Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui ( _zh. 尖沙咀 or 尖沙嘴), often abbreviated as TST, also known as Tsim Tsui (尖咀 or 尖嘴) by local people, is an urbanised area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay east of Tsim Sha Tsui. The area is bounded north by Austin Road and in the east by Hong Chong Road.

Geographically, Tsim Sha Tsui is a cape on the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula pointing towards Victoria Harbour. Several villages had been established in this location before Kowloon was ceded to the British Empire in 1860. "Tsim Sha Tsui" in Chinese means "sandy mouth". It was also known as Heung Po Tau (香埗頭), i.e. a port for exporting incense tree.

Tsim Sha Tsui is a major tourist hub in metropolitan Hong Kong, with many shops and restaurants that cater to tourists. Many of the museums in the territory are located in the area.

Tsim Sha Tsui is also a great place to watch Christmas lightings during December every year. Tall Buildings in the district will set up light bulbs on their walls with Christmas patterns, which is also a famous scene that is well known.

Geography

Before any land reclamation, Tsim Sha Tsui consisted of two parallel capes with a bay in between in the south. The west cape, Kowloon Point, the proper Tsim Sha Tsui, coincided with the small hill where the Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound is sited, while the east cape was the hill that is today known as Blackhead Point. The bay between the capes extended as far north as the present-day Mody Road. Today, Canton Road marks the western edge of Tsim Sha Tsui, and Chatham Road the eastern edge. The area is hilly, although many hills were leveled for reclamation.

History

Historical maps in Ming or Qing Dynasty the channel between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central as Chung Mun (Pinyin: Zhong Men, 中門, lit. the middle gate) as it is located in the middle two other channels, Kap Shui Mun in the west and Lei Yue Mun in the east, in the harbour.

Before ceded to Britain in 1860, many villages were present in the area. Incense tree ("Aquilaria sinensis") from New Territories were gathered at some quays in Tsim Sha Tsui and transferred to Shek Pai Wan in southern Hong Kong Island to be exported to rest of the world. It was thus known as Heung Po Tau, the fragrant quay.

In 1888, Star Ferry offered regular transport between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, and the area has flourished ever since. The place has an international reputation for the large number of tiger sharks resident in the waters close by. Tsim Sha Tsui was a garden city exclusive for westerners in that era. In early 20th century, Chinese were allowed to live in the area in order to attract more people to trade in the colony. Garden houses were replaced with crowded residential blocks. Wharf and godown were built along the west shore. Major developers like Hormusjee Naorojee Mody and Catchick Paul Chater actively participated in the development of Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) commenced service on 1 October, 1910. Kowloon Station in Tsim Sha Tsui was built on the new southern reclamation from 1913 to 1915. The rails extended along the western reclamation parallel to Chatham Road, with old Hung Hom Station near the Gun Club Hill Barracks at the junction of Chatham Road and Austin Road. Another major road Salisbury Road was completed in approximately the same period. The landmark Peninsula Hotel was built on the reclamation in 1928, opposite to the station.

The Kowloon Station was relocated to a new Hung Hom Station in 1978. The whole station and rails were demolished except the landmark Clock Tower. Hong Kong Space Museum and later the Hong Kong Cultural Centre were erected on the site. The rails were replaced with New World Centre and other gardens in Tsim Sha Tsui East.

Industry

Tsim Sha Tsui remains tertiary sector from colonial days to present. In early colonial days, transport, tourism and trading are main business of the area. As port and rail facilities moved out of the area, the major industry falls on the later two. Tsim Sha Tsui, like Central, contains several centers of finance. After Kai Tak Airport closed, the height restrictions on buildings has dropped and now larger taller skyscrapers, parallel to those of central are in the beginning stages of development in the area.

Different ranks of hotels and inns are present in the area. Tourists and traders from six continents stays in the area.

Demography

There is a substantial number of African, Indian and Pakistani minorities in the area. In colonial days, many Indians set up their business, joined the army and police force in Hong Kong. They continue to live in the territory. In recent years, Hong Kong has also attracted African traders, especially those of the Commonwealth, to trade in the territory. Most of them are transient residents and live in inns in the area.

Recreation and tourist attractions

Hotels

Tourist hospitality is a major industry in Tsim Sha Tsui. The area has the highest concentration of hotels in Hong Kong. Prominent and renowned hotels include The Peninsula, Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, two InterContinental , the Sheraton Hotel, three Marco Polo Hotels, The Langham Hong Kong as well as the Renaissance Hotel. The famed Hyatt Regency Hong Kong was closed on 1 January, 2006 for reconstruction of a shopping mall, while it has been confirmed that the hotel will re-open in 2009 on Hanoi Road of Tsim Sha Tsui as a part of a new complex currently known as Hanoi Road Redevelopment. Others hotels in virtually every price range, and level of luxury can be found throughout the area, Chungking Mansions is well known for providing cheap lodging for backpackers. The YMCA of Hong Kong is also a well known hotel.

