Wan Chai District

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Wan Chai
灣仔區
Causeway Bay Buildings 2009.jpg
Day view of Causeway Bay in the Wan Chai District
China Hong Kong location map.svg
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Wan Chai
Location in Hong Kong
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Wan Chai
Wan Chai (Asia)
Coordinates: 22°16′47″N114°10′18″E / 22.27968°N 114.17168°E / 22.27968; 114.17168
Country China
SAR Hong Kong
Region Hong Kong Island
Constituencies 11
Government
   District Council ChairmanIvan Wong Wang-tai
   District Council Vice-ChairmanWind Lam Wai-man
  District Officer Chan Tin-chu
Area
  Total10.2 km2 (3.9 sq mi)
Population
 (2011 [1] )
  Total152,608
  Density15,000/km2 (39,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+08:00 (Hong Kong Time)
Largest neighbourhood by population Happy Valley (34,259 – 2016 est) [2]
Website Wan Chai District Council
Wan Chai District
Traditional Chinese 灣仔區
Jyutping Waan1 zai2 keoi1
Literal meaningLittle Bay District
Hennessy Road HK Hennessy Road Wan Chai Section.jpg
Hennessy Road

The ceremony of the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was performed in the then new wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai North.

In May 2009, 300 guests and staff members at the Metropark Hotel Wanchai were quarantined, suspected of being infected or in contact with the H1N1 virus during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. A 25-year-old Mexican man who had stayed at the hotel was later found to have the viral infection. He had travelled to Hong Kong from Mexico via Shanghai. [4] [5]

Politics

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and high-rise buildings in Wan Chai District Wan Chai 2008.jpg
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and high-rise buildings in Wan Chai District

The district council of Wan Chai has 13 elected members.

Diversity

Flag Rising Ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square Golden Bauhinia Square 20080830.JPG
Flag Rising Ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square

Today Wan Chai is sometimes described as the heart of the city, representing the epitome of the Hong Kong lifestyle it has a well-established arts centre, the large exhibition and conference complexes, luxury apartments, five-star and non-five-star hotels, shopping malls, metropolitan office towers and a large government building cluster. It has a multitude of home decoration shops, bars and Mahjong centres. Wan Chai District houses a mosque, as well as cemeteries for several different faiths. Five minutes away from the noisy polluted streets is Bowen Drive, popular for jogging and walking by politicians, movie stars, and government officials.

Entertainment and shopping

The numerous bars and strip joints in the red-light district part of Wan Chai are popular with tourists and visiting US sailors. Within this Fenwick Pier hosted the only McDonald's that served alcohol in Hong Kong until 2004; its replacement is an up-market restaurant.

Johnston Road and Queen's Road East are the two major streets in the area. Export clothing shops line Johnston and Luard Roads predominantly. Queen's Road East has many stores selling Chinese style wooden furniture.

Spring Garden Lane and Tai Wo Street are lined with stalls selling for vegetables, fruit and household items.

Tai Yuen Street specialises in toys in stalls and shops.

Lee Tung Street was in the 2010s converted into a Lee Tung Avenue zone of luxurious residential apartments, shopping, restaurants and bars.

Hotels

Hotels in Wan Chai District include:

Education

Notable places

Next to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is the "Golden Bauhinia Square". There is a huge sculpture of a bauhinia, which is the representative flower of Hong Kong, in the square. This is a popular tourist spot in Hong Kong for mainland visitors and also the location of the flag-raising ceremony which occurs daily and in a special form on Chinese National Day and other occasions.

Notable skyscrapers include:

The Old Wan Chai Post Office is a declared monument. There is also a Police Museum near the junction of Stubbs Road and Peak Road.

The Stubbs Road Lookout is a viewing point of the Victoria Harbour. The famous Lovers' Stone is on scenic Bowen Road.

The House of Trousers is a household belonging to one Mr Trousers who is beacon to all who refuse to leave the "Wan Chai Bubble".

Tai Yuen Street is called 'Toy Street' as this street has a lot of toy shops. [6]

Demographics

According to a household survey by the Census and Statistics Department, the median household income is the second highest of Hong Kong.

As of 2021 , the district has a population of 166,695 people . It's one of the most diverse district in Hong Kong , with 75% of the population being Chinese. The ethnic minority groups include Filipinos (9.8%) and white (4.4%). [ citation needed ] [7]

Cross-Harbour Transportation

The first tunnel that crosses Victoria Harbour, the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, links the former Kellett Island, now part of Wan Chai, with Hung Hom in Kowloon.

The Star Ferry operates a ferry route from Wan Chai Pier near Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to Tsim Sha Tsui.

See also

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References

  1. "2011 Population Census: Summary Results" (in English and Chinese). Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Government. 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  2. District Profiles, Government of Hong Kong, 8 December 2017, retrieved 15 April 2020
  3. "平均每25人便有一人家财百万".
  4. Cheng, Jonathan; Ye, Juliet; Stein, Peter, "Hong Kong Orders Quarantine of Hotel", The Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2009
  5. Dasgupta, Saibal, "Swine flu scare: China puts 460 in isolation", The Times of India , 3 May 2009.
  6. "Tai Yuen Street (Toy Street)". Hong Kong Tourism Board.
  7. Household Statistics Analysis Section Census and Statistics Department (30 March 2021). "Population and household statistics analysed by district council district" (PDF). Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  8. "重遊《月滿軒尼詩》灣仔取景地 歷史悠久茶餐廳相知相遇". HK01. 12 August 2022.