Queen's Road East

Location

Queen's Road East forks to the south from Queensway near Justice Drive, where Queensway turns into Hennessy Road. It runs along the old northern shoreline of Hong Kong Island. It ends in the east at Wong Nai Chung Road in Happy Valley.

History

The settlement of Wan Chai began in pre-British times as a small Chinese community around the present Hung Shing Temple on Queen's Road East. The temple was probably built in 1847 and may have existed previously as a shrine. Originally built next to the shoreline, facing the sea, it is now surrounded by clusters of residential and commercial buildings, as the consequence of successive land reclamation.

Queen's Road East was first developed into a European commercial and residential centre after the arrival of the British in 1841. It had become a mainly Chinese residential, labouring and shop-keeping community by the 1860s.

The eastern part of the road was cut through Morrison Hill, which formerly separated Wanchai from Happy Valley. This section was known as 'Gap Road'. That name was still in use around 1930, even though the high land to the north of the 'gap' was levelled in the 1920s and the materials used to reclaim land from the harbour, under the Praya East Reclamation Scheme.

Although associated with Queen's Road Central and Queen's Road West, the name 'Queen's Road East' has been in use since at least the 1870s.

North side features

The following list follows a west-east order along the north side of the street, including intersecting streets, buildings and other features. Most streets and lanes having a northern junction with Queen's Road East connect with Johnston Road, located northward. The exceptions are Anton Street, McGregor Street and Wood Road. Since Queen's Road East runs mostly along the original shoreline of Hong Kong Island, these streets have been built on early land reclamation.

Queensway – Hennessy Road interection

The western end of Queens Road East originates and runs southeast from the main Queensway – Hennessy Road artery at the point where the name changes from Queensway (to the west) to Hennsessy Road to the east.

Generali Tower

Generali Tower is an 18-storey office building. It is the first building on the northern side of the street, at nos. 6–10. It was formerly Sincere Insurance Building ( The building was completed on 1 January 1968, with a major renovation in 2011–13, after which it was called the Generali Building. The west wall is used for advertising.

Tesbury Centre

The Tesbury Centre is at nos. 24–32. The Tesbury Centre, a 29-storey office building, was developed in 1993 at 28 Queen's Road East.

Anton Street

Anton Street () is a short street connecting Queen's Road East to Queensway. The street is on land that Jardine, Matheson & Co. bought from the Sisters of St Paul in 1915. The 1917 annual report of the Public Works Department stated that 47 Chinese houses had been completed on M.L. 23, Praya East, Queen’s Road East, Landale and Anton Streets. Anton Street was named after Charles Edward Anton, a Scottish businessman who served as the 16th Director (tai-pan) of Jardine, Matheson & Co.{{Cite web |title=Anton Street [1917- ] Gwulo

Six Pacific Place

Six Pacific Place () is located at the junction of Anton street and Queen's Road East, the sixth phase of Pacific Place. Six Pacific Place comprises 24 levels of office space, totaling approximately 223,000 square feet.

Landale Street

Landale Street () is a short street running northeast from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road. Jardine, Matheson & Co. bought the land that includes Landale Street in 1915 from the Sisters of Saint Paul. The company built terraced housing on the land. In 1917 Landale Street and Anton street were opened to give access to the housing. The street was named for David Landale, Director of Jardine, Matheson & Co.

Li Chit Street

Li Chit Street () is named after Li Chit, of the Li family of Chinese landowners. It was cut as a lane through Marine Lot 25, when that was developed in 1887. In 1919 Li Chit Street became a public street and 30 Chinese houses were built on it. The street has been pedestrianized.{{citation |url=https://gwulo.com/node/48325 The central section is occupied by Li Chit Garden, an apartment tower and green space.

Gresson Street

Main article: Gresson Street

Gresson Street runs northeast from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road. Gresson Street was opened around 1909 on Marine Lots 29 and 30, when the lots were redeveloped by Hongkong Land. The street was named after William Jardine Gresson (1869–1934). He was a partner of Jardine, Matheson & Co. from 1901 to 1910. The Open Market in Gresson Street is part of the Wan Chai Heritage Trail.

