 Jordan section of Nathan Road, at its intersection withAustin Road | |
| Native name | 彌敦道 |
|---|---|
| Former name(s) | Robinson Road, Katori-dori (during Japanese Occupation, 1942-1945) |
| Namesake | Sir Matthew Nathan |
| Location | Kowloon,Hong Kong |
| Coordinates | 22°18′36″N114°10′16″E / 22.309889°N 114.171133°E /22.309889; 114.171133 |
| South end | Salisbury Road |
| North end | Boundary Street |
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| Nathan Road 彌敦道 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 彌敦道 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 弥敦道 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Nathan Road (Chinese:彌敦道) is the main thoroughfare inKowloon,Hong Kong, aligned south–north fromTsim Sha Tsui toSham Shui Po. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with visitors, and was known in the post–World War II years as the Golden Mile, a name that is now rarely used. It starts on the southern part of Kowloon at its junction withSalisbury Road, a few metres north ofVictoria Harbour, and ends at its intersection withBoundary Street in the north. Portions of theKwun Tong andTsuen Wan lines (Prince Edward,Mong Kok,Yau Ma Tei,Jordan andTsim Sha Tsui) run underneath Nathan Road. The total length of Nathan Road is about 3.6 km (2.2 mi).
The first section of the road was completed in 1861. It was the first road built in Kowloon, afterthe land was ceded by theQing dynasty government to the United Kingdom and made part of the crown colony in 1860. The road was originally named Robinson Road, after SirHercules Robinson, the 5thgovernor of Hong Kong. To avoid confusion with theRobinson Road onHong Kong Island, the name was changed to Nathan Road in 1909,[1] afterSir Matthew Nathan, the 13th governor who served between 1904 and 1907.
The road started at Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, ending northward at Austin Road. When Sha Tsui Wan was reclaimed in the late 1800s, Salisbury Road was extended east, and Nathan Road was extended south to meet it. Nathan was extended northward in the 1920s.[2] The section of the road fromGascoigne Road toArgyle Street was originally named Coronation Road (加冕道), in honour of thecoronation ofKing George V in 1911. The road was renamed as part of Nathan Road in 1926, after works joining the road and Nathan Road was completed. The section ofTai Po Road south ofBoundary Street was also renamed as part of the road.
The early Nathan Road was largely residential, with colonial-style houses with arched verandahs and covered archways. It was home to theWhitfield Barracks, which later becameKowloon Park.Saint Andrew's Church, the oldestAnglican church in Kowloon, has been located there since its completion in 1906.
In 1996, theGarley Building fire broke out, killing 41 people.[3] In 2008, theCornwall Court fire broke out, involving more than 200 firefighters, killing 4 people, including 2 fire fighters.[4]
Fivestations of theMass Transit Railway (MTR) are built directly underneath Nathan Road. These stations are, from north to south:
The road is heavily trafficked by numerous bus routes.
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From south to north | ||||||
| Tsim Sha Tsui |
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| Jordan |
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| Yau Ma Tei |
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| Mong Kok |
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| Prince Edward |
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| MTR stations | ||||||
