SoHo, Hong Kong

Area in Hong Kong

This article is about the area of Hong Kong. For other meanings, see SoHo (disambiguation).

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "SoHo, Hong Kong" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can. (September 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

SoHo April 2013 SoHo, Hong Kong

Traditional Chinese| 蘇豪區
Simplified Chinese| 苏豪区
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Sū​háoqū
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping| sou1 hou4 keoi1

SoHo (Chinese: 蘇豪; also 荷南 and 荷南美食區; formally 中環蘇豪區) is an area of Hong Kong located on the western edge of Central, bordering Sheung Wan, known for its bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. The name is derived from its location: South of Hollywood Road.

## History

[edit]

The Central–Mid-Levels escalator was built in 1993; the now vibrant character of SoHo is attributed to the creation of the escalator system, which at the time was the longest escalator system in the world. Prior to the escalator construction, the area was populated by many elderly locals, old go-downs and porcelain shops.

The area now consists of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, art galleries and antique stores of Staunton Street and Elgin Street. SoHo also is home to the first full-time comedy club in Asia, The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong.[1] Hong Kong taxi drivers usually regard "SoHo" to mean either Staunton Street or Elgin Street.

Buildings in the SoHo area are a mix of commercial/residential, with the commercial businesses on the lower floors, and residential above the First Floors. Around the same time the Mid-Levels Escalator was built, a few foreigners started to move into the area, taking up both commercial premises and renting flats. At the time the flats were cheaper than other expat areas in Hong Kong, and only a few minutes' walk from the business district.

The name SoHo was first mentioned in a 1996 article in the South China Morning Post newspaper attributed to Elgin Street restaurant owner Thomas Goetz, who came up with the acronym. Goetz was also instrumental in forming SoHo's first business group, and The SoHo Association Limited (TSAL) was established in 1998 to represent its members in relation to difficulties they were experiencing with the local government departments in relation to licensing, and to collectively promote the area. The first Chairman was Jean-Paul Gauci, who had opened many businesses in the area.

However, in 2000, Democratic Party member Kam Nai-wai wanted to see SoHo formally renamed the "Elgin/Staunton Street Themed Dining Area", and Kam and some long-term residents associated the name SoHo with being a place of disrepute, with red light district associations. The irony is Elgin Street was known in the 1860s as "Hung Mo Giu Gai," or "Foreign Girls Street," due to the vast number of European-staffed brothels. It was renamed after Lord Elgin, British envoy to China, during the Second Opium War (1857–1860). For several years the Democratic Party fought an ongoing battle against the new bars and restaurants in the area, and also against formal adoption of the name "SoHo", preferring instead the descriptive "Staunton/Elgin Street Themed Dining Area" so as not to associate the area with alcohol consumption. The name "SoHo" could also cause association with the London area of the same name.

Like much of Hong Kong, this district treads a precarious balance between preserving the Chinese and colonial culture that shaped it, and recent modern developments. The escalator is a quintessential symbol of modernity which has encroached on the residential neighbourhood, bringing with it expats and the bars, cafes and boutiques which help cocoon some from Cantonese traditions.

The contrast between the past and present enriches the area and makes for great sightseeing on foot. The newly signposted Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail guides visitors along 16 points of historical interest from The University of Hong Kong to Central, taking in century old steps and leafy residential lanes. Unfortunately, most of the sites from Dr Sun's past have long been razed, replaced by concrete skyscrapers that are characteristic of 21st century Hong Kong. Even the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum's grandiose facade off Caine Road is easy to miss, perched as it is upon Castle Road which turns up through Mid-Levels, surrounded by modern blocks.

Nowhere is the contrast more apparent than on the northern edge of SoHo, on Hollywood Road itself where the brand new multistorey Centre Stage upscale residential complex towers alongside the historic Man Mo Temple.

## See also

[edit]

* List of places in Hong Kong
* Tourism in Hong Kong
* Mid-Levels
* Old Bailey Street

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Stand-up comedy around the world: a glance at China's and Africa's scenes". Punchline Magazine. 2008-07-14. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2008-08-20.

## Further reading

[edit]

* DeWolf, Christopher (29 September 2016). "Stories behind Hong Kong districts: SoHo before the escalator". South China Morning Post.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soho, Hong Kong.

* I Love SoHo

22°16′56″N 114°9′10″E﻿ / ﻿22.28222°N 114.15278°E﻿ / 22.28222; 114.15278

* v
* t
* e

Central, Hong Kong

Areas|

* Glenealy (Elliot's Vale)
* Government Hill
* Tamar

History|

* Praya Reclamation Scheme

Office buildings|

* Admiralty Centre
* AIA Central
* Alexandra House
* Bank of China Building
* Bank of China Tower
* Chater House
* Cheung Kong Center
* Edinburgh Tower
* Exchange Square
* Gloucester Tower
* Hang Seng Bank Headquarters Building
* Hong Kong Club Building
* HSBC Building
* International Finance Centre
* Jardine House
* LHT Tower
* Man Yee Building
* 9 Queen's Road Central
* Pacific Place
* Prince's Building
* St. George's Building
* Standard Chartered Bank Building
* Three Garden Road (Citibank Tower)
* Wing On House
* World-Wide House
* York House

Government|

* City Hall
* City Gallery
* Central Government Complex
* Former Central Government Offices
* General Post Office
* Government House
* Queensway Government Offices

| Closed/reprovisioned|

* Beaconsfield House
* Murray Building
* Murray House
* Victoria Prison

|

Legislature/judiciary|

* Court of Final Appeal Building
* High Court Building (Supreme Court Building)
* Legislative Council Complex

Chinese military|

* PLA Building (Prince of Wales Building)
* Ching Yi To Barracks

Transport|

* Central–Mid-Levels escalators
* Peak Tram

| Bus terminuses|

* Central (Exchange Square)
* Central Piers

|

Ferry piers|

* Central Piers

| Demolished|

* Blake Pier
* City Hall Pier
* Edinburgh Place Pier
* Outlying Islands Pier
* Queen's Pier
* United Pier (Jubilee Street Pier)

|

Relocated|

* Blake Pier

MTR stations|

* Admiralty
* Central
* Hong Kong

Diplomatic missions|

* British Consulate
* Canadian Consulate
* EU Office
* Japanese Consulate
* South Korean Consulate
* Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Chung Hwa Travel Service)
* U.S. Consulate

Other landmarks|

* Battery Path
* Bishop's House
* Canossa Hospital
* The Cenotaph
* Former Central Magistracy
* Central Market
* Chater Garden
* China Club
* Connaught Place
* Conrad
* Old Dairy Farm Depot
* Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
* Duddell Street
* Edinburgh Place
* 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana
* Flagstaff House
* Foreign Correspondents' Club
* Four Seasons Hotel
* Former French Mission Building
* Graham Street
* Harcourt Road
* The Helena May
* HSBC lions
* Hong Kong Park
* Edward Youde Aviary
* Visual Arts Centre
* Ice House Street
* Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
* Island Shangri-La
* Jamia Mosque
* JW Marriott Hotel
* Lan Kwai Fong
* The Landmark
* L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
* Luk Yu Tea House
* Mandarin Oriental
* Observation Wheel
* Old Bailey Street
* Pedder Building
* Pedder Street
* Pottinger Street
* St. John's Cathedral
* St. Joseph's Church
* St. Paul's Church
* Statue Square
* Statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet
* Tai Kwun
* Yung Kee
* Zetland Hall
* Zoological and Botanical Gardens

| Demolished|

* Dent's Fountain
* Furama Hotel
* Hong Kong Hilton
* Hong Kong Central Hospital
* Hong Kong Cricket Club
* Hongkong Hotel
* Hutchison House
* Melcher's Building
* Murray Barracks
* Murray Battery
* Murray Parade Ground
* Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building
* Pedder Street Clock Tower
* Queen's Building
* Hong Kong Red Cross Headquarters
* Ritz-Carlton Hotel
* Swire House
* Tak Shing House
* Victoria Barracks
* Wellington Barracks

|

Relocated|

* Murray House
* Statue of Queen Victoria

Education|

* Caritas Institute for Further and Adult Education (Caritas Francis Hsu College)
* Sacred Heart Canossian School
* St Joseph's College
* St. Paul's Co-educational College

This list is incomplete.

* 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
* 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]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template