Nathan Road
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| Nathan Road | |||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese: | 彌敦道 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese: | 弥敦道 | ||||||||||||||
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Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong that goes in a south-north direction from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok. It is lined with shops, restaurants and tourists, 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 with Salisbury Road, a few metres north of Victoria Harbour, and ends at its intersection with Boundary Street in the north.
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[edit] History
The first section of the road was completed in 1861. It was the very first road built in Kowloon, after the land was ceded by the then Qing Dynasty government to the United Kingdom and made part of the crown colony in 1860. The road was originally named Robinson Road, after Sir Hercules Robinson, the 5th Governor of Hong Kong. To avoid confusion with the Robinson Road on Hong Kong Island, the name was changed to Nathan Road in 1909, after Sir Matthew Nathan, the 13th Governor who served between 1904 and 1907.
The early Nathan Road was largely residential, with colonial-style houses with arched verandahs and covered archways. It was home to the Whitfield Barracks, which later became Kowloon Park. Saint Andrew's Church, the oldest Anglican church in Kowloon, has been located there since its completion in 1906.
The section of the road from Gascoigne Road to Argyle Street was originally named Coronation Road (加冕道), in honour of the coronation of King 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 of Tai Po Road south of Boundary Street was also renamed as part of the road.
[edit] Some buildings and landmarks along the road
- Chungking Mansions
- Garley Building
- Former Kowloon British School
- Kowloon Central Post Office
- Kowloon Park
- Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre
- The Peninsula Hotel
- Eaton Hotel Hong Kong
- Tung Ying Building
- Sino Centre
- St. Andrew's Church (Kowloon)
[edit] Gallery
 The road signs of Nathan Road and Middle Road on the exterior of The Peninsula hotel. The road signs have the name of the roads in both Chinese and English |
 KMB Enviro 500 serving Route 1 on Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui |
[edit] See also
- Yau Tsim Mong District
- List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
- List of leading shopping streets and districts by city
