridor. It was the first typhoon shelter in Hong Kong. It is ...
, used by small fishing boats and yachts during typhoon seasons. In the 1950s, the former bay was filled in, the shoreline was pushed north, and the government decided to create a public park on the
newly reclaimed land. A new typhoon shelter was built north of the park.
In 1955, a
statue of Queen Victoria was moved to the park. The statue was cast in
Pimlico
Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
towards the end of the nineteenth century and subsequently erected in
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 ...
's
Central District. It was transferred to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to be melted down during the
Japanese occupation, but was retrieved in the
aftermath of World War II
The aftermath of World War II was the beginning of a new era started in late 1945 (when World War II ended) for all countries involved, defined by the decline of all colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers; the Soviet Union (US ...
, and was restored before being placed in the park. The park officially opened in October 1957. In 1972, embankments in the park's northern half were completed in conjunction with the construction of the
Cross-Harbour Tunnel
The Cross-Harbour Tunnel (abbreviated ''CHT'' or ''XHT'') is the first tunnel in Hong Kong built underwater. It consists of two steel road tunnels each with two lanes constructed using the single shell immersed tube method.
It is the earl ...
, and the
Victoria Park Road
Victoria Park Road () is a road in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Its western section between Gloucester Road and Island Eastern Corridor before the completion of Central–Wan Chai Bypass, served as a portion of Route 4. It starts at the junction o ...
was paved.
![Victoria Park Swimming Pool 1957](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Victoria_Park_Swimming_Pool_1957.jpg)
A central
lawn was laid in the park in 1974 and a
tennis court
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...
was built in 1981. In 1984, an overpass of the
Island Eastern Corridor was built along Victoria Park Road, connecting Causeway Bay with the
Tai Koo Shing
Taikoo Shing or Tai Koo Shing (), is a private residential development in Quarry Bay, in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is a part of Swire's property business, along with Taikoo Place, the adjacent Cityplaza retail and offi ...
estate. In September 1996, a
mainland Chinese artist, Pun Sing-lui, in protest over Hong Kong's "dull, colonial culture", painted the statue of Queen Victoria crimson and bent its nose with a hammer. The nose of the statue was rebuilt costing $150,000, and Sing-lui was sentenced to 28 days in prison.
From 2000 to 2002, the park received a major renovation, which saw many sporting facilities built on the site. The park's popularity increased after the revamp, especially among
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
domestic workers
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
, as
Sugar Street, adjacent to the park, is home to numerous Indonesian food, spice, book, magazine and music shops.
In 2013, a modern indoor swimming complex was built on the site of the old outdoor pools. In the following year, construction work for the project began at the northern end of Victoria Park, sparking public outcry. A portion of the park was occupied by construction of a
slip road for the
Central–Wan Chai Bypass
The Central–Wan Chai Bypass is a trunk road running between Sheung Wan and Fortress Hill on Hong Kong Island. The original design consists of a 2.3 km dual three-lane tunnel running under new reclamation areas provided by the Central and ...
project. This was highly controversial, as local councillors and residents alleged they were not informed that the road would cut through the park. In March 2015, construction unearthed
unexploded ordnance dating from
World War II
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 ...
, and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau of the
Hong Kong Police Force was called in to dispose of it.
Features
Facilities
In the central section of Victoria Park, there is a complex of fourteen
tennis court
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...
s, with the main court, which opened in 1981, seating approximately 3,600 spectators, with two fields with artificial turf for playing
bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
are nearby. A two-hectare central lawn is surrounded by pathways with trees to the west of the tennis courts. A 625-meter jogging path around the lawn features six stops for diverse fitness training. Six public
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 ...
pitches are located south of the courts and central lawn, and a sitting
statue of Queen Victoria stands next to them. 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 are located in the southeast section of the park, between the football pitches and the
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...
.
There are public
roller rinks, a
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
and
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
court and table tennis courts. There are four playgrounds to the north of the tennis courts, each with its own set of slides, swings, and exercise equipment, as well as a
pebble walking trail. A 954 square meter in size and a half-meter deep pond where
model yachting takes place and an open stage with a bandstand suitable for a hundred spectators are both located to the north of the central lawn. Most sports fields in the park have restrooms, changing rooms, and drinking fountains. Open portions of the park are patrolled 24/7 by both local policemen and police teams.
The indoor swimming complex, which opened in September 2013 at a cost of nearly
HK$
The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong and ...
800 million is located in the park's eastern section, on the location of the Old Victoria Park Swimming Pool.
It includes two pools with 2,500-seat spectator stands and an electronic scoreboard, as well as changing rooms, showers, restrooms, and wheelchair lifts. The Old Victoria Park Swimming Pool was opened with the park itself in 1957 and was the first public swimming pool in Hong Kong.
