Nathan Road

Nathan Road
彌敦道

Jordan section of Nathan Road, at its intersection with Austin Road
Traditional Chinese 彌敦道
Simplified Chinese 弥敦道

Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong that goes in a south-north direction from Tsim Sha Tsui to Sham Shui Po. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with 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 (Prince Edward, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui) run underneath Nathan Road.The total length of the Nathan Road is about 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi).

History

Nathan Road in the 1920s (Cameron Road on right)
Saint Andrew's Church

The 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 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,[1] 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.[2] In 2008, the Cornwall Court fire broke out, involving more than 200 firefighters, killing 4 people, including 2 fire fighters.[3]

Significant buildings and landmarks along the road

The Chungking Mansions
The old trees along Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard
Nathan Road Mong Kok Section during Umbrella Movement

Public transport

Five stations of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) are built directly underneath Nathan Road. These stations are, from north to south:

The road is heavily trafficked by numerous bus routes.

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Hong Kong Government Gazette, March 19, 1909
  2. 1 2 RTHK. "RTHK gbcode." Cornwall Court Fire Tragedy; Bill Gates in Hong Kong; Shopaholics . Retrieved on 2008-09-28.
  3. 1 2 Yahoo. "Yahoo.com." Four dead as HK nightclub fire spreads. Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
  4. ↑ "Hong Kong Police Force: Address of Tsim Sha Tsui Division". Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "HSBC Business Centres: Address for Mongkok Branch".
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Coordinates: 22°18′36″N 114°10′16″E / 22.309889°N 114.171133°E / 22.309889; 114.171133

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