Central

Central
Other name	Central District
Geographical information
Administrative district(s)	Central and Western District
Location	Northern Coast of Hong Kong Island
Transport information
Major transport terminus(i)	Central (Exchange Square), Central (Star Ferry) Bus Terminus, etc.
Major road(s)	Connaught Road Central, Des Voeux Road Central, Queen's Road Central etc.
Expressway(s)
Tunnel(s)	Central-Wan Chai Bypass
MTR station(s)	Central Station, Hong Kong Station

Central (中環) is located in the Central and Western District on Hong Kong Island, it is the central business district of Hong Kong and the transportation hub of Hong Kong Island and the whole of Hong Kong.

History

British occupation of Hong Kong Island

On 26 January 1841, British troops landed at Shui Hang Hau (later renamed as Possession Point) in Sheung Wan and occupied Hong Kong Island. Before formally governing Hong Kong Island, the British declared Hong Kong a free port on 7 June, allowing merchants to move in and out of Hong Kong freely and capital to flow in, and for the first time, sold land and began town planning along a narrow strip of land one kilometre from the coast, first in Central and Sheung Wan, and then in Western District, the Mid-Levels and the Peak, with a full range of Victoria Harbour facing Hong Kong Island, with a total of 1.4 million square metres of land on the north shore of Hong Kong Island.

The first task of the British was to send their engineers to build the first road along the shoreline, which should have been named after Queen Victoria, the ruler of the United Kingdom at that time. Although "Queen" can be interpreted as both "Queen" and "Empress", "Queen" refers to the woman who ruled the country, while "Empress" is the wife of the Emperor. As the Chinese tradition was different from that of Britain, where women were often in power, the translator did not have the concept of Queen, so the name was wrongly translated as "Queen's Road". In 1894, government officials clarified in a booklet that "there is no Queen in Britain, but rather an Emperor", but did not correct the wrong translation, which has remained in use ever since.

In November 1841, the Hong Kong Government designated the slope between Abbington Drain and Glenealy Drain in Central, known as "Iron Heights", as Government Hill, and named it "Government Hill", with a view to developing the area around Central into a "Queen's City", which would serve as the political and commercial centre of Hong Kong. The area extending east of Government Hill to Wan Chai was encircled by the War Department as military land for the construction of Murray Barracks, Victoria Barracks and Wellington Barracks, which came to be known as Admiralty.

Official colonisation

On 29 August 1842, the Qing government signed the Treaty of Nanjing with Britain, formally ceding Hong Kong Island to Britain, and on 5 April 1843, Queen Victoria issued the Letters Patent formally declaring Hong Kong a British colony and appointing Henry Pottinger as the first Governor of Hong Kong and Commander of the Hong Kong Garrison. He appointed Henry Pottinger as the first Governor of Hong Kong and Commander of the Hong Kong Garrison.

Four Wans and Nine Districts

In honour of Queen Victoria, who was crowned in 1837, the colonial government renamed the Queen's City as the "City of Victoria". This is also commonly known as the "Four Wans and Nine Districts" by the Chinese, with the "Four Wans" referring to Western District, Sheung Wan, Central and Lower Wan (today's Wan Chai). To further refine the delineation of the "Four Rings" area, it was further divided into nine administrative districts under the "Nine Districts":

• First District: Kennedy Town to Shek Tong Tsui
• Second District: Shek Tong Tsui to Sai Ying Pun
• Third District: Sai Ying Pun
• Fourth District: Eastern half of Queen's Road West
• Fifth District: Sheung Wan Market to Central Market
• Sixth District: Central Market to Arsenal Street
• Seventh District: Arsenal Street to Wan Chai Road
• Eighth District: Wan Chai Road to Bowrington Bridge (Canal Road)
• DNinth District: Bowrington Road to Causeway Bay (Canal Road)

City of Victoria Boundary Stone

In 1903, the Government gazetted an ordinance defining the boundaries of the City of Victoria. In order to mark the boundary of the City of Victoria, the Government erected a number of boundary stones along the boundary line, the actual number of which is not known. The boundary stones are square pillars with pyramidal tops, inscribed with the words 'City Boundary 1903'. Except for the one at Magazine Gap Road which disappeared in mid-2007 , all the ten known boundary stones have been preserved. The remaining nine boundary stones are located at:

