Possession Street (Chinese:水坑口街) is a street inSheung Wan, fromQueen's Road West toHollywood Road, onHong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The street marks the boundary of Queen's Road West and Queen's Road Central.[1]
The original Chinese name was波些臣街 (Po Se Son Kai), based on the pronunciation of English name. It was later renamed to水坑口街 (Sui Hang Hou Kai) after anullah beside.
The area was the site ofPossession Point, a formerpoint of land on the northwestern coast of Hong Kong, beforeland reclamation moved the spot further inland. The area is where CommodoreGordon Bremer, commander-in-chief of British forces in China, took formal possession ofHong Kong on 26 January 1841, and this date is considered as thefounding of Hong Kong.[2][3]
CaptainEdward Belcher, who surveyed the island in 1841, wrote: "We landed on Monday, the 25th, 1841, at fifteen minutes past eight A. M., and being the bona fide first possessors, Her Majesty's health was drank with three cheers on Possession Mount."[4] Accompanied by officers of the naval squadron the next day, Bremer took formal possession, under afeu de joie from the Royal Marines and aroyal salute from themen-of-war ships.[4] The hoisting of theUnion Jack was possibly done by eitherWilliam Dowell, who was a midshipman during the ceremony, or Mohammed Arab, who served in either theBengal Volunteers or 37thMadras Native Infantry.[5]
The area was kept as an open space, and used for recreation by the local Chinese, who called itTai Tat Tei (大笪地). It was developed in the 1980s and formed into a hotel and commercial complex, which is also the site of theHong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal.[6]
The point has now disappeared from the coastline, but Possession Street and the sudden turn ofQueen's Road West reveals its original location. In maps of the 1980s and before,Hollywood Road Park is marked as Possession Point.
At the end of the 19th century, the street was full ofbrothels, until 1903, when they were relocated toShek Tong Tsui[7] and the premises was replaced with housing. It resulted in the golden period of Shek Tong Tsui,tong sai fung yuet (塘西風月), where wealthy Chinese merchants gathered.
1月26日是香港開埠日⋯⋯香港於1841年1月26日開埠，當日是英國與中國滿清政府簽訂《穿鼻草約》後向香港殖民，並開放為自由港之日。
22°17′14″N114°08′53″E / 22.2871°N 114.1481°E /22.2871; 114.1481