Causeway Bay

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Causeway Bay

High Density Buildings in Causeway Bay
Simplified Chinese 铜锣湾
Traditional Chinese 銅鑼灣
Literal meaning "Copper Gong Bay"

Causeway Bay (Traditional Chinese: 銅鑼灣) is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, located on the 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 was ranked as the world's most expensive for the second year in a row, after overtaking New York's Fifth Avenue in 2012.[1]

Location

The busy Yee Wo Street crossing
View from Kowloon peninsula

Causeway Bay borders the Eastern District. These areas include Tsing Fung Street, Causeway Bay market, the Victoria Park, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, Jardine's Noonday Gun and the Police Officers Club. West of these sites, are Queen's College and the Hong Kong Central Library which belong to the Wan Chai District.

Since 1982, two sub-districts of Causeway Bay (Causeway Bay North, and Causeway Bay South) have been grouped into the Eastern District of district board elections whilst Causeway Bay Middle was grouped with the Wan Chai District to the west. However, local government decisions other than electoral demarcations still affect the region as a whole. Since 1994, Hong Kong district board elections are further sub-divided into smaller districts. The northern sector consists of the area around Victoria Park, the middle sector coincides with the central business district, and the southern sector forms the area around Tin Hau.

Regional and city-based government organizations, like the Causeway Bay Market, the fire station, and the Social Services Department are allocated to build in the eastern part, while business and shopping facilities are allocated into the western part.[2]

History

View of Causeway Bay, 1846

The typhoon shelter of Causeway Bay and the Tin Hau Temple reveal that the area was once a fishing village. 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. Kellett Island off the coast of Causeway Bay has disappeared and connected as a result of the land reclamation.

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.

The present-day Causeway 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.

Features

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 Excelsior and Regal HongKong Hotel. Modern service apartments such as Jia and Shama Serviced Apartments have opened in the past few years.

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 "Noonday Gun" mentioned in the Noël 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.

Places in Causeway Bay

Statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Park

Leisure and cultural

Shopping

Transport

Causeway Bay at night, at Kingston Street

Main roads

Causeway Bay station

Public transport

  • MTR:
    • Island Line: Tin Hau and Causeway Bay stations
  • Tram: To Kennedy Town, Happy Valley, or Whitty Street
  • Bus:
    • New World First Bus: 2X, 2A, 2, 8, 23, 25, 38, 42, 106, 112, 116, N122, N8
    • Citybus: 5, 8X, 10, 11, 72, 92, 592, 103, 170, 619, 690, 962, N962
  • Minibus:

See also

  • List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong

References

  1. ↑ Straus, Karsten. "Hong Kong Beats New York For Chic Shopping ", Forbes, 2013-11-21.
  2. ↑ google map,government booklet

External links

Media related to Causeway Bay at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 22°16′50″N 114°10′51″E / 22.28066°N 114.18096°E / 22.28066; 114.18096

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