Central (Chinese: 中環), also known as Central District, is the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. It is located in the northeastern corner of the

Central and Western District The Central and Western District (, ) located on northwestern part of Hong Kong Island is one of the districts of Hong Kong, 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 243,266 in 2016. The district has the most educated ...

, on the north shore of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

, across

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbor, harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. It acts as both a major trading hub and tourist attraction of Hong Kong in general. Lying in ...

from

Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui ( zh, c=尖沙咀), often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, 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 ...

, the southernmost point of

Kowloon Peninsula The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong, alongside Victoria Harbour and facing toward Hong Kong Island. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collect ...

. The area was the heart of

Victoria City Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, although that name is rarely used today. As the central business district of Hong Kong, it is the area where many multinational financial services corporations have their headquarters.

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

s of many countries are also located in this area, as is Government Hill, the site of the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

headquarters until 2011. The area, with its proximity to Victoria Harbour, has served as the centre of trade and financial activities from the earliest days of the British colonial era in 1841, and continues to flourish and serve as the place of administration since the handover to China in 1997.

Naming

The area of Chung Wan (aka Choong Wan in the past; ), a direct translation of Central in English, was one of the districts () in Victoria City. The English name ''Central'' became prevalent and the connected

stations Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle stat ...

of Pedder and Chater (named after major streets in the area) were renamed as '' Central''. On some older maps, Central and the area to its west are named Kwan Tai Lo () below

Victoria Peak Victoria Peak ( zh, t=太平山, j=taai3 ping4 saan1) is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak only generally. With an elevation of , it is the tallest hill on Hong Kong Isla ...

. It formed a channel, Chung Mun (), with

, on the sea route along the coast of

southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone between ...

. The eastern part of Central District has been known as Admiralty Despite the name Central being synonymous with the Central and Western District, and Central station, there are significant differences. Central and Western is a administrative district with strict boundaries, legislative representation, and elections for its legislators. Central station (more commonly referred to as Central) is a stop along the MTR Island Line, but is not the only station within the Central and Western District. Other stops include Hong Kong, Admiralty, Sheung Wan and more. The Central area is a loosely defined area within the Central and Western district defined by the presence of major banks, sky scrapers, and multi-modal transportation nodes.

Location

Central is located on the north shore of

, across

from

, the southernmost point of

. It is bordered in the west by

Sheung Wan Sheung Wan (Chinese: 上環) is an List of places in Hong Kong, area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central, Hong Kong, Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Weste ...

, with the border being along Aberdeen Street (also called Wing Kut Street). It is bordered in the east by Admiralty, an eastern extension of the Central and Western District. As such, Admiralty is sometimes considered a part of Central. Central is bordered in the south by

Mid-Levels Mid-Levels () is an affluent residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located between Victoria Peak and Central. Residents are predominantly more affluent Hong Kong locals and expatriate professionals. It has a population ...

, an affluent residential area halfway up

. The boundary between Central and Mid-Levels is not clearly defined. For district council elections purposes, the area, together with Admiralty, correspond roughly to the " Chung Wan" constituency. The boundaries of such constituencies may be subject to modification.

History

The British landed on Possession Point of

in 1841. They soon decided to build a city on the north coast of Hong Kong Island, and the present-day Central was chosen to house major military facilities and an administrative centre. Part of these military facilities include the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

port known as Naval Dockyard, and then later Admiralty. Another area to the north of Admiralty would be named Tamar for the HMS Tamar shore station (named for HMS Tamar, a Royal Navy troopship that arrived and was used as a shore base during the

second opium war The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

). The area soon attracted both Westerners and Chinese to trade and live in the area, and a Canton Bazaar (the precursor of the Central Market) was built between Cochrane Street and Graham Street in 1842. The area was soon zoned for Westerners only, and Chinese residents were restricted to Sheung Wan. It was zoned for "Western-style buildings," meaning buildings with space requirements and hygiene standards similar to European. The area was largely dominated by the presence of Victoria City. The popularity of this area would also boost the population of Hong Kong from 5,000 in 1841 to 24,000 in 1848. Government House and other

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the ...

buildings were completed during this period on Government Hill. Various

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

, naval bases and the residence of the Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong,

Flagstaff House Flagstaff House may refer to: * Teen Murti Bhavan - earlier residence of Commander-in-Chief, India and later the residence of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru * Flagstaff House, Hong Kong - earlier residence of the British Forces ...

were built on the east end of the district. Between 1860 and 1880 the construction of

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, Theatre Royal and other financial structures made Central the heart of Hong Kong. In 1904, the Praya Reclamation Scheme added of land to Central's waterfront. Many of the proposals came from Sir Paul Chater and James Johnstone Keswick, the founders of

Hongkong Land Hongkong Land (HKL) is a property investment, management and development group with commercial and residential property interests across Asia. It owns and manages some 850,000 sq. m. of office and retail property in Asia, principally in Hong K ...

