Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon,

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 Delta i ...

, aligned south–north from

Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, often abbreviated as TST, is an 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 Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsi ...

Sham Shui Po Sham Shui Po is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui ...

. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with visitors, and was known in the post–

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 opposing ...

years as the Golden Mile, a name that is now rarely used. It starts on the southern part of Kowloon at its junction with

Salisbury Road Salisbury Road is a major road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Description It runs parallel to Victoria Harbour, starting from its western end at the Star Ferry Pier, passing by Blackhead Point, to Tsim Sha Tsui East. It intersects wi ...

, a few metres north of Victoria Harbour, and ends at its intersection with

Boundary Street Boundary Street is a three-lane one-way street in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs in an easterly direction from its start at the intersection with Tung Chau Street in the west, and ends at its intersection with Prince Edward Road West in t ...

in the north. Portions of the Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan lines ( Prince Edward,

Mong Kok Mong Kok (also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK) is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok. Mong Kok is one of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong. The area is characterised ...

, Yau Ma Tei,

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and

) run underneath Nathan Road. The total length of Nathan Road is about .

History

The first section of the road was completed in 1861. It was the very first road built in Kowloon, after the land was ceded by the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

government to the United Kingdom and made part of the crown colony in 1860. The road was originally named Robinson Road, after Sir Hercules Robinson, the 5th

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the British Crown in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. ...

. To avoid confusion with the Robinson Road on Hong Kong Island, the name was changed to Nathan Road in 1909, after Sir Matthew Nathan, the 13th Governor who served between 1904 and 1907. The road started at Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, ending northward at Austin Road. When Sha Tsui Wan was reclaimed in the late 1800s, Salisbury Road was extended east, and Nathan Road was extended south to meet it. Nathan was extended northward in the 1920s. The section of the road from

Gascoigne Road Gascoigne Road () is a main road in Kowloon, Hong Kong, going west-east from Nathan Road to Chatham Road South through the head of King's Park, leading vehicles from West Kowloon to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. Gascoigne Road Flyover () is a ...

to Argyle Street was originally named Coronation Road (加冕道), in honour of the coronation of King George V in 1911. The road was renamed as part of Nathan Road in 1926, after works joining the road and Nathan Road was completed. The section of

Tai Po Road Tai Po Road is the second longest road in Hong Kong (after Castle Peak Road). It spans from Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Tai Po in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Initially, the road was named Frontier Road. Location The road begins at Nathan ...

south of

was also renamed as part of the road. The early Nathan Road was largely residential, with colonial-style houses with arched verandahs and covered archways. It was home to the

Whitfield Barracks Whitfield Barracks were barracks in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was named after Henry Wase Whitfield, who was appointed commander of the British Army in Hong Kong in 1869. the Barracks were developed in subsequent years. By 19 ...

, which later became

Kowloon Park Kowloon Park is a large public park in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It has an area of and is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.Leisure and Cultural Services DepartmentKowloon Park: Historical Background History ...

. Saint Andrew's Church, the oldest

Anglican church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

in Kowloon, has been located there since its completion in 1906. In 1996, the Garley Building fire broke out, killing 41 people.RTHK.
RTHK gbcode
" ''Cornwall Court Fire Tragedy; Bill Gates in Hong Kong; Shopaholics .'' Retrieved on 28 September 2008. In 2008, the

Cornwall Court fire The Cornwall Court Fire () was a building fire incident in Hong Kong. It began in a nightclub and karaoke bar on the morning of Sunday 10 August 2008, taking the lives of four people, including two firefighters, and injuring a further 55 people. ...

broke out, involving more than 200 firefighters, killing 4 people, including 2 fire fighters.Yahoo.
Yahoo.com
" ''Four dead as HK nightclub fire spreads.'' Retrieved on 28 August 2008.

Landmarks

* The Peninsula Hotel (corner of

and the southern end of Nathan Road) *

26 Nathan Road 26 Nathan Road (), formerly known as East Enterprise Square or Oterprise Square (), is a commercial 28-storey commercial building that was expanded from the Ambassador Hotel in Kowloon by Sun Hung Kai Properties development. It is located at the co ...

(#26) * Chungking Mansions (#36–44) *

iSQUARE iSQUARE () is a 31-storey high shopping centre located at 63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, on the former site of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It was developed by the Associated International Hotels Ltd. Introduction iSQUARE ...

(#63) *

* Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard *

The ONE The ONE is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at 100 Nathan Road. It was developed by Chinese Estates Holdings and opened in 2010. Owner Joseph Lau Luen-hung g ...

, at the location of the former

Tung Ying Building Tung Ying Building () was a 17-storey office building and shopping centre at 100 Nathan Road, at the corner of Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was built in the 1960s and its style of architecture had become rare in Hong ...

