| Portland Street | |||||||||||||||
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 A chaos of neon greets visitors to Hong Kong's Portland Street | |||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 砵蘭街 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 砵兰街 | ||||||||||||||
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Portland Street is a popular street in Kowloon,Hong Kong. The street is the location of the business and retailing skyscraper complex,Langham Place,numerous restaurants and its red-light district.
Running north–south and parallel to (and west of) Nathan Road,a main thoroughfare up the Kowloon peninsula,Portland Street extends through the districts of Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok in Kowloon. Approximately three-quarters of a mile in length,it spans between Boundary Street in the north and Man Ming Lane,at one block past Waterloo Road in the south. The street is directly accessible by the Prince Edward,Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei station of the MTR,Hong Kong's subway system.
Except for a few small parks,the entire two-lane street is highly urbanised with dense pedestrian and motor traffic throughout most of the day.
A section of Portland Street,particularly between Argyle Street and Dundas Street,hosts arguably Hong Kong's most famous red light district (serving mostly local Chinese clientele) and a popular scene in Hong Kong films. [1] There,underneath a dizzying and chaotic array of neon signs,one can find prostitutes from around the world (although mostly from mainland China) serving in hundreds of massage parlours,night clubs,karaoke/hostess bars and brothels. Although prostitution is legal in Hong Kong,law enforcement is often active in this area conducting raids for prostitutes who entered Hong Kong illegally or have overstayed their visas or to search for under-aged prostitutes,pimps,human traffickers and triad activities.
Langham Place,a 167,000 square meter (1.8 million square foot) shopping centre,theatre,hotel and office tower complex opened on Portland Street near the Nelson Street intersection in July 2004. The complex has its own MTR station access (Mong Kok station exit C3). Outside one of the complex's east entrances is a large 'jumbotron' broadcasting news and entertainment shows for pedestrians below. Since its opening,Langham Place and surrounding areas has become a popular night-time destination for both locals and tourists. Some had predicted the massive upscale development would gentrify the area and drive away the Portland Street sex trade. However,after several years of operation,Langham Place's impact on the nearby sex industry remains minimal.
The Portland Street segment between Argyle Street and Bute Street is home to over 50 retailers selling home renovation materials and supplies such as toilet utensils,tiles,and wallpapers.
Other establishments along Portland Street includes fast-food restaurants,congee/noodle shops,convenience stores and working class residential highrises. Near the Soy Street intersection during the evenings,there are often unlicensed food stands and professional Chinese Chess players plying their trades. Further south,there is a small public playground at the Changsha Street intersection.
Portland Street was named after William Cavendish-Bentinck,3rd Duke of Portland,Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1783 and between 1807 and 1809. [1] It is unclear why the street was bestowed in his honour although,as a former British colony,many of Hong Kong's streets and institutions were named in memory of prominent English historic and political figures. Surrounding streets with similarly naming scheme include Pitt Street,Bute Street,Arran Street,Hamilton Street,Dundas Street and Waterloo Road.
There is a street in London named Great Portland Street. There is also a street in Edinburgh named Portland Street which is not far from Pitt Street and Dundas Street (as mentioned above,Hong Kong's Portland Street is also nearby Pitt Street and Dundas Street). In both cases it is not clear if there is any relation or relevance to the Hong Kong Portland Street.
Mong Kok station Exit C2,C4,E1
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It has a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of 43,033/km2 (111,450/sq mi) in 2006. It is one of the three regions of Hong Kong,along with Hong Kong Island and the New Territories,and is the smallest and most densely populated.
Mong Kok is an area in Kowloon,Hong Kong. The Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok.
Yau Tsim Mong District is one of 18 districts of Hong Kong,located on the western part of Kowloon Peninsula. It is the core urban area of Kowloon. The district has the second highest population density of all districts,at 49,115 km2 (18,963 sq mi). The 2016 By-Census recorded the total population of Yau Tsim Mong District at 342,970.
The Tsuen Wan line is one of the ten lines of the metro network in Hong Kong's MTR. It is indicated in red on the MTR map.
Yau Ma Tei is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.
Jordan is an area in Hong Kong,located on Kowloon Peninsula. It is named after a road of the same name in the district. The area is bordered by King's Park to the east,Tsim Sha Tsui to the south,Ferry Point to the west,and Yau Ma Tei to the north. Administratively,it is part of Yau Tsim Mong District.
Prince Edward is an area of Mong Kok south of Tong Mi surrounding Prince Edward station in Kowloon,Hong Kong. Named after Prince Edward Road West,the Prince Edward station of the MTR rapid transit system is an interchange station on the Tsuen Wan and the Kwun Tong lines.
