The Central and Western District (中西區) is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, located in the northwestern part of Hong Kong Island, and falls within the Hong Kong Island West area in the Legislative Council constituency.
Central and Western District was the earliest developed area in the early years of Hong Kong, with Central and Sheung Wan being the most important commercial centres in Hong Kong, and Western District being an early Chinese residential area.
History[]
The Central and Western District has a long history of development, with the Central area becoming the political and economic centre of Hong Kong Island as early as 1841 when the British occupied the island. In the early days, Central District was roughly divided into Central, Sheung Wan and the Mid-levels. The Central shoreline was originally located near Hollywood Road, and the Government has been reclaiming the land since the mid-19th century, and reclamation works are still underway, while Admiralty, the former dockyard, has been developed into a commercial area since the 1970s. [1]
Central is an important political and economic centre of Hong Kong. Government facilities such as the former Governor's House (now Government House), the old Central Government Offices (on Lower Albert Road), the High Court, the Legislative Council Building, etc., are located in Central, while many commercial organisations, including HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank, have their headquarters in the area. The Mid-Levels and The Peak are high-end residential districts, with the Mid-Levels being a concentration of middle-class to tycoons, and the Peak being home to many expatriate tycoons and dignitaries, as well as a concentration of millionaires. The Hong Kong Government built the Central Government Offices at the Tamar site in Admiralty, which opened in 2011. Apart from the Chief Executive's Office, Secretaries of Departments and policy areas, the Legislative Council is also located there.
The Western District refers to the area around Sai Wan (Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Tsui, Kennedy Town) and Mount Davis, which is a traditional residential area with relatively sparse commercial activities. However, it is one of Hong Kong's major wholesale markets, and is still home to a number of old-fashioned shops. The University of Hong Kong (HKU), located between Sai Ying Pun and the Mid-levels, was founded in 1911 and has a history of over 100 years.
Sandy Bay, Pok Fu Lam (or Pokfulam) and Aberdeen used to be part of the Western District. In 1981, the Government reorganised Hong Kong Island and split part of the Western District into the Southern District, while the Central and Western Districts were merged to form the Central and Western District.
Street/road structures[]
Central is a major economic centre of Hong Kong with busy traffic, and the coastline has gradually shifted northwards after repeated reclamation. Major roads in Central include Queen's Road Central, Des Voeux Road Central, Connaught Road Central, Queensway, Harcourt Road, etc. Among them, Connaught Road Central and part of Harcourt Road used to be part of Route 4 before the opening of the Central - Wan Chai Bypass, and the above roads are also frequently used by buses, as well as by many franchised bus routes and cross-harbour routes on Hong Kong Island.
The roads in Western District are narrower than those in Central, with Queen's Road West, Des Voeux Road West and the Praya, Kennedy Town being the main ones, while the Western Harbour Crossing connects to Connaught Road West, which is part of Route 4, and its junction with the tunnel is the terminus of Route 3.
Pok Fu Lam Road is one of the major road links between Central and Western District and Southern District as it is more direct than Victoria Road. The Mid-levels area is served by Bonham Road and Caine Road, which are the main roads in the Mid-levels area. There are a number of other roads in the Mid-levels area, such as Upper Albert Road, and Robinson Road, Conduit Road and Kotewall Road, which connect the Mid-levels housing estates.
The Peak is a high class residential area with Peak Road as the main link between Magazine Gap Road and Stubbs Road in Wan Chai and the Peak Tram.
The Mass Transit Railway Modified Initial System (MIS) connected to Central (formerly named Chater) in 1980, with stations in Central and Admiralty, and was built along Chater Road and Queensway. The Tsuen Wan Line and Island Line opened in 1982 and 1985 respectively, with Central as their terminus. The Island Line was extended westwards to Sheung Wan the following year, and in 2014 it was extended further into the Western District with Kennedy Town as its terminus. In addition, the Lantau Airport Railway opened in 1998, with Hong Kong Station located north of Exchange Square near the International Finance Centre as the urban terminus for its Airport Express and Tung Chung Line.
The Hong Kong Tramways runs alongside buses and other vehicles along the main streets of the Central and Western District, starting from Kennedy Town and passing through Catchick Street, Praya, Kennedy Town, Des Voeux Road West, Connaught Road Central, Des Voeux Road Central and Queensway.
Bus and Minibus Termini[]
Central[]
Due to the large number of termini, please refer to the article "Central".
Sheung Wan[]
- Central (Macau Ferry) Bus Terminus: Located at the west of Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan, it is one of the largest open-air bus terminus in Hong Kong.
- Central (Rumsey Street) Bus Terminus: Located to the west of the Harbour Building.
- Sheung Wan Bus Terminus: A collective name for several bus substations scattered around Wing Kut Street, Golden Dragon Centre, Rumsey Street, and Wing Wo Street on Des Voeux Road Central.
- West Point (Sutherland Street) Minibus Terminus: Located on the road section between Sutherland Street, Connaught Road West and Des Voeux Road West, which is the terminus for public light buses.
- Central (Wing Wo Street) Bus Terminus: Located on the roadside of Wing Wo Street, which used to be the turnback point for Citybus Route 71.
- Cleverly Street Bus Terminus: Located at the Connaught Road Central north harbourfront, opposite Jubilee Street, which was closed in 1985.
Admiralty[]
Due to the large number of termini, please refer to the article "Admiralty".
Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Tsui, Kennedy Town and Mount Davis[]
Due to the large number of terminals, please refer to the articles Sai Ying Pun, Shek Tong Tsui, Kennedy Town and Mount Davis.
Mid-levels and The Peak[]
- Pokfield Road Bus Terminus: Located at the junction of Pok Fu Lam Road and Pokfield Road.
- The Peak Bus Terminus: Located at The Peak Galleria, Victoria Peak (Tai Ping Shan).
- Kotewall Road Bus Terminus: Located at the junction of Kotewall Road and University Drive, which is called "Conduit Road" by the GMB operator.
- Garden Road Peak Tram Station Bus Terminus: Located next to the Garden Road Peak Tram Terminus.
- YWCA: located outside "3 MacDonnell Road" on MacDonnell Road, which is the circular point of Hong Kong Island GMB Route 1A.
- Dynasty Court: Located outside Block 1 of Dynasty Court, 17-23 Old Peak Road, which is the circular point of Hong Kong Island GMB Route 2.
- Po Shan Road Minibus Terminus: Located on Po Shan Road near Po Shing Mansion, it is the terminus of Hong Kong Island GMB Route 3.
- Bowen Road: A road in the Mid-Levels area, which is the circular point of Hong Kong Island GMB Route 9.
- Mid-Levels (Robinson Road) Minibus Terminus: Located opposite Serene Court on Robinson Road, it is the terminus for Hong Kong Island GMB Routes 56, 56A and 56B.
Bus routes[]
Template:List of Central and Western District Bus Routes
Gallery[]
Notes and References[]
- ↑ In the early days, Hong Kong's commercial districts were divided into Central, Sheung Wan, Lower Wan and Western District, collectively known as the "Four Districts", of which Lower Wan has disappeared, i.e. the present-day Wan Chai and Causeway Bay areas.
External Links[]
- Official Website of the District Council: Central and Western District Highlights
- Home Affairs Department: Central and Western District
- 2019 District Council Constituency Map: Central and Western District
- 2015 District Council Constituency Boundary Map: Central and Western District
- 2011 District Council Constituency Boundary Map: Central & Western District
- 2007 District Council Constituency Boundary Map: Central & Western District
Template:Administrative Districts