Nathan Road
Jordan section of Nathan Road, at its intersection with Austin Road
Native name彌敦道 (Yue Chinese)
Former name(s)Robinson Road, Katori-dori (during Japanese Occupation, 1942-1945)
NamesakeSir Matthew Nathan
LocationKowloon, Hong Kong
Coordinates22°18′36″N 114°10′16″E / 22.309889°N 114.171133°E / 22.309889; 114.171133
South endSalisbury Road
North endBoundary Street
Nathan Road
彌敦道
Traditional Chinese彌敦道
Simplified Chinese弥敦道

Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong, aligned south–north from Tsim Sha Tsui to Sham Shui Po. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with visitors, 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 Nathan Road is about 3.6 km (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 road started at Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, ending northward at Austin Road. When Sha Tsui Wan was reclaimed in the late 1800s, Salisbury Road was extended east, and Nathan Road was extended south to meet it. Nathan was extended northward in the 1920s.[2] 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.

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.

In 1996, the Garley Building fire broke out, killing 41 people.[3] In 2008, the Cornwall Court fire broke out, involving more than 200 firefighters, killing 4 people, including 2 fire fighters.[4]

Landmarks

Chungking Mansions
The old trees along the former Kowloon British School
Nathan Road, Jordan section.
Nathan Road Mong Kok Section during the 2014 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. ↑ 何佩然; He, Peiran (1 January 2008). 建成之道: 戰後香港的道路發展. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-962-209-051-4.
  3. 1 2 RTHK. "RTHK gbcode." Cornwall Court Fire Tragedy; Bill Gates in Hong Kong; Shopaholics . Retrieved on 28 September 2008.
  4. 1 2 Yahoo. "Yahoo.com." Four dead as HK nightclub fire spreads. Retrieved on 28 August 2008.
  5. ↑ "Hong Kong Police Force: Address of Tsim Sha Tsui Division". Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "HSBC Business Centres: Address for Mongkok Branch".
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