Queensway (Hong Kong)

Road in Admiralty, Hong Kong

Queensway

Queensway in May 2006

Native name| 金鐘道 (Yue Chinese)
Length| 600 meters (2,000 ft)
Location| Admiralty, Hong Kong
Coordinates| 22°16′44″N 114°09′52″E﻿ / ﻿22.2789°N 114.1645°E﻿ / 22.2789; 114.1645
Queensway

Traditional Chinese| 金鐘道
Simplified Chinese| 金钟道
Literal meaning| Golden Bell (Admiralty) Road
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Jīnzhōng Dào
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization| Gām jūng douh
Jyutping| Gam1 zung1 dou6
IPA| [kɐ́m tsʊ́ŋ tòu]

Queensway is a major road in the Admiralty area of Central, Hong Kong. It was originally a section of Queen's Road East and forms part of the continuum of Queen's Road that had been split into Queen's Road West, Queen's Road Central, Queensway, and Queen's Road East after World War II. At its western end it splits into Queen's Road Central and Des Voeux Road Central while at its eastern end it merges into Hennessy Road, at the junction with Queen's Road East.

## Name

[edit]

Queensway was formally separated and given its own name when the extensive military and naval sites that dominated this area were redeveloped around the 1960s.[1][2] Its Chinese name can be translated as Golden Bell Road, a reference to a notable bell once located in the adjacent Admiralty Dock, and does not include 'Queen'.

The road is one of only a handful in the territory to have a name consisting of a single word. Other examples are Glenealy (Central), Smithfield (Kennedy Town) and Broadway (Lai Chi Kok). As a result, the road is often mistakenly referred to as Queensway Road.[3]

## Important buildings

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A view of Queensway in August 2009; facing its west-end; from the skyway connecting Pacific Place with Queensway Plaza. The Government Offices, Hong Kong Park, The Bank of China and Lippo Centre can be seen in the vicinity. Commercial buildings in Queensway in May 2006. View is eastward; the one-storey Queensway Plaza is on the left, displaying the large "Q" logo. In the centre above the Plaza is the United Centre. On the right is the Pacific Place mall, topped by, from closest: Swire offices, the JW Marriott Hotel and 3 Pacific Place (not on Queensway). In the centre, a Skyway links the two malls with the tram lines running underneath.

The road is home to a large amount of landmarks, with its northbound lane housing landmarks such as the Cheung Kong Centre; Bank of China Tower; Hong Kong Park (including Flagstaff House and the Museum of Tea Ware); Queensway Government Offices; the High Court; and the Swire-owned Pacific Place, a shopping centre and office tower complex incorporating the Conrad, Island Shangri-La and Marriott hotels, while its southbound lane houses Chater Garden, site of Hong Kong's former main cricket ground; the Lippo Centre; Queensway Plaza - a one-storey shopping mall next to the United Centre office block, also linked to Pacific Place opposite by means of a fully enclosed skywalk; the small Harcourt Garden; and, at the Wan Chai end, the Hong Kong Police Headquarters.

## Military history

[edit]

Until the 1980s, both sides of the road were British military sites. To its south were Wellington Barracks, Murray Barracks and Victoria Barracks, while to the north lay the Admiralty Dock. Flagstaff House was the residence of the Commander British Forces of Hong Kong between 1842 and 1978. These were gradually replaced as Central district expanded.

## Layout

[edit]

The road was formerly not as straight as at present. Two close bends in the midsection (between Rodney Block and Naval Terrace, neither of which remains) formed an S-shape, known as the death bend of Queensway (金鐘道死亡彎角) as it was the site of frequent traffic accidents, especially between vehicles and trams. Straightening of the road was planned from as early as 1968[4] and finally carried out in 1974 with the official completion taking place on 12 January 1975.[5]

Present-day Queensway is much wider than it used be. Its carriageways are separated by the lines of the famous Hong Kong trams. At no point along its length are pedestrians allowed to cross the road at ground level. Instead, there are a number of footbridges, which also provide access to the tramway stop islands.

## Events

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Although it is a major road, Queensway is part of the route regularly taken by marches and protests including the annual July 1 marches. As part of the 2014 Hong Kong protests in Admiralty, protesters have occupied all traffic lanes of Queensway beginning 26 September 2014. The protesters have set up barricades to block vehicle access. The Hong Kong police have removed these barricades, and the road was re-opened to traffic in the afternoon of 14 October 2014.

## See also

[edit]

* List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
* Murray House, in Stanley, which was originally located along the road, before being moved.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Queen's Pier - 1920s
2. ^ Why is Admiralty different?, Gwulo (see 1964 map)
3. ^ The film world is oddly inclined to refer to this thoroughfare as 'Queensway Road', e.g. here [1] Archived 4 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ Legco Official Report of Proceedings, 23 October 1968, p503
5. ^ Legco Official Report of Proceedings, 9 May 1973, p763

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Queensway, Hong Kong.

