| Queen's Road East | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 皇后大道東 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 皇后大道东 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Queen's Road East (Chinese:皇后大道東;Jyutping:wong4 hau6 daai6 dou6 dung1) is a street inWan Chai, in the north ofHong Kong Island, Hong Kong, connectingAdmiralty in the west toHappy Valley in the east. Queen's Road East is one of the four sections ofQueen's Road, and historically includedQueensway.
Queen's Road East forks to the south from Queensway near Justice Drive, where Queensway turns intoHennessy Road. It runs along the old northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island.[1] It ends in the east atWong Nai Chung Road in Happy Valley.[2]
The settlement of Wan Chai began in pre-British times as a small Chinese community aroundthe present Hung Shing Temple on Queen's Road East.[3]: 102 The temple was probably built in 1847 and may have existed previously as a shrine.[4] Originally built next to the shoreline, facing the sea,[4] it is now surrounded by clusters of residential and commercial buildings, as the consequence of successiveland reclamation.[5]
Queen's Road East was first developed into a European commercial and residential centre after the arrival of the British in 1841. It had become a mainly Chinese residential, labouring and shop-keeping community by the 1860s.[1]
The eastern part of the road was cut throughMorrison Hill, which formerly separated Wanchai from Happy Valley. This section was known as 'Gap Road'. That name was still in use around 1930, even though the high land to the north of the 'gap' was levelled in the 1920s and the materials used to reclaim land from the harbour, under thePraya East Reclamation Scheme.[6]
Although associated with Queen's Road Central and Queen's Road West, the name 'Queen's Road East' has been in use since at least the 1870s.[7]
The following list follows a west-east order along the north side of the street, including intersecting streets, buildings and other features.Most streets and lanes having a northern junction with Queen's Road East connect withJohnston Road, located northward. The exceptions are Anton Street, McGregor Street and Wood Road. Since Queen's Road East runs mostly along the original shoreline of Hong Kong Island, these streets have been built on earlyland reclamation.
The western end of Queens Road East originates and runs southeast from the mainQueensway –Hennessy Road artery at the point where the name changes from Queensway (to the west) to Hennsessy Road to the east.[8]
Generali Tower忠利集團大廈 is an 18-storey office building.[9]It is the first building on the northern side of the street, at nos. 6–10. It was formerly Sincere Insurance Building (先施保險大廈) The building was completed on 1 January 1968, with a major renovation in 2011–13, after which it was called the Generali Building. The west wall is used for advertising.[10]
The Tesbury Centre金鐘匯中心 is at nos. 24–32. The Tesbury Centre, a 29-storey office building, was developed in 1993 at 28 Queen's Road East.[11]
Anton Street (晏頓街) is a short street connecting Queen's Road East toQueensway.[8]The street is on land that Jardine, Matheson & Co. bought from the Sisters of St Paul in 1915.The 1917 annual report of the Public Works Department stated that 47 Chinese houses had been completed on M.L. 23, Praya East, Queen’s Road East, Landale and Anton Streets.Anton Street was named afterCharles Edward Anton, a Scottish businessman who served as the 16th Director (tai-pan) ofJardine, Matheson & Co.[12][13]
Six Pacific Place (太古廣場六座) is located at the junction of Anton street and Queen's Road East, the sixth phase of Pacific Place. Six Pacific Place comprises 24 levels of office space, totaling approximately 223,000 square feet.[14][15]
Landale Street (蘭杜街) is a short street running northeast from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road.[8] Jardine, Matheson & Co. bought the land that includes Landale Street in 1915 from the Sisters of Saint Paul. The company built terraced housing on the land. In 1917 Landale Street and Anton street were opened to give access to the housing. The street was named for David Landale, Director of Jardine, Matheson & Co.[16]
Li Chit Street (李節街) is named after Li Chit, of the Li family of Chinese landowners.It was cut as a lane through Marine Lot 25, when that was developed in 1887. In 1919 Li Chit Street became a public street and 30 Chinese houses were built on it. The street has been pedestrianized.[17] The central section is occupied by Li Chit Garden, an apartment tower and green space.[8]
Gresson Street runs northeast from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road.[8] Gresson Street was opened around 1909 on Marine Lots 29 and 30, when the lots were redeveloped byHongkong Land. The street was named afterWilliam Jardine Gresson (1869–1934).[18]He was a partner ofJardine, Matheson & Co. from 1901 to 1910.[19]The Open Market in Gresson Street is part of theWan Chai Heritage Trail.[20]