• Victoria Road (within Kennedy Town Tenporary Playground at Sai Ning Street , near Kennedy Town Bus Terminus);
• A slope northwest of Mount Davis:
• Pok Fu Lam Road (opposite Fulham Garden bus stop, beside pedestrian tunnel );
• A slope southwest of Lung Fu Shan;
• Hatton Road near south of Hatton Road Service Reservoir;
• Old Peak Road near Hillsborough Court;
• A slope south of Rosaryhill School;
• Bowen Road (Bowen Road Fitness Trail , walk downwards via the stair behind the Villa Monte Rosa bus stop on Stubbs Road );
• Wong Nai Chung Road (opposite St. Paul's Primary Catholic School , near Broadwood Road).

Recent developments

Soon, Central on the shores of Victoria Harbour has become the main commercial centre of Hong Kong, with the former bay to the north of Queen's Road Central. As a result of rapid development, there is a shortage of land, and a number of reclamation projects have been carried out in Central over the years, on which not only many commercial facilities but also public transport facilities have been built.

From the early days of Blake Pier, Vehicular Ferry Pier, the Central Bus Terminus in the 1970s, the MTR Central Station in the 1980s, and Lantau Airport Railway Hong Kong Station in the 1990s with the new Central Ferry Piers, Central has been a major contributing factor to the development of Hong Kong as a political, economic and socio-cultural centre.

Mid-levels

Central and the Mid-Levels above Sheung Wan have always been a sought-after residential area for the middle class. Mid-levels residents can only rely on two major thoroughfares - Caine Road and Bonham Road to the west of it, and Robinson Road which runs roughly parallel to it, for access to their apartments. Both roads were built in the early days of the port and their road surfaces were so narrow that they could not cope with the demands of modern traffic and were subject to traffic congestion day in and day out. The bus routes in the Mid-Levels were forced to travel at slow speeds as low as 4-5 miles per hour (6-8 kilometres per hour) on Caine Road during rush hour, and lost shifts were a common occurrence.

In June 1972, the Governor in Council approved the "Mid-Levels Moratorium" (半山區發展限制), an administrative measure to restrict building development in the Mid-Levels area, which extends from Glenealy in the east to Conduit Road and Po Shan Road in the south, from the University of Hong Kong and Kotewall Road in the west, and from Caine Road and Bonham Road in the north. Based on the traffic assessment and the extent of development known at the time, the Government decided to defer all land sales and all lease modifications that would increase the development density of the area, with a view to relieving traffic congestion pending road network improvement works.

In the following year, the population had reached 28,700, with about 7,170 flats in the area and another 3,880 flats under construction or planning, which was an astonishingly rapid growth . The Hong Kong Government commissioned a consultancy study to examine the potential impact of future developments in the Mid-Levels on local traffic, and completed the report in October. The consultancy report recommended that a "Bus Priority Scheme" (巴士優先用路計劃) should be implemented in the area as soon as possible, proposing that the two lanes on Caine Road should be converted to the same direction and one of them should be designated as a bus-only lane.

After considering the relevant factors, the Government decided to designate the westbound lane between Caine Road and Bonham Road (east of Park Road) and the eastbound lane between Park Road and Robinson Road (from Park Road to Glenealy) as Mid-Levels bus-only lanes, which would become a counter-clockwise one-way roundabout traffic system, while the other lane would retain its original direction of travel, and the scheme was scheduled to be implemented with effect from 10:00 a.m. on 16 April 1974.

Central to Mid-levels Escalator

In view of the fact that the Mid-Levels bus-only lanes had shown no signs of relieving the traffic congestion problem, the idea of a pedestrian escalator linking Central and Mid-Levels was first mooted in the mid-1980s, and a number of different proposed routes had been considered, one of which was from Peel Street to Aberdeen Street, for example.

After the consultancy study, the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System (中環至半山自動扶手電梯系統) was finally implemented at a cost of HK$253 million and opened on 15 October 1993, the first of its kind in Hong Kong . The escalator system consists of covered walkways, 16 reversible unidirectional escalators and 3 reversible unidirectional travelators, starting at Des Voeux Road Central and running through the narrow streets of Central to Conduit Road. The purpose of installing this escalator is to encourage the public to walk and to relieve the traffic pressure on the roads in the Mid-Levels area.

