Kwun Chung

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Kwun Chung (官涌) is an area to the southwest of Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Hong Kong. South of the area, across Austin Road is Tsim Sha Tsui. The area has one of the Nepalese communities in Hong Kong.

In present-day the area closed to MTR station is also frequently referred as Jordan, since the MTR station named Jordan nearby have been in service. This station name of MTR is misleading, causing confusion to those not familiar with area. This phenomenon is quite common in Hong Kong. The part further away from the station is still referred as Kwun Chung.

[edit] History

Its Chinese name suggests that it was a river, a government river. It is related to the presence of Imperial China military in defense against pirates and foreigners. In early British maps, Kwun Chung was a river valley with village and cultivation. The valley extended from the shore to the middle of the Kowloon Peninsula. In the middle of the valley was a hill where two rivers ran west to the sea.

[edit] Kwun Chung Fort

The area between Austin Road and Jordan Road was originally hilly where Kwun Chung Fort was built by the Chinese (Qing) official Lin Tse-hsu to defend against the British. During the Battle of Kwun Chung in 1839, the fort, together with Tsim Sha Tsui Fort successfully kept British incursions from Kowloon. The fort with the hill was demolished for development during the early British rule of Kowloon. Its rock and sand were used for reclamation. In contrast, the area northwest of Jordan Road were all reclaimed lands. Battery Street was probably named after it. Due to its strategic position, the British Army chose the hill south of Austin Road for founding the Whitfield Barracks and battery.

[edit] Present

Kwun Chung has given its name to the municipal services building in Bowring Street.