Causeway Bay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)
Causeway Bay
Chinese: 銅鑼灣
Literal meaning: "Copper Gong Bay"
Large crowds of shoppers can be seen in Causeway Bay.
Large crowds of shoppers can be seen in Causeway Bay.

Causeway Bay or East Point is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, located on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road (銅鑼灣道). The rent in the shopping areas of Causeway Bay is ranked the as being one of the most expensive in the world, near that of London's Sloane Street and New York's Fifth Avenue.

Contents

[edit] Location

Part of Causeway Bay, including Tsing Fung Street, Causeway Bay market, the Victoria Park, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, Jardine's Noon-day Gun and the Police Officers Club is in the Eastern District. Queen's College and the Hong Kong Central Library are in Wan Chai District.

[edit] History

Before urban development and massive land reclamation, Causeway Bay was a heavily silted bay. Its former shape can be found on maps by tracing Tung Lo Wan Road, which goes along the former bay. In the early stage of development a causeway was built, which is the present-day Causeway Road. In the 1950s, the coastline was further pushed forward when the remains of the bay was reclaimed for the Victoria Park, when the statue of Queen Victoria was brought back from Japan. The statue had been taken away during the Second World War from Statue Square at Chater Road, Central.

The typhoon shelter of Causeway Bay and the Tin Hau Temple reveal that the area was a fishing village.

The names of Yee Wo Street, Jardine's Bazaar and Jardine's Crescent reveal that the land in this area was sold by the British colonial government to Jardines in the early 19th century. The area was therefore named East Point, after a pointed place on the coastline, east from the centre of Victoria City.

[edit] Features

Causeway Bay MTR station on the Island Line.
Causeway Bay MTR station on the Island Line.
Causeway Bay at night, at Kingston Street
Causeway Bay at night, at Kingston Street

The present-day Annawu Bay is usually confused with East Point, the former having assimilated the latter. The original Causeway Bay is near the present-day Tin Hau MTR station, whereas the Causeway Bay MTR station is at East Point. The present-day concept of the Causeway Bay area covers all the way until Canal Road (Canal Road East and Canal Road West), or the Canal Road district or in Chinese Ngo Keng Kiu (鵝頸橋), lit., the bridge of a goose's neck.

East Point is now regarded as part of Causeway Bay as result of assimilation of the geographical name. An East Point Road can still be found, which reveals the pointed coastline in the early days, prior to reclamation.

Causeway Bay or East Point is one of Hong Kong's major shopping districts. It includes the 13-storey Japanese department store Sogo and Times Square, an indoor shopping complex. There are also smaller malls such as World Trade Centre, Windsor House, Hang Lung Centre, Fashion Island, Fashion Walk, Lee Gardens and Lee Gardens Two. Causeway Bay is one of the most crowded areas in Hong Kong since it contains many trendy shops carrying both locally made fashion and products from Japan, Europe and the United States. As such, it is a popular social spot for young people.

Many shops are open until well after midnight.

Notable hotels in Causeway Bay include the The Excelsior and Regal HongKong Hotel. Modern service apartments such as Jia and Shamas have opened in the past few years.

Causeway Bay is named after a former causeway at the present-day Causeway Road. Kellett Island off the coast of Causeway Bay has disappeared and connected as a result of land reclamation. It is the home of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

For years, Jardine Matheson has fired a cannon shot at noon every day in Causeway Bay, by Victoria Harbour, slightly eastward of the former Kellett Island. The gunshots have served as time signals for many generations of old inhabitants of Hong Kong. This tradition still continues today. This is the "Noon-day Gun" mentioned in the Noel Coward song "Mad dogs and Englishmen".

Note that although the names of certain landmarks in the western part of Causeway Bay start with "Wan Chai" (e.g. Wan Chai Fire Station), the landmarks are across the local customary limit of Wan Chai on Canal Road.

[edit] Places in Causeway Bay

[edit] See also

[edit] Transportation

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


Wan Chai District
(Victoria Harbour)
Central and Western District

Main borders and locations

 Eastern District

Causeway Bay | Happy Valley | Jardine's Lookout | Stubbs Road | Tai Hang | Wan Chai | Wan Chai North | Wong Nai Chung Gap
Southern District
Languages