Wanchai
Wan Chai on Christmas night
The Wan Chai district (灣仔區,
literally: Small Bay), or simply Wan Chai or Wanchai,
is one of the 18 districts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
of the People's Republic of China. It is
located in the north of Hong Kong island. The district includes the
areas of Causeway
Bay and Happy Valley in which, according to
household survey by the Census and Statistics Department, education
level and household income of its residents is one of the highest
in Hong Kong. Population (2000): 190,300.
Nevertheless, Wanchai often refers to the area surrounding the
MTR station of the same name,
and located between Admiralty on the west and Causeway Bay
on the east.
Wan Chai was made famous as the location of the novel and then
film The World of Suzie Wong. Today it
could be described as the heart of the city which is an
epitome of Hong Kong lifestyle: There is a well-established art
centre, the largest exhibition hall, luxury apartments, five-star
hotels, super shopping malls, metropolitan office towers and large
government building clusters----along poor and dirty slums, girlie
bars and Mahjong center crammed with aggressive gamblers. There is
also the largest Muslim temple, next to a Catholic burying ground.
Walk five minutes away from the heavily polluted streets, Bowen
Drive is one of the most favourite places for jogging. You may see
law-makers, movie stars, and top officials jogging there. Not to
mention, it is the place for the Hong Kong transition ceremony in
1997.
Bars and strip joints in Wanchai is still popular
with visiting sailors, who arrive on Fenwick pier, which once had the only
McDonald's that
serves alcohol (beer) in Hong Kong but it was closed in 2004.
Johnston Road and Queen's Road East are the two major streets in
the area, but the streets and little alleys in between are much
more intriguing. Export clothing shops line the streets of Johnston Road and
Luard Road and offer by far some of the best value in Hong Kong. Be
prepared to dig your way through piles of pants, shirts, skirts,
dresses and baby clothes. Spring Garden Lane and Wanchai Road also
are must-sees in the area and will give you the chance to see where
many of the locals shop for vegetables, fruit and household items.
After a big day out, Delaney's, Joe Banana's and Carnegie's are
just a few of the popular spots in Wanchai to grab a drink or dance
the night away. Wanchai North, which lies on the other side of
Gloucester Road, is a cluster of high rise office towers and
hotels.
Facing the harbour in Wanchai is the Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre, a building boasting the world's largest
"glass curtain" (built
1994-1997), a window seven stories high.
The Golden Bauhinia Square at night
Next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is the
"Golden Bauhinia Square." As implied in its name, there is a huge
sculpture of a
bauhinia, which is
the representative flower of Hong Kong, in the square. This is a
tourist spot in Hong Kong and also the location of the flag-raising
ceremony on the Chinese National Day every year.
The Central Plaza, the second tallest
skyscraper in
Hong Kong, is located in Wan Chai.
The ceremony of the hand-over of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to
China was performed in the
new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibution Center in Wan
Chai. The first cross harbour tunnel in Hong Kong is also linking Wan Chai with
Hung Hom.
Just west of Wanchai is the area known as Admiralty, a cluster of
office towers, hotels and shopping centres. There is not a lot to see
here, but Pacific Place is one of the nicest shopping centres in
Hong Kong with mostly middle and high-end stores like Marks and
Spencer, Seibu, Armani and Chanel, as well as a variety of restaurants and movie
theatres.
See also
External links
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