, a modern property development group. During the 1920s, Hong Kong was able to push far ahead economically, because of the cohesive collaboration between Central and all waterfront commerce. The military structures survived until the 1980s. Only Flagstaff House remains as Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong Park.

sat on the present premises of the

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...

Hong Kong headquarters. Hong Kong's first road, Queen's Road (subdivided into

Queen's Road East Queen's Road East () is a street in Wan Chai, in the north of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, connecting Admiralty, Hong Kong, Admiralty in the west to Happy Valley, Hong Kong, Happy Valley in the east. Queen's Road East is one of the four section ...

, Central, and

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

), passes through the area and the business centre has continued to expand the Hong Kong shoreline into Victoria Harbour. The Hong Kong Garrison was home to the British Forces in Hong Kong, until the handover in 1997, since then it has been occupied by the People's Liberation Army of China. Central has been the site of a number of major political protests. From October 2011 to September 2012, the Occupy Central movement against global economic inequality was based in front of the HSBC Main Building. Two years later, in September 2014, democratic activists initiated Occupy Central with Love and Peace, demanding

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

for the election of the

Chief Executive of Hong Kong The chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of Governor of ...

, eventually contributing to the

Umbrella Revolution A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014. The protests began after t ...

Economy

There are man
Grade-A commercial buildings in Central
a prime commercial district in Hong Kong.

Bank of China (Hong Kong) Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (), abbreviated as BOCHK (), is a subsidiary of the Bank of China (via the Hong Kong-listed intermediate holding company BOC Hong Kong Holdings). Bank of China (Hong Kong) is the second-largest commercial ban ...

has its head office in the Bank of China Tower.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly abbreviated as HSBC and formerly known as HongkongBank (; styled ''Wayfoong'' by the bank), is the Hong Kong–based Asia-Pacific subsidiary of the HSBC banking group, for whi ...

, a subsidiary of

, has its head office in the HSBC Main Building.

Bank of East Asia The Bank of East Asia Limited, often abbreviated to BEA, is a Hong Kong public banking and financial services company headquartered in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong. It is currently the largest independent local Hong Kong bank, and o ...

and

Hang Seng Bank Hang Seng Bank Limited () is a Hong Kong–based banking and financial services company with headquarters in Central, Hong Kong. It is one of Hong Kong's leading public companies in terms of market capitalisation and is part of the HSBC Grou ...

have their head offices in Central.

Standard Chartered Bank Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, Wholesale banking, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retai ...

is also located in Central. The

Hong Kong Monetary Authority The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is the central bank, central banking institution of Hong Kong. It is a government authority founded on 1 April 1993 when the Office of the Exchange Fund and the Office of the Commissioner of Banking merge ...

is based in IFC 2. Chu Kong Passenger Transport is headquartered in the Chu Kong Shipping Tower (珠江船務大廈) in Central. The head office of

New World Development New World Development Company Limited (NWD) is a Hong Kong–based company focused on property, hotels, infrastructure and services and department stores. It was established on 29 May 1970 by Cheng Yu-tung. The company is publicly listed on t ...

is in the in Central. HKR International has its head office in

Shun Tak Centre Shun Tak Centre () is a commercial and transport complex on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. It comprises a 4-storey podium containing a shopping centre and car park, two 38-storey office towers, and the Hong ...

. Before 1999,

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, or simply Cathay Pacific, is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main airline hub, hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and its subsidiaries have schedule ...

had its head office in the Swire House in Central. In 1999, the airline relocated its head office to the

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predec ...

. Nord Anglia Education, which operates international schools in various countries, formerly had its head office in Central. The head office moved to

in 2012. In 2018 the company announced it was returning its head office to the United Kingdom.

Notable places, streets and buildings

Office buildings

Hong Kong Central District Night View 201305

* 9 Queen's Road Central * Agricultural Bank of China Tower *

AIA Central The AIA Central ( zh, t=友邦金融中心, link=no), formerly called AIG Tower ( zh, t=美國國際集團大廈, labels=no), in Hong Kong is a 185-metre (607 ft.), 37-storey skyscraper that was completed in 2005 and serves as the headquar ...

