- Shek Tong Tsui
Shek Tong Tsui (zh-t|t=石塘嘴 or 石塘咀, lit. "Stone Pond Spit") is a town in
Sai Wan on the north shore ofHong Kong Island inHong Kong . Administratively, it belongs to theCentral and Western District .This district is bounded to the east by
Ka On Street , north by theVictoria Harbour , south byPokfulam Road andThird Street , and west by the intersection ofQueen's Road West andBelcher's Street [http://www.eac.gov.hk/pdf/distco/2007dc/dc2007a.pdf] . To the east liesSai Ying Pun and to the west isKennedy Town . The area to the south is the slopes ofVictoria Peak andHigh West .History
The name Shek Tong Tsui was derived from the nearby old quarry, or "Shek Tong" (石塘) in Cantonese. It was located around modern-day Hill Road and
The Belcher's , and was used by theHakka people since the 17th century. "Tsui" (嘴) indicates that the area was a headland.The area was first settled in 1880 by
granite miners. In the early 1900s,Hong Kong Island 'sbrothel s were moved fromPossession Point inSheung Wan to this area under orders from theHong Kong Governor Matthew Nathan . The place thus flourished as ared light district and came to its golden period. During this period, Chinese affluents in Hong Kong came to Shek Tong Tsui for entertainment, and numerousCantonese opera theatres andCantonese restaurant s were founded in the area. It was known locally in the Cantonese phrase "tong sai fung yuet" (塘西風月), which means "good times west of the quarry". Brothels in this area inspired numerousnovel s and Hong Kong films, most notably "Rouge "(1987) which starredAnita Mui andLeslie Cheung .This golden period lasted until the ban of
prostitution by theHong Kong Government in 1935. However, during theJapanese occupation of Hong Kong , theJapan ese military government relocated all Chinese brothels to the area, which was renamed as Kuramae (蔵前) by the Japanese. Again the area boomed, with about 500 brothels in the area at the time, but they could only serve Japanese agents since the lives under Japanese rule were too harsh to enjoy for commoners.After the Japanese retreat, the name of the area was reverted back to its Chinese name, as with the rest of Hong Kong. The British ban went back into place, and all traces of Shek Tong Tsui's amorous history were washed away by decades of urbanization.
Transport
The tram terminus near
Whitty Street is one of the termini ofHong Kong Tramways . Bus and minibus services are also available along the main streets. TheWest Island Line , an extension of the existing MTR Island Line, will have a station near this area.The major roads on Shek Tong Shui are the western ends of
Des Voeux Road West andQueen's Road West , Hill Road and part ofPok Fu Lam Road .Connaught Road West is the major access road. Hill Road is a "double decker" road taking traffic downhill from Pok Fu Lam Road to Connaught Road.There are also a number of smaller terraces roads, including Yat Fu Lane, Woo Hop Street, Clarence Terrace, Po Tuck Street and South Lane. and there is a story that a dragong lived there before the miners came
Constituency
A constituency in the Central and Western District is called Shek Tong Shui. This elects one representative in the district council elections. This electorate extends as far as
Water Street and intrudes into Sai Ying Pun. The major housing developments in the electorate are: Chong Yip Centre, Dragonfair Garden, Elegant Garden, Kong Chian Tower, Kwan Yick Building Phase I, Wah Ming Centre. The population estimate in 2006 was 16597. [http://www.chanchoihi.hk/ Chan Choi Hi] was elected in 1999, and 2003.The Belcher constituency also covers part of Shek Tong Tsui south of Queens Road West. Yeung Sui Yin was elected in 2003. Wong Chit Man was elected in 1999.
References
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