Although the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator System was used by about 78,000 passengers per day in 2016, which helped to relieve the demand pressure on public transport in the Mid-Levels area, it failed to attract a large number of motorists to give up driving, and there was no significant reduction in traffic flow in the Mid-Levels area.

Preservation of Central

With a history of less than 200 years, Central has witnessed the rapid development of Hong Kong from a small fishing village to an entrepot, from a manufacturing centre to a service centre, and today as a cosmopolitan city and global financial centre.

After more than a century of spectacular development, Central today is the administrative centre of Hong Kong and home to many international and Mainland financial and commercial institutions. Despite the completion of many eye-catching high-rise buildings, many of the buildings and features of the past have been preserved. In his 2009-10 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced the "Conserving Central" initiative, which brings together eight precious and unique heritage assets to be revitalised into a series of innovative projects to perpetuate the legend of Central.

Street Structure

According to a lawsuit filed by the Fire Services Department against a famous tea house, Tak Wan Teahouse (the site of which has been redeveloped into Grand Millennium Plaza), the whole of Bonham Strand belongs to the Sheung Wan district, so Central is bounded by a section of Queen's Road Central to the north of Wing Wo Street, and Sheung Wan is bounded by the section of Queen's Road Central to the west of Wing Wo Street.

Major trunk roads in Central include Connaught Road Central, Des Voeux Road Central (Tramway), Queen's Road Central and Central-Wan Chai Bypass (Route 4). The first three are served by a number of bus routes, while the latter is predominantly used by express routes.

Bus termini and minibus termini

In the early years of Hong Kong's history, there was a lack of long-term urban planning. Most of the roads in Central were narrow and mostly one-way, and there was a lack of space for the construction of bus termini, and most of the terminals in the district in the early days were on-street stops.

In response to the Airport Core Programme (ACP) project, the Government reclaimed land to the north of Exchange Square for the construction of the Hong Kong Station of the Lantau Airport Railway, the reprovisioning of the ferry piers, and the construction of a number of public transport termini to accommodate more routes, thereby alleviating traffic congestion.

Existing bus termini

Information of existing bus termini in Central
Article name	Location	Nature	Remarks
Central (Exchange Square) Bus Terminus	G/F, Exchange Square, intersection between Connaught Road Central and Harbour View Street	Covered bus terminus	The largest covered bus terminus on Hong Kong Island, close to MTR Central Station and Hong Kong Station, with many Southern District, Eastern District and Cross Harbour Tunnel Route departing from this stop
Central Ferry Piers group of termini	Central Outlying Islands Pier Area		Including Central Ferry Terminus, Central Government Pier, Pier 3, Pier 5, Ferry Pier 7 and bus terminus outside Pier 8.
Central (Hong Kong Station) Public Transport Interchange	Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (IFC Mall) Basement Ground Floor	Indoor bus terminus
Garden Road Peak Tram Station Bus Terminus	Tramway Lane outside Garden Road Peak Tram Terminus	Roadside bus terminus	Terminus of Citybus Route 15C
Central Market (Des Voeux Road Central)	Intersection between Des Voeux Road Central and Jubillee Street	Roadside bus terminus	Alighting stop of Cross-Harbour Bus Route 104 Central special trips

Even though the following bus termini are located in Sheung Wan, the bus company have allocated them to Central:

• Central (Macau Ferry) Bus Terminus: Located at the west side of Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan. It is one of the largest open-air bus termini in Hong Kong, with multiple cross-harbour bus routes and inter-island routes terminating there.
• Central (Rumsey Street) Bus Terminus: Located at the west side of the Harbour Building.

Existing intermediate bus stops

Pier Road Harbour Building Man Cheung Street IFC Mall Hong Kong Station Man Kwong Street Central Government Pier Central Pier 3 Central Pier 5 Central (Star Ferry) Man Yiu Street Two International Finance Centre Connaught Square General Post Office Connaught Road Central Statue Square City Hall Jardine House Pottinger Street Queen Victoria Street Hang Seng Bank Head Office Jubilee Street Wing Wo Street Pedder Street Pedder Street

Des Voeux Road Central Chater Garden HSBC Main Building Statue Square The Landmark Alexandra House Li Yuen Street East Douglas Street Pottinger Street Hang Seng Bank Head Office Central Market Wing Kut Street Wing Wo Street Gilman Street China Insurance Group Building Queen Victoria Street Central Market Queen's Road Central Cheung Kong Center HSBC Main Building The Center Wellington Street Douglas Street Lan Kwai Fong

Hollywood Road Peel Street Tai Kwun Arbuthnot Road The Centrium Ice House Street Zetland Street New Henry House Alexandra House Lyndhurst Terrace Lyndhurst Terrace Upper Albert Road Government House Wyndham Street Wyndham Street Murray Road Murray Road

Note: Caine Road and the mid-levels above are mostly regarded as Mid-levels and are not listed here. For bus stops in Admiralty, please refer to the separate article for that area.

Existing minibus termini

• Central Station (World-wide House): Located at Connaught Road Central west of Central (Pottinger Street) terminus. It is the terminus of Route 55.
• Central Ferry Piers Minibus Terminus: Located at Man Kwong Road outside Pier 6.
• Central (Exchange Square): See "Existing bus termini" section.
• Central (Hong Kong Station): See "Existing bus termini" section.

Disused bus termini

Disused Bus Termini in Central
Name	Opening date	Closing date	Location introduction	Remarks
Blake Pier Bus Terminus	1921	1946	Present-day Jardine House	Large-scale bus terminus
Vehicular Ferry Pier Bus Terminus	1934	11 September 1972	Present-day One IFC	Large-scale bus terminus replacing Blake Pier Bus Terminus
Central Bus Termini	11 September 1972	5 December 1994	Present-day One IFC and Exchange Square Tower 3	Large-scale bus terminus replacing Vehicular Ferry Pier
Central (Harbour View Street) Bus Terminus	5 December 1994	9 May 1995	Present-day intersection between Man Kat Street and Rumsey Street Flyover	Temporary terminus, disused after opening of Central Ferry Piers group of termini
Central (Ice House Street) Bus Terminus	16 June 1975	5 February 1984	Outside Mandarin Oriental Hotel	Terminus of Airbus Route 200
Central (Douglas Street) Bus Terminus	16 November 1982	9 December 1994	Present-day Hong Kong Station Exit C	Terminus of China Motor Bus (CMB) routes 22, 81M, 87, 88, 90M and 781.
Central (Jackson Road) Bus Terminus	15 December 1980	27 September 1984	Present-day Court of Final Appeal carpark	Terminus of CMB routes 5M, 21M, 24M, 70M, 79M and 721
Central MTR Station (Murray Road)	27 September 1984	24 June 1985	Now an intermediate bus stop	Replacing Jackson Road Bus Terminus Terminus of CMB routes 21M and 79M
Central Market (Pottinger Street)	16 November 1973	8 October 1982	Outside Man Yee Building	Terminus of CMB Express routes 10A, 20 and 20A (22)
Central Market (Queen Victoria Street)	8 October 1982	1990	Now an intermediate bus stop	Replacing Pottinger Street Terminus of CMB routes 20, 22 and 720
Central (Wing Wo Street) Bus Terminus	11 February 1980	25 August 2019	Outside Sun House	Terminus of CMB routes 20, 21, 80, 780 and 788, as well as circular return point of Citybus Route 71
Central (City Hall) Public Transport Interchange	16 April 1974	14 August 2022	Beside HighBlock of Hong Kong City Hall	Former Central (Star Ferry) Bus Terminus Terminus of CMB routes 12A, 13, 15C and 17
Central (Gilman Street) Bus Terminus	1990	19 September 2022	Gilman Street southbound outside China Insurance Group Building	Morning peak terminus of NWFB Route 720 series as well as terminus of CMB routes 10A, 22 and 80.
Central (Tamar)	1 May 1972	1999	Edinburgh Square East	Terminus of Super Light Bus routes (1, 2, 3 and 3A)
Central (Lung Wui Road) Minibus Terminus	1999	15 May 2005	Present-day Lung Wo Road outside Central Barracks
Central (Wellington Street) Minibus Terminus	8 October 1993	1 August 2010	near Lan Kwai Fong	Terminus of GMB routes 10A and 10B

Gallery

View from Kowloon Peninsula to Central (January 2012)

Related Articles

• Sheung Wan
• Sai Wan

Notes and References

Template:Administrative Districts

To facilitate quoting and enquiries, the following redirect page(s) will direct to this page:

Central District and Mid-Levels