* Alexandra House * Bank of America Tower * Bank of China Building, housing the China Club * Bank of China Tower * Central Building *

Chater House , image = Chater House 2008.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = Chater House viewed from Connaught Road Central , completion_date = , location = 7-9 Connaught Road Central, 10-12 Chater Road, Cent ...

* Cheung Kong Center * Cheung Kong Center II * Citibank Plaza * CITIC Tower * Entertainment Building * Exchange Square, housing the

Hong Kong Stock Exchange The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (, SEHK, also known as Hong Kong Stock Exchange) is a stock exchange based in Hong Kong. It is one of the largest stock exchanges in Asia and the List of major stock exchanges, 9th largest globally by market ...

* Hong Kong Club Building, housing the Hong Kong Club * Hong Kong Trade Centre * HSBC Main Building * Hutchison House *

Jardine House Jardine House (), formerly known as Connaught Centre (), is an office tower in Hong Kong. The building is located at 1 Connaught Place, Central on Hong Kong Island. It is owned by Hongkong Land Limited, a subsidiary of Jardines. At the tim ...

* Man Yee Building *

Prince's Building Prince's Building is an office tower with a six-level shopping centre, known as Landmark Prince's. Located along the western side of the southern section of Statue Square in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong near Central station (MTR), Cen ...

* St. John's Building * Standard Chartered Bank Building *

The Center The Center () is the fifth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre (88 storeys), Central Plaza and Bank of China Tower. With a height of , it comprises 73 storeys. The Cente ...

* The Centrium * The Henderson * The Landmark (office and shopping complex) * International Finance Centre (IFC), the second List of tallest buildings in Hong Kong, tallest building in Hong Kong *Wheelock House *Wing On House *World-Wide House *York House, Hong Kong, York House

Streets and squares

* Aberdeen Street, marking the limit between Central and

*Arbuthnot Road *Battery Path *Chater Road *Connaught Place, Hong Kong, Connaught Place * Cochrane Street *Connaught Road Central *Cotton Tree Drive *D'Aguilar Street *Des Voeux Road Central *Edinburgh Place, a public square adjacent to the

*Elgin Street, Hong Kong, Elgin Street *Gage Street, a market street *Garden Road, Hong Kong, Garden Road *Glenealy, Hong Kong, Glenealy * Graham Street, a market street *Gutzlaff Street *Hollywood Road *Ice House Street *Jubilee Street (). Named for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. *Lower Albert Road *Lyndhurst Terrace *Old Bailey Street *On Lan Street *Pedder Street *Peel Street, Hong Kong, Peel Street *Pottinger Street, one of the "ladder streets" *Queen's Road Central, the first road in Hong Kong built by the Government of Hong Kong between 1841 and 1843Lim, Patricia. [2002] (2002). Discovering Hong Hong's Cultural Heritage. Central, Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. ISBN Volume One 0-19-592723-0 *Queen Victoria Street, Hong Kong, Queen Victoria Street *Queensway (Hong Kong), Queensway, in Admiralty *Stanley Street, Hong Kong, Stanley Street *Statue Square, a public pedestrian square *Staunton Street *Staveley Street, one of the "ladder streets" *Theatre Lane, home to many of Shoe shiners in Hong Kong, Hong Kong's shoe shiners *Wellington Street, Hong Kong, Wellington Street *Wyndham Street *Wing On Street (), aka. Cloth Street ()

Government buildings

*Central Government Complex (Hong Kong), Central Government Complex, Tamar *Former Central Government Offices on Government Hill *Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building *Hong Kong City Hall, City Hall *Former French Mission Building, housing the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal *General Post Office, Hong Kong * Government House *Hong Kong Planning and Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery *Court of Final Appeal Building, Legislative Council Building *Queensway Government Offices

Other historical buildings

*Bishop's House, Hong Kong, Bishop's House * Central Market *Central Police Station (Hong Kong), Central Police Station *Duddell Street Steps and Gas Lamps *

*Former Central Magistracy *Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre *Old Dairy Farm Depot, housing the Hong Kong Fringe Club and the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong, Foreign Correspondents' Club *Pedder Building *The Cenotaph (Hong Kong), The Cenotaph *The Helena May main building *Victoria Prison *Zetland Hall *Central and Western Heritage Trail *Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail

Hotels

Central, together with

and Tsim Sha Tsui East, is home to many hotels. *Conrad Hotels, Conrad Hong Kong (Pacific Place, Admiralty) *Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (International Finance Centre (Hong Kong), IFC) *Hong Kong Hilton (demolished in 1995) *JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong (Pacific Place, Admiralty) *Landmark Mandarin Oriental (Landmark, The Landmark) *Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, Mandarin Oriental (Connaught Road Central) *Murray Building, The Murray, Hong Kong *Ovolo Hotels (2 Arbuthnot Road). Opened in October 2012. *Ritz-Carlton (Chater Road), closed 1 January 2008. *Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Island Shangri-La (Pacific Place (Hong Kong), Pacific Place, Admiralty)

Serviced Apartments

It provides alternative options for those who do not want to stay in Hotels, but looking for flexible lease terms, below are some examples: * Four Seasons Place * Lily Court Tower 1 * Lily Court Tower 2 * Madera Hollywood * Shama Central * Shama Hollywood * The Staunton * Townplace Soho * Yin Serviced Apartments

Entertainment areas

*Lan Kwai Fong, the location of numerous bars, restaurants and clubs *Hong Kong Maritime Museum, Central Ferry Pier 8 *SoHo, Hong Kong *Wyndham Street *Central Harbourfront * Central Market *Tai Kwun *PMQ (Hong Kong), PMQ

Places of worship

*Various Buddhist temples *St John's Cathedral (Hong Kong), St. John's Cathedral (Sheng Kung Hui, Anglican Church) *First Church of Christ Scientist *Union Church, Hong Kong, Union Church *Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Hong Kong), Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Hong Kong (Roman Catholic) *St. Joseph's Church (Roman Catholic)

Parks

*Chater Garden *Cheung Kong Park * Hong Kong Park, former location of the Victoria Barracks, Hong Kong, Victoria Barracks *Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens *Statue Square

Schools

* Raimondi College (高主教書院) *Sacred Heart Canossian School *St Joseph's College, Hong Kong *Ying Wa Girls' School (in Mid-Levels) *St. Paul's Co-educational College (in Mid-Levels) Central is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 11. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and the following government schools: Bonham Road Government Primary School and (李陞小學).

Former buildings

*Beaconsfield House, demolished in 1995 *Hong Kong Hilton, closed in 1995 *Hongkong Hotel, closed in 1952 *Murray House, part of Murray Barracks, moved to Stanley, Hong Kong, Stanley *Old Central Government Offices, demolished in 1954 *Wellington Barracks, Hong Kong, Wellington Barracks, demolished in 1992 *City Hall Ferry Pier, barge pier, closed due to the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation *Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, demolished in 2007 *Blake Pier, Central, demolished, partially Blake Pier at Stanley, moved to Stanley *Queen's Pier, demolished in 2008 *United Pier, demolished in 1994

Transport

HK Central Cochrane Street Central-Mid-Levels escalators Upsidedown

Public transport

The area is a major transport hub for Hong Kong (see also Transport in Hong Kong). *Bus **Kowloon Motor Bus, KMB, serving only cross-Victoria Harbour, harbour routes on Hong Kong Island **Citybus (Hong Kong), Citybus *Public light bus, Minibus *Trains and Trams **MTR – Island line (MTR), Island line, Tsuen Wan line, Tung Chung line, Airport Express (MTR), Airport Express, South Island line, East Rail line at Sheung Wan station, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong station, Hong Kong, Central and Admiralty station (MTR), Admiralty stations **Hong Kong Tramways, Tram **Peak Tram *Ferries **Sun Ferry, to Silvermine Bay (Mui Wo), Peng Chau and Cheung Chau **Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry, to Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan on Lamma Island **Star Ferry, to

and Hung Hom **Discovery Bay Ferry, to Discovery Bay service at Central Pier 3 **Park Island Transport, Park Island Ferry *Ferry piers: **Central Piers **Star Ferry Pier, Central *Pedestrian facilities **Central Elevated Walkway **Central–Mid-Levels escalator

Expressways and routes

*Route 4 (Hong Kong), Route 4 **Connaught Road Central **Central–Wan Chai Bypass

Climate

Trivia

The film The Dark Knight takes place in part in Central, Hong Kong, specifically at the Central–Mid-Levels escalator, Mid-Levels escalator, on the top of IFC2, IFC (International Finance Centre) 2, and crashing into IFC, Hong Kong, IFC 1.

References

External links

* *
Lastest Guide to Central Hong Kong
, About.com
Map of Central District in 1964 (crown copyright)

{{Reclaimed land in Hong Kong Central, Hong Kong, Central and Western District, Hong Kong Central business districts Economy of Hong Kong Populated coastal places in Hong Kong Populated places in Hong Kong Areas of Hong Kong Victoria, Hong Kong