Lun Fat Street (聯發街) runs northeast from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road.[8]The Lan Fat Rest Garden, also known as the Yang Bauhinia Garden, was built on the street in 2003.It is the first community "sitting room" in Wan Chai, and has stone tables and chairs, flowers and childrens' play areas.[21]
Ship Street crosses Queen's Road East. It runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East, then southwest to the Ship Street Garden before turning southeast as a pedestrian road that runs behind theHung Shing Temple, then southwest toKennedy Road.[8]The street was originally called Ocean Boat Street, and was opened in 1910.At that time Johnston Road was a dock, and the streets running from it were named after Chinese ports and sea transport.Part of the road north of Queen's Road East is a stairway made of stone slabs.[22]
Tai Wong Street West (大王西街) is a pedestrian road that runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East.About halfway along the road it is connected to Tai Wong Street East by the Tai Wong Street East Sitting out Area.[8]The street was originally called Ocean Boat Street, and was opened in 1910.It connects with Queen's Road East oppositeHung Shing Temple.[23] It derives its name from the temple, as "Tai Wong" is an alternate name forHung Shing.[24]
Tai Wong Street East (大王東街) runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East.[8]It joins Queen's Road East across the street from Hung Shing Temple.[23]
Swatow Street runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East.[8]Swatow is the old name ofShantou, a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast ofGuangdong Province, China, and is also theTeochew pronunciation of the city.[25][26][27]Swatow Street andAmoy Street to the east are both part of the historical development of theVictoria Harbour coastline. The Victoria Harbour reclamation project moved the original dock area inland, forming many new streets such as Swatow Street and Amoy Street.[28]
Amoy Street (Chinese:廈門街) connectsJohnston Road in the north to Queen's Road East in the south.[8]Amoy is an old name of the Chinese city ofXiamen. The street has been described as "shy and retiring" byTime Out because it is acul-de-sac with steps at one end.[29]
The three tenement buildings are historic Chinese shophouses in Wanchai built in the 1930s.They are Grade III historic buildings.They areTong lau buildings in a unique Guangzhou style, with narrow frontage, four storeys high, with verandahs facing Queen's Road East.The ground floors were shops, and families lived above.[30]
Lee Tung Street (Chinese:利東街), known as the Wedding Card Street (喜帖街;囍帖街) by locals, is a street inWan Chai. The street was famed in Hong Kong and abroad as a centre for publishing and for the manufacturing of wedding cards and other similar items.As part of anUrban Renewal Authority (URA) project, all interests of Lee Tung Street were resumed by and reverted to the Government of Hong Kong since 1 November 2005, and subsequently demolished in December 2007.The site was redeveloped as a luxury shopping and housing development.
Hopewell Centre or QRE Plaza is a 25-storey building located at No. 202 Queen's Road East, developed byHopewell Holdings.[31][32] The plaza was completed in 2007 and contains a shopping centre, restaurants and health clinics.[33][34] QRE Plaza measures nearly 89 metres (292 ft) in height.[35]The building has aGross floor area (GFA) of about 77,000 square feet (7,200 m2).[36][37]
Spring Garden Lane runs south, then southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East.[8]During the early development of Wan Chai, one of the focal area of development was Spring Gardens. The name was used by the British during the earlycolonial Hong Kong era in the 1840s.[3] The word "spring" in "Spring Gardens" was supposed to be referring to awater spring. However, when the name "Spring Garden Lane" was translated into Chinese, the resulting name became "春園街", with the character "春" meaning spring season.[38]
In the early 1900s, Spring Garden Lane and Sam Pan Street (三板街) becamea red-light district with western and eastern prostitutes. To attract attention,brothels were displaying large street number plates, and the area became known as "Big Number Brothels".[39][40]
GARDENEast (No. 222) is a 28-storeysserviced apartments building.[41]
McGregor Street (麥加力歌街) is a short street that runs north from Queen's Road East, then turns east to join Tai Yuen Street.[8]McGregor Street is named for the warehouses owned by thehong McGregor & Co., which built the first timber pier in Hong Kong, in place of earlier banboo piers.[42]
