Central and Western District

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Central and Western District
Official emblem] of Central and Western District
District emblem
Location of Central and Western District within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(Click here for satellite image)
District Officer Miss Eliza Yau, JP
Constituencies 15
Area
  –Land
  –Water		 12.4 km²
km²
km²
Population
  –Total (2001)
  –Density
261,884
20,917/km²
Latitude
Longitude		 22°17' N
114°09' E
Official website:
Central and Western District Council

The Central and Western District (Traditional Chinese: 中西區; pinyin: Zhōng Xī Qū) is one of the 18 districts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Its population in the 2001 census was 261,884.

Central is the central business area, or financial district, of Hong Kong. Western is one of the areas of early development in Hong Kong. Both are located in the northern part of Hong Kong Island.

Contents

[edit] History

Central District was the first area of planned urban development in Hong Kong. The site of Victoria City was also the capital during the colonial era. The British held a land sale in June 1841, 6 months after the flag was raised at Posession Point. 51 lots of land were sold to 23 merchant houses to build offices and warehouses. Some of the property buyers included Dent's, Jardine's, Russell's and Olyphant's. At the time, the 2 roads Albany Nullah (now Garden rd) and Glenealy Nullah (now Glenealy rd) were mainly reserved for British use. The streets later became known as Government Hill[1].

In 1857, the British government expanded Victoria City and divided it into seven districts. The ones located in present-day Central and Western are: Sai Ying Pun, Sheung Wan, Tai Ping Shan, Central. The area was essentially a European area until 1860 when Chinese merchants begin buying up European properties around Cochrane st, Wellington st and Pottinger st. The Central district was the principal European business district, hence the arrival of the first large scale bank HSBC. The Western district was the commercial centre for Chinese businesses. When the value of the district raised, a meeting was held in February 1866 to establish a "District Watch Force" to police and protect this specific area[2].

In 1880, Shek Tong Tsui was established, followed by Kennedy Town in the 20th century. By 1890s the majority of Hong Kong's population was concentrated in the district with about 200,000 residents, mostly in Victoria City[3].

[edit] Politics

Corner of Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central, in Central.
Corner of Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central, in Central.
The night view of the Central and Western District
The night view of the Central and Western District

District councils in Hong Kong are primarily consultative bodies of the HKSAR government with very limited powers, primarily restricted to building and maintaining parks, open areas, recreational and cultural activities and tourist promotion.

District council elections are held every four years; the last one was held on November 23, 2003 for terms beginning January 1, 2004. 15 constituency members are elected while 4 are appointed by the government. The constituency areas are smaller than the commonly used geographic areas, which are in turn based on the old 1857 and 1880 divisions.

Current members are:

[edit] Demographics

Hong Kong's 2001 census put the total population of the district at 261,884, with 89,545 households. Among the 18 districts, Central and Western has the second highest median household income in the territory (HK$25,350 per month, behind only Wan Chai District, and is at a par with Wan Chai in median monthly per capita income, at HK$13,000 per month. In terms of average size of households, it is third smallest at 2.8 persons, behind only Wan Chai and Yau Tsim Mong District, at 2.7 each.

[edit] Geography and political subdivisions

Image:Simplifiedmapofcentralareas.gif
Map of Neighbourhoods in the Central and Western District

The district is located at 22°17′00″N, 114°09′00″E, based on the location of the General Post Office). With an area of 12.4 km², the district occupies the northwestern portion of Hong Kong Island. It is surrounded by Wan Chai District on the east, Southern District on the south, and Victoria harbour in the north. The district also encompasses Green Island and Little Green Island, two uninhabited islands to the west of Hong Kong Island.

Areas from west to east along Victoria Harbour are: Kennedy Town, Sai Ying Pun, Sheung Wan, Central, Admiralty.

Neighbourhoods within the district are listed from east to west.

[edit] Admiralty

[edit] Central

Main article: Central, Hong Kong

Central is the business centre of Hong Kong, and many multinational financial services corporations have their headquarters there. The Government Hill, the site of the government headquarters, is also in Central.

[edit] Central mid-levels escalator

Central-Mid-Levels escalator, passing through Soho at Elgin Street
Central-Mid-Levels escalator, passing through Soho at Elgin Street
Main article: Central-Mid-Levels escalator

The Central-Mid-levels escalator in Hong Kong is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The system is 800 meters long, connecting Des Voeux Road Central, in Central with Conduit Road in the Mid-levels, passing through narrow streets in Soho.

The escalator runs downhill from 6 am to 10 am and uphill from 10:30 am to midnight everyday. Apart from its significance in transport linkage, it is also a tourist attraction, with many restaurants, bars, and shops lining its route.

[edit] Bank of China Tower

Main article: Bank of China Tower

The Bank of China Tower in Central houses the headquarters of BOCHK. Designed by I. M. Pei, the 70 storey building's height is 315 meters with two masts reaching 369 meters. Construction began in 1985 and the building was completed in 1989. It was the first building outside the United States to exceed 1,000 feet and to exceed 300 metres. It was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992, when the nearby, taller Central Plaza was completed.

[edit] City Hall

Main article: City Hall, Hong Kong

Built in 1962, the City Hall complex housed the old central library of Hong Kong, as well as concert halls, restaurants and a marriage registry. The conference room of the former Urban Council was also at the lower building of the City Hall.

The garden at the north-western side of the complex includes a memorial to those killed in Hong Kong during World War II.

[edit] Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building

Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, heading towards (From the left), the City Hall, Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building, and across the road Hong Kong Club Building. Central Plaza can be seen in the background.
Connaught Road Central, Central, Hong Kong, heading towards (From the left), the City Hall, Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building, and across the road Hong Kong Club Building. Central Plaza can be seen in the background.
Main article: Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building

The funnel-shaped Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building (formerly, and still commonly known as the Prince of Wales Building) housed the headquarters of the British garrison in Hong Kong until the territory's handover to the People's Republic of China on June 30, 1997. It now houses the local garrison of the People's Liberation Army and is formally known as Central Barracks, in line with PLA convention for naming barracks after the name of the locality.

[edit] Other landmarks

The Headquarter of HSBC is a landmark in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong
The Headquarter of HSBC is a landmark in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong

[edit] Mid-levels

[edit] Sai Ying Pun

[edit] Sheung Wan

[edit] Secondary schools

Arranged by alphabetical order of their full names in each category.

Government-administered schools

Aided schools

Schools under Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS)

International schools

Vocational and night schools (privately-funded)

[edit] Tertiary institutions

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wordie, Jason. [2002] (2002) Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 962-2095631
  2. ^ Tsai Jung-fang. [1995] (1995). Hong Kong in Chinese History: community and social unrest in the British Colony, 1842-1913. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231079338
  3. ^ Sanderson, Edgar. [1897] (1897) The British Empire in the Ninteenth Century: Its Progress and Expansion at Home and Abroad. Blackie publishing. No ISBN digitalized doc from Stanforf university


Districts of Hong Kong Flag of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Island: Central and Western | Eastern | Southern | Wan Chai
Kowloon (including New Kowloon): Kowloon City | Kwun Tong | Sham Shui Po | Wong Tai Sin | Yau Tsim Mong
New Territories: Islands | Kwai Tsing | North | Sai Kung | Sha Tin | Tai Po | Tsuen Wan | Tuen Mun | Yuen Long
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