Kowloon City

For the administrative district, see Kowloon City District. For the former enclave, see Kowloon Walled City.

Kowloon City
High-rise buildings have been built in Kowloon City after the relocation of the Hong Kong International Airport from Kowloon City to Chek Lap Kok.
Traditional Chinese	九龍城
Simplified Chinese	九龙城
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jiǔlóngchéng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gáu lùhng sìhng Jyutping Gau^2 lung^4 sing^4

Aerial view of Kowloon City

Kowloon City is an area in New Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is part of Kowloon City District.

Compared with the council area of Kowloon City District, the Kowloon City area is vaguely bounded in the south by Prince Edward Road West and Prince Edward Road East, north with Lok Fu, east with Kai Tak Nullah and west with Kowloon Tsai.^{[citation needed]}

History

Low-flying aircraft were a common sight in Kowloon City before the relocation of Hong Kong's airport

As early as in the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE), Kowloon City was famous for its pearl production.^{[citation needed]} During the Song dynasty (960–1279), Kowloon City was a part of Kwun Fu Cheung (traditional Chinese: 官富場; simplified Chinese: 官富场; pinyin: guān fù chǎng), which was a part of salt yard governed by Chinese officials. During the late Song Dynasty, two young emperors Zhao Bing and Duanzong sought refuge at current day Kowloon City, roughly at present day Sung Wong Toi Garden to escape from the growing Mongol Army.^[1] There are also historic relics and a temple which dates back to 800 years ago.

Part of the area was the location of the original Kowloon Walled City, erected during the Qing dynasty. This is now Kowloon Walled City Park. The former Kai Tak International Airport was also located in the district.^[2]

In 1982, Hong Kong was divided into 18 districts, and Kowloon City and its neighbouring areas, such as Hung Hom, have been part of the Kowloon City District since then.

Prior to 1998, a strict building height restriction was imposed in Kowloon City and over much of Kowloon to minimise the hazards of air traffic commuting through the Kai Tak Airport. The closure of Kai Tak as a result of the opening of the new Chek Lap Kok Airport lifted the height restriction, and more high-rise apartments started to appear, with heights of up to 175 m (574 ft).^[3]

In more recent years, rapid gentrification has taken place and new residential skyscrapers have replaced old tong laus. However, zoning plans have described some of these recent high-rise developments as undesirable, and proposed a height limit of 80 m (260 ft) for new buildings in Kowloon City.^[4]

Nearby sights

• The passenger terminal of Kai Tak Airport, a defunct airport
• Kai Tak Sports Park
• Kowloon City Plaza
• Kowloon City's public market – one of the largest wet markets in Hong Kong^[5][6]
• Kowloon Walled City
• Holy Trinity Cathedral,^[7][8][a] the oldest church in Kowloon^{[citation needed]}
• Sung Wong Toi Garden^{[11][12][13][14][15][16][a]}
• Hau Wong temple^[17]

Features

Kowloon City is an old district in Hong Kong; however, it has been transforming into a modern district with a lot of new shops and restaurants over the years. The district is well known for its wide range of cuisine. Other than the traditional Hong Kong-style restaurants that offer local dishes, there are numerous restaurants that offer Southeast Asian dishes like Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian.

Many Thai grocery stores can be found throughout Kowloon as well. Due to the prevalence of Thai restaurants and stores as well as the population of Thai-speaking ethnic Chinese, Kowloon City is also known as "Hong Kong's Little Thailand".^[18] It is not only a food paradise for authentic main dishes of many cultures, but also a popular place for both traditional Hong Kong-style and western desserts.^[19] With a sizeable population from the Chiushan area of Guangdong Province, Kowloon City is also famous for Chiuchow-style braised dishes (滷水).

Transport

Major roads that serves the area include:

• Boundary Street
• Argyle Street
• Prince Edward Road

Kowloon City is served by Sung Wong Toi station of the Tuen Ma line.^[20]

Demographics

In 2016, about 33% of the Thai people living in Hong Kong resided in Kowloon City. Accordingly, there is a concentration of Thai businesses there. Proposed redevelopment in 2022 threatened the Thai businesses.^[21]

Education

Pooi To Primary School is in Kowloon City.^[22]

Kowloon City is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 41. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and Kowloon Tong Government Primary School.^[23]

See also

• List of places in Hong Kong

Footnotes

1. These locations are part of Kowloon City District, but some sources stated that they are not part of the Kowloon City proper.^[9][10]

References

1. "Historical cum Social Study on Kowloon City district in connection with Kai Tak area" (PDF). p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
2. "Kowloon City District Council - District Highlights". www.districtcouncils.gov.hk. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
3. "Billionaire Royale". Emporis. Retrieved 12 February 2021.^{[dead link]}
4. "Kowloon Planning Area No.10" (PDF). Town Planning Board. January 2021. pp. 5, 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
5. DeWolf, Christopher (23 September 2011). "Best wet markets in Hong Kong". CNN Travel. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
6. Goldberg, Lina (24 February 2013). "10 of the world's best fresh markets". CNN Travel. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
7. 聯絡我們 [Contact us] (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Holy Trinity Cathedral. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
8. "Diocesan Office". Diocese of Eastern Kowloon. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
9. "Coverpage - MMIS" 九龍城區名勝地宋王台闢作公園樂善堂及街坊會負責人曾向當局請求保存古蹟. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 16 December 1955. p. 6. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
10. 2018香港大地圖 [Complete City Guide of Hong Kong 2018] (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Wan Li Book. July 2017. p. 106. ISBN 9789621464200. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
11. "Coverpage - MMIS" 鏟平宋王台工程進行中. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 9 January 1952. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
12. "Coverpage - MMIS" 宋王台新公園工程積極大門豎四石柱分三入口. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 15 January 1956. p. 5. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
13. "Coverpage - MMIS" 宋王台公園夏間可完成. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 10 March 1956. p. 5. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
14. "Coverpage - MMIS" 宋王台古石 移置公園內工程將完成. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 2 August 1956. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
15. "小畫家宋王台揮毫". Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 4 April 1979. p. 13. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
16. "Coverpage - MMIS" 宋王台公園 離奇命案. The Kung Sheung Daily News (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 13 September 1979. p. 7. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
17. "Declared Monuments in Hong Kong - Kowloon". Antiquities and Monuments Office. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
18. "A walking tour of Hong Kong's Little Thailand". Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
19. "Why we love Kowloon City". Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
20. "Project Details/Alignment". Shatin to Central Link website. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
21. "Goodbye 'Little Thailand' in Hong Kong?". Bangkok Post. South China Morning Post. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
22. "Factwire: CCTV installed in classrooms at two Hong Kong primary schools, parents say they were not informed". Hong Kong Free Press. Factwire. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
23. "POA School Net 41" (PDF). Education Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.

Further reading

• < A history of Kowloon City > (traditional Chinese: 九龍城風物志; simplified Chinese: 九龙城风物志; pinyin: jiǔlóngchéng fēngwù zhì)

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