Tai Yuen Street (太原街) runs north from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road.It is joined from the west by McGregor Street, then further north it crosses Cross Street.[8]Tai Yuen Street is also known as "Toy Street", after the toy shops of the street. The Open Market in Tai Yuen Street and Cross Street is part of theWan Chai Heritage Trail.[20]
The Hotel Indigo (No. 246) is a boutique hotel, part of the InterContinental Hotel Group.It has 138 rooms. There is a restaurant on the second floor and a Skybar on the 29th floor, beside a glass-bottomed swimming pool.[43]
Dah Sing Financial Centre (formerly called Sunlight Tower, MLC Tower or CEF Life Tower[44] ) is a 40-storey[45]skyscraper located at 248 Queen's Road East. It is 156 metres (512 ft) tall and has 40 floors. Designed by Andrew Lee King Fun & Associates,[46] it was completed in 1998.[47]
Wan Chai Road runs southwest from Johnston Road, then south to Queen's Road East, which it joins to the east of Wanchai Market and west of One Wanchai and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club Garden.[8]It was constructed in 1851 alongMorrison Hill from the foot ofHospital Hill (now near the oldWan Chai Market building) to the beach atObservation Point (now nearTin Lok Lane).[citation needed]
In the 1930 and 1940s, Hong Kong funeral services used to gather in Wan Chai Road and Tin Lok Lane as the area is closed tothe cemeteries inHappy Valley. The firstfuneral parlour in Hong Kong, namedHong Kong Funeral Home, was founded on 216 Wan Chai Road in the early 1930s, opposite a cemetery carving workshop. Thecoffin showroom was on Tin Lok Lane. On 5 September 1966, Hong Kong Funeral Home moved toQuarry Bay,[48] however, the old parlour of Wan Chai Road still in service until its dismantling in 1967.[49]
(No. 264).Grade III historic building.[50]
香港賽馬會花園
Ruttonjee Hospital (no. 266) was merged withTang Shiu Kin Hospital in 1998. The Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Disease Association building is aGrade III historic building.[50]
Wan Chai Park (灣仔公園)
lLocated further east, past Wan Chai Park, and connects Queen's Road East to Wan Chai Road
Queen Elizabeth Stadium is opposite Cosmopolitan Hotel
Queen's Road East widens at its eastern end, then runs under the Wong Nai Chung Gap Flyover to terminate on Wong Nai Chung Road coming from the south where that road becomes theMorrison Hill Road continuing north.[8]
The following list follows a west-east order along the south side of the street, including intersecting streets, buildings and other features.The only street crossing with Queen's Road East, i.e. having both north and south junctions with the Road, isShip Street.
| Type | Feature | Notes | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junction | Justice Drive (正義道) | |||
| Junction | Monmouth Path萬茂里 | |||
| Building | Three Pacific Place | (No. 1) A 34-storey office building connected by an underground walkway and travelator to the Admistalty MTR interchange and the Mall at Pacific Place.[51] |  | |
| Junction | Wing Fung Street | Part of theStarstreet Precinct shopping and dining area | ||
| Junction | Wing Lok Lane永樂里 | Short street connecting Queen's Road East toSun Street | ||
| Junction | St. Francis Street | |||
| Building | Hung Shing Temple | (Nos. 129–131).Grade I historic building.[50] |  | |
| Intersection | Ship Street | |||
| Building | Hopewell Centre | (No. 183) |  | |
| Building | Wu Chung House | (No. 213) | ||
| Building | Old Wan Chai Post Office | (No. 221). Adeclared monument |  | |
| Junction | Wan Chai Gap Road灣仔峽道 | |||
| Building | Queen's Cube | (No. 239) 29-storey apartment building. Completed in 2010. | ||
| Junction | Stone Nullah Lane | |||
| Junction | Kennedy Street堅彌地街 | |||
| Junction | Kennedy Road | |||
| Building | Wah Yan College | (No. 281). Located onMount Parish. |  | |
| Portal | Portals No. 79, 80 and 81 of the formerair raid precaution (ARP) tunnels, which were built underMount Parish some time before theBattle of Hong Kong in 1941. |  | ||
| Junction | Stubbs Road | |||
| Building | Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple | (No. 371).Grade II historic building.[50] |  | |
| Building | Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong Hotel | Formerly Cosmopolitan Hotel. (Nos. 387–397). Located at the eastern end of the street. The building was formerly the location of the Hong Kong Branch of theXinhua News Agency. |  | |
| Intersection | Wong Nai Chung Road | Opposite the northwestern part ofHappy Valley Racecourse, and junction withMorrison Hill Road | ||
The 1991 song, also titled "Queen's Road East" (皇后大道東), by Taiwanese singerLo Ta-yu and Hong Kong singer-composerRam Chiang makes references to thehandover of Hong Kong to China.
| Central and Western District |
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| Wan Chai District |
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| Eastern District | |
| Southern District | |
| Spans more than one district | |
22°16′33″N114°10′13″E / 22.275942°N 114.170351°E /22.275942; 114.170351