Vegetation
Trees such as ''
Jacaranda mimosifolia
''Jacaranda mimosifolia'' is a sub-tropical tree native to south-central South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its attractive and long-lasting violet-colored flowers. It is also known as the jacaranda, blue jacaranda, ...
'', ''
Melia azedarach
''Melia azedarach'', commonly known as the chinaberry tree, pride of India, bead-tree, Cape lilac, syringa berrytree, Persian lilac, Indian lilac, or white cedar, is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native ...
'', ''
Spathodea
''Spathodea'' is a genus in the plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, ''Spathodea campanulata'', is commonly known as the African tulip tree. The tree grows between tall and is native to tropical dry forests of Africa. It ha ...
'', ''
Delonix regia
''Delonix regia'' is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical par ...
'' and ''
Casuarina equisetifolia
''Casuarina equisetifolia'', common names ''Coastal She-oak'' or ''Horsetail She-oak'' (sometimes referred to as the Australian pine tree or whistling pine tree outside Australia), is a she-oak species of the genus ''Casuarina''. The native ...
'' are found in the park. The park also houses many trees that are registered as "old and valuable", including ''
Ceiba pentandra'', ''
Erythrina variegata
''Erythrina variegata'', commonly known as tiger's claw or Indian coral tree, is a species of '' Erythrina'' native to the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Africa, the Indian subcontinent, northern Australia, and the islands of the In ...
'', ''
Mimusops elengi'', ''
Ficus virens'' and ''
Ficus altissima''.
Events
In the days leading up to
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...
, the park hosts the annual
Lunar New Year Fair
The Lunar New Year Fair ( zh, t=年宵市場), also known as the flower market ( zh, t=花市), is a type of fair held annually a few days before Lunar New Year in Chinese New Year markets in China. These fairs are primarily practiced by the ...
, which also includes a plant market, however both of these events were not held in 2022 due to
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Other annual events such as the
Hong Kong Flower Show
Hong Kong Flower Show () is an annual exhibition presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) of Hong Kong. It is held every March in Victoria Park.
From 1968 to 1986, the Urban Council held an Annual Urban Council Flower Sh ...
,
Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo
Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo (, or in short 工展會) is a large expo of local products held annually in Hong Kong, at Victoria Park. It was originally established in 1938, and was renamed as Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo in 1994. It ...
,
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese: / ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (), Korea (), Vietnam (), and other countries in Eas ...
,
Hong Kong Marathon and
Hong Kong Pride Parade
The Hong Kong Pride Parade () is an annual march in Hong Kong in support of LGBT rights. Homosexuality has been legal in Hong Kong since 1991 but there is no legal recognition of any same-sex relationships and limited protection against discrimin ...
are also held in the park.
Apart from annual events, employees of the
Consulate General of Indonesia frequently arrange meetings and open-air training courses in the park as well. The
United Buddy Bears
''Buddy Bears'' are painted, life-size fiberglass bear sculptures developed by German businesspeople Klaus and Eva Herlitz, in cooperation with sculptor Roman Strobl. They have become a landmark of Berlin and are considered unofficial ambassad ...
exhibition, which was held on the central lawn of Victoria Park in 2004, drew over 2 million visitors, making it Hong Kong's largest open-air art exposition. The "Arts Corner" is hosted in the South Pavilion Square every Sunday, except when there are citywide events. Here, artists sell their works, souvenirs, handicrafts, paintings, drawings, cartoons, and photographs in kiosks and small booths.
Victoria Park serves as a gathering point for the annual
1 July marches
The Hong Kong 1 July protests was an annual protest rally originally held by the Civil Human Rights Front from the day of handover in 1997 on the HKSAR establishment day. However, it was not until 2003 that the march drew large public attentio ...
, and as a place of commemoration for the
Tiananmen Square massacre of 4 June 1989, with huge crowds gathering each year to mark the anniversary of the massacre, although the park was closed in June 2021 due to law enforcement restrictions imposed, following the
Hong Kong Autonomy Act. The park has become a staging ground for protests many times, including for
Pro-democracy protests in December 2005, the
2014 Occupy Movement, and
anti-government demonstrations in the summer of 2019.
City Forum
City Forum () was a Hong Kong public forum held weekly on Sunday at the Bandstand of Victoria Park, Causeway Bay. The forum brought together politicians, academics and prominent public figures to discuss current issues, and also included a publi ...
, attended by government officials, politicians, business figurers and pundits, would debate on new government policies was formerly held at the park weekly on Sunday. The forum was inspired by
Speakers' Corner in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and was aired by Hong Kong government's broadcaster
Radio Television Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econom ...
. It was discontinued in September 2021.
References
Sources
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Further reading
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External links
Official website of Victoria ParkImages from commemorations of 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Victoria ParkDiscover Hong Kong – Victoria Park
{{Parks in Hong Kong
1957 establishments in Hong Kong
Causeway Bay
Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong
Monuments and memorials to Queen Victoria