Mong Kok station is a MTR station in Mong Kok,Kowloon,Hong Kong. The station is one of the first MTR stations established in the city,serving Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan line. It is now used by more than 200,000 passengers daily. The colour scheme for Mong Kok station is dim red. The station was initially named after Argyle Street as Argyle.
Ho Man Tin is a mostly residential area in Kowloon,Hong Kong,part of the Kowloon City District.
Yau Ma Tei,formerly named Waterloo after Waterloo Road,is an MTR station located in Yau Ma Tei,Kowloon. It is served by the Kwun Tong line and the Tsuen Wan line. The station opened on 22 December 1979 and was renamed as Yau Ma Tei on 31 May 1985 along with Argyle and Chater (Central).
West Kowloon is the western part of Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong,situated within the Yau Tsim Mong District and Sham Shui Po District. It is bounded by Canton Road to the east,Victoria Harbour to the west and the south,and Jordan Road to the north. Further to the north,the area extends to Tai Kok Tsui to the west of the West Kowloon Highway. Nam Cheong,Olympic,Austin and Kowloon stations are within the area.
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 run underneath Nathan Road. The total length of Nathan Road is about 3.6 km (2.2 mi).
Mong Kok East station –formerly Mong Kok railway station and Yaumati railway station –is a station on Hong Kong's East Rail line. Only out-of-system interchange is available with Kwun Tong line and Tsuen Wan line at Mong Kok station via a footbridge. The station is connected to Grand Century Place,a large shopping mall.
Argyle Street is a four-lane dual-way thoroughfare in Kowloon,Hong Kong,connecting the districts of Mong Kok,Ho Man Tin,Ma Tau Wai and Kowloon City. It runs on an east-west alignment starting at its intersection with Cherry Street,Ferry Street and Tong Mi Road in the west,and ending near the former Kai Tak Airport in the east. Due to the street's proximity with the latter,a variety of aircraft could be seen from this street and thus photographers seized the opportunity to capture landing aircraft.
Shanghai Street is a 2.3 km long street in the Jordan,Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok areas of Kowloon,Hong Kong,China. Completed in 1887 under the name of Station Street (差館街),it was once the most prosperous street in Kowloon. It originates from the south at Austin Road,and terminates in the north at Lai Chi Kok Road. Parallel to Shanghai Street are Nathan Road,Temple Street,Portland Street,Reclamation Street and Canton Road. Though parallel,Shanghai Street was marked by 2- to 3-floor Chinese-style buildings while Nathan Road was marked by Western-style buildings.
Canton Road is a major road in Hong Kong,linking the former west reclamation shore in Tsim Sha Tsui,Jordan,Yau Ma Tei,Mong Kok and Prince Edward on the Kowloon Peninsula. The road runs mostly parallel and west to Nathan Road. It starts from the junction with Salisbury Road in the south and ends in the north at the junction with Lai Chi Kok Road in the Prince Edward area. The southern section of Canton Road is home to many upscale retail shops,shopping centres and others business establishments,with busy traffic from both vehicles and pedestrians from morning till late at night.
Waterloo Road(窩打老道) is one of the principal north-south thoroughfares of Kowloon,Hong Kong. It stretches from Yau Ma Tei to Kowloon Tong.
Yau Ma Tei Theatre,once the largest theatre in Kowloon,is located at the junction of Waterloo Road and Reclamation Street,in Yau Ma Tei,Hong Kong. It is classified as "Grade II Historic Building" It is the only remaining pre-World War II theatre in Kowloon. It was recently converted into a venue for Cantonese opera. Another historical structure,Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market is adjacent to the theatre,across Reclamation Street.
Sai Yeung Choi Street are two streets in Mong Kok,Kowloon,Hong Kong,namely,Sai Yeung Choi Street South (西洋菜南街) and Sai Yeung Choi Street North (西洋菜北街). Although officially two streets,local people seldom make distinction between them. They are separated by the Mong Kok Police Station. Sai Yeung Choi Street South is a popular hotspot for shopping and a tourist attraction.
Ferry Street is a throughfare running north–south through Mong Kok,Yau Ma Tei,and Jordan. It is a major road housing the West Kowloon Corridor above it,making it one of the busiest roads in Kowloon. Before the start of land reclamation in the 1990s,this road marked the coast of West Kowloon,and most piers were built on this road,hence the name.
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| Kwun Tong | |
| Sham Shui Po | |
| Wong Tai Sin | |
| Yau Tsim Mong | |
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