* v
* t
* e

Central and Western District

Main borders and locations

Areas|

* Central
* Admiralty
* Tamar
* τ
* Mount Davis
* Glenealy
* Harcourt Road
* Kennedy Town
* Lung Fu Shan
* Mid-Levels
* The Peak
* Sai Ying Pun
* Shek Tong Tsui
* Sheung Wan

Education|

| Primary/
secondary|

* Bonham Road Government Primary School
* German Swiss International School Peak Campus
* King's College, Hong Kong
* Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui College
* Sacred Heart Canossian School
* St. Clare's Girls' School
* St Joseph's College
* St. Louis School
* St. Paul's College
* St. Paul's Co-educational College
* St. Stephen's Girls' College
* Ying Wa Girls' School

|

Tertiary|

* University of Hong Kong
* template

Landmarks|

* Landmarks in Central
* Bank of America Tower
* Bonham Road
* British Consulate
* Breezy Path
* Central and Western Heritage Trail
* Civic Square
* First houses on the Peak
* Gate Lodge
* Grenville House
* Harcourt Garden
* Headquarters House
* High West
* Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences
* Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
* Island Pacific Hotel
* King George V Memorial Park
* Lippo Centre
* Lung Fu Shan Country Park
* Mount Davis
* Chiu Yuen Cemetery
* Mountain Lodge
* Ohel Leah Synagogue
* Old Tsan Yuk Maternity Hospital
* The Peak Galleria
* Hong Kong Trams Station (former)
* Pacific Place Phases I-II
* JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
* Island Shangri-La
* Peak Tower
* Queensway
* Sai Ying Pun Community Complex
* SoHo
* Shun Tak Centre
* South Korean Consulate
* Smithfield
* Tamar Park
* Tim Mei Avenue
* Tsan Yuk Hospital
* Victoria Peak Garden

Transport|

| MTR stations|

* Kennedy Town
* HKU
* Sai Ying Pun
* Sheung Wan
* Central
* Hong Kong
* Admiralty

|

Ferry terminals|

* Macau Ferry

Tram|

* Peak Tram

History|

* Peak District Reservation Ordinance 1904

This list is incomplete. Central has its own template due to the number of sites in that area.
Sites specifically associated with University of Hong Kong are listed at the relevant template.

* v
* t
* e

Streets and roads on Hong Kong Island

Central and Western District|

* Aberdeen Street
* Arbuthnot Road
* Battery Path
* Belcher's Street
* Bonham Road
* Bonham Strand
* Bonham Strand West
* Bridges Street
* Caine Road
* Centre Street
* Chater Road
* Cochrane Street
* Conduit Road
* Connaught Road Central
* Connaught Road West
* Connaught Place
* Davis Street
* Des Voeux Road Central
* Des Voeux Road West
* Duddell Street
* Elgin Street
* Eastern Street
* Gage Street
* Garden Road
* Glenealy
* Gutzlaff Street
* Harcourt Road
* Hollywood Road
* Ice House Street
* Jubilee Street
* Ladder Street
* Lan Kwai Fong
* Lugard Road
* MacDonnell Road
* Magazine Gap Road
* Mosque Street
* Old Bailey Street
* On Lan Street
* Po Hing Fong
* Pottinger Street
* Peel Street
* Queen Victoria Street
* Queen's Road Central
* Queen's Road West
* Queensway
* Robinson Road
* Shelley Street
* Smithfield
* Staveley Street
* Tai Ping Shan Street
* Upper Albert Road
* Upper Lascar Row
* Water Street
* Wellington Street
* Western Street
* Wing Kut Street
* Wing On Street
* Wing Sing Street
* Wyndham Street

Wan Chai District|

* Arsenal Street
* Amoy Street
* Blue Pool Road
* Canal Road
* Causeway Road
* Gloucester Road
* Gresson Street
* Hennessy Road
* Jaffe Road
* Jardine's Bazaar
* Johnston Road
* Lee Tung Street
* Lockhart Road
* Luard Road
* Oi Kwan Road
* Paterson Street
* Queen's Road East
* Stone Nullah Lane
* Stubbs Road
* Swatow Street
* Tai Yuen Street
* Thomson Road
* Victoria Park Road
* Yee Wo Street

Eastern District|

* Chai Wan Road
* Fort Street
* Java Road
* King's Road
* Shau Kei Wan Road
* Tsat Tsz Mui Road
* Wharf Road

Southern District|

* Aberdeen Main Road
* Aberdeen Praya Road
* Nam Fung Road
* Sassoon Road
* Wong Chuk Hang Road

Spans more than one district|

* Bowen Road
* Electric Road
* Kennedy Road
* Pok Fu Lam Road
* Tai Tam Road
* Victoria Road

See also
Streets and roads in Kowloon
The New Territories
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