Wan Chai District

This article is about the district that covers Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, etc. See Wan Chai for the article on the area.

The Wan Chai District (, literally "Cove District", Population(2000): 190,300) is one of the 18 districts of the Hong Kong, located in the north of Hong Kong island. It is also affluent, with one in five persons having liquid assets of more than 1 million HKD. ^*

Geography

The area known as "Wan Chai" often includes the area surrounding Tonnochy Road and the MTR station of the same name, which is located between Admiralty on the west and Causeway Bay on the east. "Wan Chai North", where the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is located, refers to the area north of Gloucester Road, reclaimed from the sea after the 1970s. It is a cluster of high rise office towers and hotels.

The broader and administrative "Wan Chai District" includes the areas of Wan Chai, Wan Chai North, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, Jardine's Lookout, Stubbs Road, Wong Nai Chung Gap and Tai Hang.

History

The ceremony of the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was performed in the new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition centre in Wan Chai.

Politics

The district council of Wan Chai has 11 elected and 3 appointed members. The chairperson of the council is Ada Wong.

A very diverse environment

Wan Chai was made famous as the location of the 1957 novel and 1960 film The World of Suzie Wong. Today it is sometimes described as the heart of the city, representing the epitome of the Hong Kong lifestyle: there is a well-established arts centre, the large exhibition and conference complexes, luxury apartments, five-star and other hotels, shopping malls, metropolitan office towers and a large government building cluster - along with a multitude of home decoration shops, girlie bars and Mahjong centres filled with gamblers. There is also the largest Muslim temple in Hong Kong, next to a number of cemeteries for several different faiths. Five minutes away from the noisy polluted streets is Bowen Drive, one of the more popular places for jogging. Top law-makers, movie stars, and government officials can be seen jogging there.

Entertainment and shopping

The numerous bars and strip joints in the red-light district part of Wan Chai are still popular with tourists and visiting US sailors - who arrive on Fenwick Pier. Fenwick Pier was once the location of the only McDonald's that served alcohol in Hong Kong, but it was closed in 2004 and replaced by an up-market restaurant. Johnston Road and Queen's Road East are the two major streets in the area. Export clothing shops line the streets of Johnston and Luard Road and offer some of the best value in Hong Kong. Queens Road East has many stores selling Chinese style wooden furniture whilst Spring Garden Lane and Tai Wo Street are also lined with stalls, but for vegetables, fruit and household items. Tai Yuen Street is famous for shops and stalls selling various kinds of toys.

Delaney's, Joe Banana's, The Wanch and Carnegie's are some of the more popular bars in the area.

Sights

Next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is the "Golden Bauhinia Square." There is a huge sculpture of a bauhinia, which is the representative flower of Hong Kong, in the square. This is a popular tourist spot in Hong Kong for mainland visitors and also the location of the flag-raising ceremony which occurs daily and in a special form on Chinese National Day and other occasions.

Skyscrapers include:

Central Plaza, the second tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, located in Wan Chai North
Hopewell Centre

The Old Wanchai Post Office is a declared monument. There is also a Police Museum near the junction of Stubbs Road and Peak Road.

At the Stubbs Road Lookout, scenery of the Victoria Harbour can be seen. The famous Lovers' Rock is located on Bowen Road, which is also a nice place for scenery.

Demographics

According to a household survey by the Census and Statistics Department, the average education level and median household income there is among the highest of Hong Kong.

Transportation

The first cross harbour tunnel in Hong Kong, the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, was built in Wan Chai, linking the former Kellett Island in the district with Hung Hom.

The Star Ferry operates two routes from the pier at Wan Chai:

HKCEC, Wan Chai - Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui
HKCEC, Wan Chai - Whampoa Garden, Hung Hom

Appearances in fiction

The computer game Deus Ex features Wan Chai Market as the main district in the Hong Kong chapters of the game.

External links