New Kowloon () is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tate's Cairn Tunnel and Kowloon Peak. It covers the present-day Kwun Tong and Wong Tai Sin districts, and part of Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City districts.
History
Historically, territories south of
Boundary Street (known as Kowloon and Stonecutter's Island) were ceded from
Qing China to
Britain in
1860 by the
Convention of Peking. Territories north of Boundary Street (later known as New Kowloon) remained part of China until it was leased
as part of the New Territories to Britain in
1898 for 99 years by the
Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory (also known as the
Second Convention of Peking). The area of New Kowloon was defined by law in
1937 to expand room for urban development. In practice, area south of the Kowloon ranges stretching from
Lei Yue Mun strait in the east to
Mei Foo Sun Chuen in the west -- that is, both Kowloon and New Kowloon -- are known collectively as Kowloon. For example, a postal address in
Kwun Tong will identify "Kowloon" as its regional destination even though it is technically in New Kowloon.
Current situation
In modern day conversations, the term "New Kowloon" is now rarely heard in Hong Kong. New Kowloon is no longer regarded as part of the
New Territories, but as a part of the Kowloon urban area on both sides of Boundary Street. The legal definitions of Kowloon, New Kowloon and New Territories remain unchanged. On
July 1,
1997, the territories on both sides of Boundary Street (ceded and leased respectively) were transferred to the
People's Republic of China, along with the rest of Hong Kong.
See also
External links
Cities and towns in Hong Kong | New Kowloon | Kowloon | New Territories
新九龍