Shouson Hill () is a hill (148 m high) on the coast of

Deep Water Bay Deep Water Bay is a bay and residential area on the southern shore of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The bay is surrounded by Shouson Hill, Brick Hill, Violet Hill and Middle Island. As per Forbes (July 2015), with 19 of the city's ric ...

east of

Wong Chuk Hang Wong Chuk Hang () is a neighbourhood in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. History Neolithic artifacts have been unearthed in a region called Chung Hom Wan, which is not far from Wong Chuk Hang. In 1550 the Hong Kong Vill ...

, in Southern District, 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 Hong Kong. North of the hill is an affluent residential area, which consists primarily of Shouson Hill Road, a loop off the main

Wong Chuk Hang Road Wong Chuk Hang Road () is a major thoroughfare in Hong Kong Island. It is part of Hong Kong's Route 1. It is a 6-lane major thoroughfare. Wong Chuk Hang Road connects Aberdeen Praya Road and Aberdeen Tunnel. Flyover A flyover long with 4 ...

, together with a few side roads.

Name

The hill is named after

Chow Shouson Sir Shouson Chow (; 1861–1959), KBE, LLD, JP, also known as Chow Cheong-Ling (), was a Hong Kong businessman. He had been a Qing dynasty official and prominent in the Government of Hong Kong. Family Chow is said to have been born in Won ...

, who was born in the village and became a senior official in 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-speak ...

before the

1911 Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a d ...

and then an active businessman and politician in Hong Kong.

History

The valley north of Shouson Hill was formerly a cultivated area containing a

walled village A walled village () is a type of large traditional multi-family communal living structure found in China, that is designed to be easily defensible. It is completely surrounded by thick defensive walls, protecting the residents from the attack o ...

. It has also been known as Wong Chuk Hang Valley and Staunton's Valley. In the early 20th century, the British military used the hill to bunker troops and as a sentry post overlooking

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, and area now occupied by Ocean Park. The bunkers are now abandoned and run down. During

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 ...

, locals were evacuated to the area to avoid

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

air assault.

Geography

Shouson Hill comprises two sections: The West and South Nursery. The area slopes steeply to Deep Water Bay and gradually towards Aberdeen. Loose gravel and steep slopes make it prone to landslides during heavy rain that occasionally require the closure of sections of road. Vegetation covers nearly three-quarters of the hill, with species including mandarin shrubs, mangrove trees, palm trees and some coniferous forest trees. Fauna includes black kites, snakes, lizards and estuary birds.

Local services

Local bus service includes the #5 Public Light Bus, between

and

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 ...

. * Green Minibus No.5:

↔

(via Shouson Hill, Happy Valley) MTR

South Island line The South Island line, identified by light green on the MTR route map, is a rapid transit line of Hong Kong's MTR metro system. This line connects the HK business district from Admiralty station to the Southern District of Hong Kong Islan ...

Ocean Park station Ocean Park () is an MTR rapid transit station in Hong Kong on the eastern section of the , which serves Ocean Park Hong Kong and Wong Chuk Hang. It opened on 28 December 2016 with the rest of the South Island line. It takes around 4 minutes t ...

exit C is also located at the foot of the hill. The lower parts of Shouson Hill Road and Shouson Hill Road West are a 10 to 15-minute walk to various bus services to city centre destinations such as

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 ...

and

North Point North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern District of Hong Kong. Located in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island, the area is named after a cape between Tin Hau, Hong Kong, Causeway Bay and Tsat Ts ...

. Other destinations include

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

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

. Shopping opportunities are limited to Shouson Place which includes a supermarket.

Education

Shouson Hill 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.

References