Lun Fat Street

Lun Fat Street () runs northeast from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road. The Lan Fat Rest Garden, also known as the Yang Bauhinia Garden, was built on the street in 2003. It is the first community "sitting room" in Wan Chai, and has stone tables and chairs, flowers and childrens' play areas.

Ship Street

Main article: Ship Street, Hong Kong

Ship Street crosses Queen's Road East. It runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East, then southwest to the Ship Street Garden before turning southeast as a pedestrian road that runs behind the Hung Shing Temple, then southwest to Kennedy Road. The street was originally called Ocean Boat Street, and was opened in 1910. At that time Johnston Road was a dock, and the streets running from it were named after Chinese ports and sea transport. Part of the road north of Queen's Road East is a stairway made of stone slabs.

Tai Wong Street West

Tai Wong Street West () is a pedestrian road that runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East. About halfway along the road it is connected to Tai Wong Street East by the Tai Wong Street East Sitting out Area. The street was originally called Ocean Boat Street, and was opened in 1910. It connects with Queen's Road East opposite Hung Shing Temple. It derives its name from the temple, as "Tai Wong" is an alternate name for Hung Shing.

Tai Wong Street East

Tai Wong Street East () runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East. It joins Queen's Road East across the street from Hung Shing Temple.

Swatow Street

Main article: Swatow Street

Swatow Street runs southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East. Swatow is the old name of Shantou, a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong Province, China, and is also the Teochew pronunciation of the city. Swatow Street and Amoy Street to the east are both part of the historical development of the Victoria Harbour coastline. The Victoria Harbour reclamation project moved the original dock area inland, forming many new streets such as Swatow Street and Amoy Street.

Amoy Street

Main article: Amoy Street (Hong Kong)

Amoy Street () connects Johnston Road in the north to Queen's Road East in the south. Amoy is an old name of the Chinese city of Xiamen. The street has been described as "shy and retiring" by Time Out because it is a cul-de-sac with steps at one end.

Nos. 186–190 Queen's Road East

The three tenement buildings are historic Chinese shophouses in Wanchai built in the 1930s. They are Grade III historic buildings. They are Tong lau buildings in a unique Guangzhou style, with narrow frontage, four storeys high, with verandahs facing Queen's Road East. The ground floors were shops, and families lived above.

Lee Tung Street

Main article: Lee Tung Street

Lee Tung Street (), known as the Wedding Card Street (; ) by locals, is a street in Wan Chai. The street was famed in Hong Kong and abroad as a centre for publishing and for the manufacturing of wedding cards and other similar items. As part of an Urban Renewal Authority (URA) project, all interests of Lee Tung Street were resumed by and reverted to the Government of Hong Kong since 1 November 2005, and subsequently demolished in December 2007. The site was redeveloped as a luxury shopping and housing development.

QRE Plaza

Main article: QRE Plaza

Hopewell Centre or QRE Plaza is a 25-storey building located at No. 202 Queen's Road East, developed by Hopewell Holdings. The plaza was completed in 2007 and contains a shopping centre, restaurants and health clinics. QRE Plaza measures nearly 89 m in height. The building has a Gross floor area (GFA) of about 77000 sqft.{{cite web|url=http://www.hrea.com.hk/en/hreal_property_qre.htm

Spring Garden Lane

Main article: Spring Garden Lane

Spring Garden Lane runs south, then southwest from Johnston Road to Queen's Road East. During the early development of Wan Chai, one of the focal area of development was Spring Gardens. The name was used by the British during the early colonial Hong Kong era in the 1840s. The word "spring" in "Spring Gardens" was supposed to be referring to a water spring. However, when the name "Spring Garden Lane" was translated into Chinese, the resulting name became "", with the character "" meaning spring season.

In the early 1900s, Spring Garden Lane and Sam Pan Street () became a red-light district with western and eastern prostitutes. To attract attention, brothels were displaying large street number plates, and the area became known as "Big Number Brothels".

