Kowloon Tong

For the constituency, see Kowloon Tong (constituency). For the novel by Paul Theroux, see Kowloon Tong (novel).
Kowloon Tong

Kowloon Tong
Traditional Chinese 九龍塘
North part of Kowloon Tong. Lion Rock is visible in the background.

Kowloon Tong (Chinese: 九龍塘) is an area of Hong Kong located in Kowloon West. The majority of the area is in the Kowloon City District. It is located south of Beacon Hill, north of Boundary Street, east of Shek Kip Mei, and west of Kowloon Tsai and Lok Fu. It is an expensive, low density and quiet residential district, with housing comprising mainly bungalows and villas. It is popular among the upper class in the city because it has many prestigious schools. In addition, this area is noted for its love hotels and nursing homes. Within Kowloon West, it is administratively divided between Kowloon City District and Sham Shui Po District.

Landmarks

Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong.
Tat Chee Avenue

Notable landmarks in Kowloon Tong include:

History

Kowloon Tong was originally a small village located in present-day Police Sport Association near Boundary Street, south of Woh Chai Hill. