Route 1 - Hong Kong City Hall－Gloucester Road－Fleming Road－Expo Drive East Flashcards
What points to mention at departure of bus?
- Self-introduction: “Hello everyone. I am your tour guide Alexandra Martin.
- Itinerary introduction: “Today I’ll take you from Hong Kong City Hall to Wan Chai Star Ferry”.”
- Notification of driver to start the tour: “This is our driver …., and together we will start the tour now.”
Route 1 - Points to mention
(Hong Kong City Hall - Gloucester Road - Fleming Road - Expo Drive East)
8 (+1 optional) sites - 12 minutes
- City Hall (left)
- Chinese People’s Liberation Army Forces HK Building (left)
- Admirality (front)
- Central Government Complex (left)
- HK Academy for the Performing Arts (Left)
- HK Convention and Exhibition Centre (left)
- Golden Bauhinia Square (front)
- Wan Chai Ferry Pier (left)
- Star Ferry (optional)
First City Hall Building:
1. Name,
2. Year of Opening,
3. Year of Demolishment
4. Location,
5. Function.
- Old City Hall
- (June) 1869
- 1933
- Located on Queen’s Road Central, it occupied the current sites of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters and the Bank of China Building,
- It was the first public multipurpose performance facility and cultural venue in the crown colony.
Key features of Hong Kong City Hall:
1. Location
2. Historical Significance
3. Building Complex
4. Architecture
5. Function
6. Additional Feature
1. Location: Edinburgh Place, Central
2. Historical Significance:
* First City Hall, named Old City Hall, established in 1869 near Statue Square.
* Current City Hall opened in 1962, declared a monument in 2022.
3. The City Hall complex:
* Two buildings (low block and high block),
* Memorial garden,
* Three-storey car park.
4. Architecture:
* Modernist style with simple design, emphasizing functionality and spaciousness.
5. Function:
Multi-purpose cultural center with a low block and high block:
* Low Block: Concert hall, exhibition hall, and a small-stage theater.
* High Block: Recital hall, exhibition gallery, marriage registry, and the City Hall public library.
6. Memorial Garden:
* Covers 4,950 square meters,
* commemorates soldiers and civilians who defended Hong Kong during WWII.
China People’s Liberation Army Forces HK Building(left):
1. Location
2. Structure
3. History
4. Current Function
1. Location: Admiralty, Hong Kong
2. Structure:
* 113 meters tall with 28 floors,
* Resembling a microphone or wine glass,
* The wine glass-shaped design serves security purposes, allowing the entire building to be sealed off quickly in emergencies.
* It is also informally known as ‘the upside-down Gin bottle’ due to its shape resembling a bottle of Gordon’s Gin.
3. History:
* Built for the British navy in 1979,
* Part of the former HMS Tamar naval base,
* Previously named the Prince of Wales Building.
* It housed the head office of the Royal Navy stationed in Hong Kong until the territory’s handover to the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997 when it was made the head office of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison.
4. Current Function:
* Houses the Central Barracks and acts as the
* Headquarters of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison (which is supported by a Shenzhen base)
Admiralty
1. Location
2. History
3. Name
4. Current Function
1. Location:
* District between Central and Wan Chai
* Eastern extension of the central business district
2. History:
* The area was developed as a military area by the British military in the 19th century.
* They built the Wellington Barracks, Murray Barracks, Victoria Barracks and Admiralty Dock at the site.
3. Name:
* The English name of Admiralty refers to the former Admiralty Dock.
* The Cantonese name, Kam Chung (金鐘), lit. “Golden Bell”, refers to a golden bronze bell that was used for timekeeping at Wellington Barracks.
4. Current Function:
* Important commercial and administrative center,
* Office buildings, government buildings, shopping malls and hotels.
* Several parks in the area, i. e. Hong Kong Park
What makes the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts unique?
1. Design:
Exterior resembles a steel-framed grand piano, with an avant-garde appearance.
2. Establishment:
Founded in 1984 by the Hong Kong government as the city’s only public institution dedicated to performing arts training.
3. Funding:
* Total cost: 380 million HKD.
* Land and 80 million HKD provided by the Hong Kong government.
* Largest investor: Jockey Club (300 million HKD).
Significance:
4. Hong Kong’s highest academic institution in the arts field:
* The academy provides practice-based and professional diploma, advanced diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Chinese opera, dance, drama, film and television, music, and theatre and entertainment arts.
* Honorary doctorate holders include Lisa Wang Ming-chuen and Jacky Cheung.
* Recognized as Asia’s leading higher education institution for performing arts.
5. Campuses:
* Main campus: Wan Chai.
* Béthanie Heritage Campus (Pok Fu Lam): Houses the School of Film and Television training facility.
What are the key features and historical significance of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre?
1. Overview:
* One of Hong Kong’s two major exhibition venues (alongside AsiaWorld–Expo).
* Original building completed in 1988 on reclaimed land off Gloucester Road.
* Second phase (1994–1997) constructed on an artificial island, featuring a roof of five curved panels resembling a bird’s wings.
2. Architecture:
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the firm behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest structure.
3. Expansion:
* Originally, Phase Two was connected to Phase One with a sky bridge), but now the two phases are connected by an expanded exhibition hall.
* 2006–2009: Added 19,400 square meters, totaling nearly 83,000 square meters of exhibition space and over 92,000 square meters of rentable function space.
4. Major Events:
* Hosts over 45 international trade fairs annually, including the world’s largest leather fair and watch and clock fair.
* Art Basel and other major events like book fairs, wedding expos, and pet shows are held here.
5. Historical Significance:
Venue of the 1997 Hong Kong handover ceremony, marking the end of over 150 years of British colonial rule.The event was watched by millions around the world and is remembered as a defining moment in Hong Kong’s modern history.
6. Cultural Significance:
Beyond its historical significance, locals often fondly recall personal experiences at HKCEC, like attending their first book fair as a child, where they eagerly bought exercise books and stationery, or later attending expos like wedding fairs or Art Basel exhibitions.
What is the Golden Bauhinia Square, and why is it significant?
1. Location:
* Near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, part of the Expo Promenade in Wan Chai.
* Facing Kowloon across Victoria Harbour.
2. Significance:
* Named after a giant, six metres high gilded Bauhinia flower sculpture at the centre of the area, a gift from Mainland China commemorating the 1997 handover.
* The Golden Bauhinia has also been nicknamed the “Golden Pak Choi” by locals.
3. Daily Events: Flag-Raising Ceremonies:
* Daily at 8 AM, conducted by five police officers, accompanied by the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China.
* Flag-lowering ceremonies held at 6 PM without the anthem.
4. Special Events:
* Key location for ceremonies on Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day (July 1) and National Day (October 1).
* Attended by government officials, foreign consuls, and community leaders.
* On the second day of New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and the National Day of the People’s Republic of China, the square is lit up by a firework show.
5. Tourist Attraction:
* Popular spot for photos and visits.
* Mainland Chinese tourists often make visiting Golden Bauhinia Square a ritual, especially for early morning flag-raising ceremonies.
* Some visitors even treat it as a lucky spot, believing that visiting the square will bring prosperity and good fortune.
What is the Wan Chai Ferry Pier, and what service does it provide?
1. Location:
* Situated at the Wan Chai waterfront near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
2. History:
* Third generation from 2014, after the first generation from 1929 and second from 1968 due to consequtive land reclamation projects.
3. Service:
* Operates the Star Ferry route connecting Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui.
What is the significance of Hong Kong’s Star Ferry?
1. History:
* Launched in the 1888 by Parsee entrepreneur Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala with the steamboat Morning Star.
* In 1898, Sir Catchick Paul Chater purchased the fleet, founding the Star Ferry Company.
* The Star Ferry is one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most iconic transportation services.
* Named one of the “50 Places of a Lifetime” by National Geographic Traveler.
2. Significance of “Star”:
* Inspired by a line from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem Crossing the Bar:
“Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me.”
* Early ferries were named after celestial bodies, like Morning Star, Evening Star, and Rising Star, reflecting this theme.
3. Routes:
* Connects Hong Kong Island (Central and Wan Chai) with Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui).
* Current fleet: Nine double-ended bottle-green and ivory boats.
* Current design dates to the 1950s.
* Offers scenic views of Victoria Harbour.
4. Cultural Significance:
* A symbol of Hong Kong’s heritage, bridging its past and present.
* Popular with tourists and locals for its affordability and charm.
5. Tourist Tips:
* Best time: Evening rides to enjoy the Symphony of Lights show across Victoria Harbour.
* Cost: Extremely affordable, with tickets costing just a few HKD.
* Upper deck offers better views, while the lower deck is closer to the water.
