- Nathan Road
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Nathan Road
彌敦道
Nathan Road, Jordan section. Traditional Chinese 彌敦道 Simplified Chinese 弥敦道 Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Mídūn Dào Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping nei4 deon1 dou6 - IPA [nḙi tɵ́n tòu] - Yale Romanization nei4 deun1 dou6 Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong that goes in a south-north direction from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok. It is lined with shops, restaurants and tourists, and was known in the post-World War II years as the Golden Mile, a name that is now rarely used. It starts on the southern part of Kowloon at its junction with Salisbury Road, a few metres north of Victoria Harbour, and ends at its intersection with Boundary Street in the north. Portions of the Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan Lines run underneath Nathan Road.
Contents
History
Nathan Road in the 1920s (Cameron Road on right)
Saint Andrew's ChurchThe first section of the road was completed in 1861. It was the very first road built in Kowloon, after the land was ceded by the then Qing Dynasty government to the United Kingdom and made part of the crown colony in 1860. The road was originally named Robinson Road, after Sir Hercules Robinson, the 5th Governor of Hong Kong. To avoid confusion with the Robinson Road on Hong Kong Island, the name was changed to Nathan Road in 1909, after Sir Matthew Nathan, the 13th Governor who served between 1904 and 1907.
The early Nathan Road was largely residential, with colonial-style houses with arched verandahs and covered archways. It was home to the Whitfield Barracks, which later became Kowloon Park. Saint Andrew's Church, the oldest Anglican church in Kowloon, has been located there since its completion in 1906.
The section of the road from Gascoigne Road to Argyle Street was originally named Coronation Road (加冕道), in honour of the coronation of King George V in 1911. The road was renamed as part of Nathan Road in 1926, after works joining the road and Nathan Road was completed. The section of Tai Po Road south of Boundary Street was also renamed as part of the road.
In 1996, the Garley Building fire broke out, killing 41 people.[1] In 2008, the Cornwall Court fire broke out, involving more than 200 firefighters, leaving 4 dead, including 2 fire fighters.[2]
Some buildings and landmarks along the road
The Chungking Mansions- The Peninsula Hotel (corner of Salisbury Road and Nathan Road)
- Chungking Mansions (#36-44)
- iSQUARE (#63)
- Kowloon Park
- Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard
- The ONE, at the location of the former Tung Ying Building (#100)
- Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre (#105)
- The Mira Hong Kong (#118)
- Miramar Shopping Centre (#132-134)
- Former Kowloon British School (#136). Now houses the Antiquities and Monuments Office
- St. Andrew's Church (Kowloon) (#138)
- Garley Building (#233-239, destroyed by fire in 1996)
- Manulife Provident Funds Place aka. Wing On Kowloon Center (#345)
- Novotel Nathan Road Kowloon Hong Kong (#348)
- Eaton Hotel Hong Kong (#380)
- Kowloon Central Post Office (#405)
- Sino Centre (#582-592)
- Cornwall Court (#687-689). Site of the 2008 Cornwall Court fire
Public transport
As a major road in the Kowloon area, Nathan Road is served by five stations of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR). These stations are from North to South:
- Prince Edward Station - at the intersection between Nathan Road and Prince Edward Road West
- Mong Kok Station (or Argyle Station) - at the intersection between Nathan Road and Argyle Street
- Yau Ma Tei Station (or Waterloo Station) - at the intersection between Nathan Road and Waterloo Road
- Jordan Station - at the intersection between Nathan Road and Jordan Road
- Tsim Sha Tsui Station - at the southern end of Nathan Road
Gallery
- Nathan Road, Hong Kong
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The bilingual road signs of Nathan Road and Middle Road on the exterior of The Peninsula hotel.
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KMB Enviro500 serving Route 1 on Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.
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Exit of Tsim Sha Tsui Station on Nathan Road.
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Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard.
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2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in front of the Former Kowloon British School.
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Nathan Road, near Mong Kok.
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Nathan Road, in the Prince Edward area.
See also
- Yau Tsim Mong District
- List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
- List of leading shopping streets and districts by city
References
- ^ RTHK. "RTHK gbcode." Cornwall Court Fire Tragedy; Bill Gates in Hong Kong; Shopaholics . Retrieved on 2008-09-28.
- ^ Yahoo. "Yahoo.com." Four dead as HK nightclub fire spreads. Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
External links
From South to NorthTsim Sha Tsui Landmarks: The Peninsula Hotel • ISQUARE • Chungking Mansions • Tung Ying Building • Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre • Kowloon Park • Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard • The ONE • The Mira Hong Kong • Miramar Arcade • Former Kowloon British School • St. Andrew's Church • Tsim Sha Tsui Police Station
Intersections: Salisbury Road • Middle Road • Peking Road • Mody Road • Carnarvon Road • Humphreys Avenue • Haiphong Road • Granville Road • Kimberley Road • Observatory Road • Hillwood Road
Jordan Landmarks: Shamrock Hotel • Prudential Centre • Garley Building • Novotel Nathan Road Kowloon Hong Kong • Nathan Hotel • Eaton Hotel Hong Kong
Intersections: Austin Road • Tak Shing Street • Bowring Street • Jordan Road • Nanking Street • Ning Po Street • Cheong Lok Street • Saigon Street • Pak Hoi StreetYau Ma Tei Landmarks: Kowloon Central Post Office • Sunbeam Commercial Building • Bell House • Ginza Square
Intersections: Gascoigne Road • Kansu Street • Wing Sing Lane • Public Square Street • Cliff Road • Man Ming Lane • Waterloo Road • Pitt Street • Dundas StreetMong Kok Landmarks: Sino Centre • Hollywood Plaza • King Wah Centre • Bank Centre • Grand Tower • HSBC Mong Kok Biulding • Argyle Centre Phase I • Trade And Industry Department
Intersections: Changsha Street • Soy Street • Shantung Street • Nelson Street • Argyle Street • Fife StreetPrince Edward Landmarks: Pioneer Centre • Golden Plaza Arcade • Civic Triange • Old Kowloon Police Headquarters
Intersections: Bute Street • Lai Chi Kok Road • Arran Street • Prince Edward Road • Sporting Field Road • Boundary Street • Cheung Sha Wan RoadMTR Station Major streets and roads in Kowloon & New Kowloon Kowloon City Kwun Tong Sham Shui Po Apliu • Boundary • Castle Peak • Cheung Sha Wan •
Ching Cheung • Fuk Wa • Lai Chi Kok • Pei Ho • Tai PoWong Tai Sin Yau Tsim Mong Argyle • Austin • Austin West • Boundary • Canton •
Chatham • Cherry • Dundas • Fa Yuen • Gascoigne • Jordan • Mody • Nathan • Portland • Prince Edward • 
Princess Margaret • Public Square • Sai Yeung Choi • Salisbury • Shanghai • Soy • Temple • Tung Choi • WylieStreets and roads in Hong Kong Island • New TerritoriesCoordinates: 22°18′38″N 114°10′12″E / 22.3106°N 114.1700°E
Categories:- Roads in Hong Kong
- Tsim Sha Tsui
- Yau Ma Tei
- Mong Kok
- Shopping districts and streets in Hong Kong
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