(#100) *

Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre The Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre or Kowloon Mosque is one of five main mosques in Hong Kong. Located in Kowloon, in the Tsim Sha Tsui area at the intersection of Nathan Road and Haiphong Road, beside Kowloon Park, this mosque is curre ...

(#105) * The Mira Hong Kong (#118) *

Miramar Shopping Centre Mira Place() is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located at 132-134 Nathan Road, at the corner with Kimberley Road. It has six retail floors, a seven-level annexed podium and of shopping space with over 100 stores. ...

(#132–134) * Former Kowloon British School (#136). Now houses the

Antiquities and Monuments Office The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) was established in 1976 under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance to protect and preserve Hong Kong's historic monuments. Housed in the Former Kowloon British School, the AMO is responsible for ide ...

* St Andrew's Church, Kowloon (#138) * Po On Commercial Building (#198) * Fourseas Building (#208–212) * Yau Tsim District Police Headquarters and Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station (#213) * Shamrock Hotel (#223) * Garley Building (#233–239, destroyed by fire in 1996) * Manulife Provident Funds Place (also known as Wing On Kowloon Center, #345) * Novotel Nathan Road Kowloon Hong Kong (#348) * Hang Shing Building (#363–373) * Eaton Hotel Hong Kong (#380) * Alhambra Building (#383–389) *

Kowloon Central Post Office Kowloon Central Post Office () is the main post office in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located at 405 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, underneath the . See also * Hongkong Post * Engineer's Office of the Former Pumping Station The Engineer's Office of ...

(#405) * Chak Fung House (#440–442A) * Yun Kai Building (#466–472) * Sunbeam Commercial Building (#469–471) * Oxford Commercial Building (#494–496) * Nathan Tower (#518–520) * Mongkok Building (#546) * Full Win Commercial Centre (#573) *

Sino Centre Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong, aligned south–north from Tsim Sha Tsui to Sham Shui Po. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with visitors, and was known in the post–World War II years as the Golden ...

(#582–592) * Hollywood Plaza Mongkok (#610) * Good Hope Building (#612–618) * Bank Centre Mall (#636) * Wu Sang House (#655) * HSBC Building Mongkok (#673) * Cornwall Court (#687–689). Site of the 2008

. * Belgian Bank Building (#721–725) * Golden Plaza (#745–747) * Newish Mansion (#763–767) * Union Park Centre (#771–775)

Public transport

Five stations 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) are built directly underneath Nathan Road. These stations are, from north to south: *

Prince Edward station Prince Edward is a station of the MTR rapid transit system in Hong Kong. It is located in Mong Kok, Kowloon, under the intersection of Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road West. The station is named after this road. History As Prince Edward ...

, at the intersection between Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road West * Mong Kok station (or Argyle station) in

, at the intersection between Nathan Road and Argyle Street *

Yau Ma Tei station Yau Ma Tei, formerly named Waterloo after Waterloo Road, is an MTR station located in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon. It is served by the and the . The station opened on 22 December 1979 and was renamed as Yau Ma Tei on 31 May 1985 along with Argyl ...

(or Waterloo station) in Yau Ma Tei, at the intersection between Nathan Road and Waterloo Road *

Jordan station Jordan is a station on the Hong Kong MTR . It has dark green and light green livery. It is named after Jordan Road. Location Jordan station is located in Jordan at the intersection of two main thoroughfares: Nathan Road and Jordan Road, the ...

, at the intersection between Nathan Road and Jordan Road *

Tsim Sha Tsui station Tsim Sha Tsui is an MTR station on the . The station, originally opened on 16 December 1979 on the , serves the area of Tsim Sha Tsui. East Tsim Sha Tsui station on the , which opened on 24 October 2004, is connected to this station by underg ...

, at the intersection between Nathan Road and Carnarvon Road The road is heavily trafficked by numerous bus routes.

Gallery

Image:Nathan Road south end (deep blue sky).jpg, The southern end section of Nathan Road Image:KMB-E500.JPG, KMB Enviro500 serving Route 1 on Nathan Road,

. File:Entrance and exit A1 of Tsim Sha Tsui Station after renovation.jpg, Exit A1 of

on Nathan Road. File:HK Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre.jpg,

. File:HK Parklane Avenue.jpg, Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard. File:Tsim Sha Tsui - 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in Hong Kong - 2008-05-02 10h38m10s SN207070.jpg,

2008 Summer Olympics torch relay The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China. The relay, al ...

in front of the Former Kowloon British School. File:HK Nathan Road Mong Kok Section.jpg, Nathan Road, near

. File:HK Prince Edward Nathan Road Ling Kee Mongkok Police Station.JPG, Nathan Road, in the Prince Edward area.

References

External links

Photo Tour of Nathan RoadMore pictures of Nathan Road.Google Maps of Nathan Road
{{HKkowloonroads Roads in Kowloon Tsim Sha Tsui Yau Ma Tei Mong Kok Shopping districts and streets in Hong Kong