GARDENEast

GARDENEast (No. 222) is a 28-storeys serviced apartments building.

McGregor Street

McGregor Street () is a short street that runs north from Queen's Road East, then turns east to join Tai Yuen Street. McGregor Street is named for the warehouses owned by the hong McGregor & Co., which built the first timber pier in Hong Kong, in place of earlier banboo piers.{{citation |url=https://hongkongfp.com/2024/02/17/foreign-influence-part-4-from-wharves-to-wealth-how-trade-commerce-shaped-hong-kongs-street-names/. |title=Foreign influence Part 4: From wharves to wealth – how trade & commerce shaped Hong Kong’s street names

Tai Yuen Street

Tai Yuen Street () runs north from Queen's Road East to Johnston Road. It is joined from the west by McGregor Street, then further north it crosses Cross Street. Tai Yuen Street is also known as "Toy Street", after the toy shops of the street. The Open Market in Tai Yuen Street and Cross Street is part of the Wan Chai Heritage Trail.

Hotel Indigo

Main article: Hotel Indigo Hong Kong Island

The Hotel Indigo (No. 246) is a boutique hotel, part of the InterContinental Hotel Group. It has 138 rooms. There is a restaurant on the second floor and a Skybar on the 29th floor, beside a glass-bottomed swimming pool.

Dah Sing Financial Centre

Main article: Dah Sing Financial Centre

Dah Sing Financial Centre (formerly called Sunlight Tower, MLC Tower or CEF Life Tower ) is a 40-storey skyscraper located at 248 Queen's Road East. It is 156 m tall and has 40 floors. Designed by Andrew Lee King Fun & Associates, it was completed in 1998.

Wan Chai Road

Main article: Wan Chai Road

Wan Chai Road runs southwest from Johnston Road, then south to Queen's Road East, which it joins to the east of Wanchai Market and west of One Wanchai and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club Garden. It was constructed in 1851 along Morrison Hill from the foot of Hospital Hill (now near the old Wan Chai Market building) to the beach at Observation Point (now near Tin Lok Lane).

In the 1930 and 1940s, Hong Kong funeral services used to gather in Wan Chai Road and Tin Lok Lane as the area is closed to the cemeteries in Happy Valley. The first funeral parlour in Hong Kong, named Hong Kong Funeral Home, was founded on 216 Wan Chai Road in the early 1930s, opposite a cemetery carving workshop. The coffin showroom was on Tin Lok Lane. On 5 September 1966, Hong Kong Funeral Home moved to Quarry Bay, however, the old parlour of Wan Chai Road still in service until its dismantling in 1967.

Old Wan Chai Market

Main article: Wan Chai Market

(No. 264). Grade III historic building.

Hong Kong Jockey Club Garden

[[Ruttonjee Hospital]]

Main article: Ruttonjee Hospital

Ruttonjee Hospital (no. 266) was merged with Tang Shiu Kin Hospital in 1998. The Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Disease Association building is a Grade III historic building.

Wan Chai Park

Wan Chai Park ()

Wood Road

lLocated further east, past Wan Chai Park, and connects Queen's Road East to Wan Chai Road

Queen Elizabeth Stadium

Main article: Queen Elizabeth Stadium

Queen Elizabeth Stadium is opposite Cosmopolitan Hotel

Wong Nai Chung Road

Main article: Wong Nai Chung Road

Queen's Road East widens at its eastern end, then runs under the Wong Nai Chung Gap Flyover to terminate on Wong Nai Chung Road coming from the south where that road becomes the Morrison Hill Road continuing north.

South side features

The following list follows a west-east order along the south side of the street, including intersecting streets, buildings and other features. The only street crossing with Queen's Road East, i.e. having both north and south junctions with the Road, is Ship Street.

In popular culture

The 1991 song, also titled "Queen's Road East" (), by Taiwanese singer Lo Ta-yu and Hong Kong singer-composer Ram Chiang makes references to the handover of Hong Kong to China.

References

Sources

References

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