Restaurants

Tsim Sha Tsui is one of places to find exotic restaurants in Hong Kong. Hillwood Road at the north of Observatory Hill concentrates restaurants of different national dishes. Knutsford Terrace on the other side of the hill is a terrace of pubs. Kimberley Street is famous for the Korean cuisine restaurants and grocery stores, especially after the advent of Korean Wave (韓流) in Hong Kong, which make the street nicknamed the Koreatown (小韓國). Located on Nathan Road, the Chungking Mansions is a major tourist attraction in Tsim Sha Tsui. Georgetown Parade is well known for its dog nose biscuits. These recognizable buildings were featured in the film "Chungking Express", and are full of inexpensive guest houses, Indian restaurants, and money changers.

Parks

There is a public library in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Kowloon Park is a popular destination, complete with swimming pools. Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre and Health Education Exhibition and Resources Centre are housed in the preserved and restored blocks of former Whitfield Camp.

Museums and performance venues

Half of major museums in Hong Kong are sited on Tsim Sha Tsui. The Hong Kong Space Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre are located at the southern waterfront. Hong Kong Museum of History and Hong Kong Science Museum are situated in Tsim Sha Tsui East.

Tourist attractions

Tsim Sha Tsui was once the terminus of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR). After the British Section of the railway was opened for traffic on 1 October 1910, the construction of the railway station in Tsim Sha Tsui started in 1913. Construction on the railway station and its clock tower were completed in 1915. The main building of the Tsim Sha Tsui station was demolished in 1978. The station was relocated to Hung Hom to make way for the Hong Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. But the Clock Tower of the station was not demolished and was kept in place. It is all that remains standing of the original Tsim Sha Tsui station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The clock tower is forty-four metres high, surmounted by a seven meter high lightning rod. It is now surrounded by the public piazza of the Cultural Centre and has become a landmark of Hong Kong. Six pillars of the railway have been relocated to the Urban Council Centenary Garden in TST East. The Avenue of Stars starts at the "New World Centre" shopping centre near the Cultural Centre.

The Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is another popular destination for locals and tourists alike. It is especially popular for photographers, as it offers an unobstructed view of the Central area of Hong Kong across Victoria Harbour. The Star Ferry terminal is another popular attraction for tourists, and the Avenue of Stars is also popular with photographers.

Tsim Sha Tsui East

Tsim Sha Tsui East (尖沙咀東 or simply 尖東) is an area east of Chatham Road South reclaimed from Hung Hom Bay in the 1970s. Many restaurants, office buildings and hotels are located in the area. The Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade links the area with the Hong Kong Cultural Centre near the Clock Tower. In 2004, the East Rail Line returned to Tsim Sha Tsui. East Tsim Sha Tsui Station is an interchange station with Tsim Sha Tsui station on the Tsuen Wan Line. Unlike other East Rail Line stations, it is underground near Blackhead Point. An extensive tunnel system was built for pedestrians to access the most popular destinations in Tsim Sha Tsui. There is currently massive ground-level works taking place throughout several roads in the area, so the best way to access destinations is through the underground walkway.

Public transport

Trains

Tsim Sha Tsui is served by the MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station, on the HK-MTR lines|Tsuen Wan. The HK-MTR lines|East Rail was extended from Hung Hom to East Tsim Sha Tsui in late 2004, which is connected to Tsim Sha Tsui station with an extensive tunnel network.

Ferries

The Star Ferry connects TST to Central and Wan Chai. Various hydrofoil services out of the Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal on Canton Road link Tsim Sha Tsui to Macau, Guangzhou, and several other places in the Pearl River Delta.

Buses

Since Tsim Sha Tsui is indeed the heart of Kowloon Peninsula, the area is served by an extensive network of bus routes to many parts of Hong Kong.

Other places in Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui East

*Avenue of Stars
*Former Kowloon British School
*Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound
*Harbour City
*Hong Kong Observatory
*Ocean Terminal
*The Peninsula Hotel
*Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier (Star Ferry)

ee also

* List of areas of Hong Kong
*Museums in Hong Kong

External links

* [http://www.12hk.com/area/TST/TsimShaTsui.html More pictures of Tsim Sha Tsui]
* [http://www.hiphongkong.com/photo-slideshow/tsim-sha-tsui.htm Photo slideshow of Tsim Tsa Tsui]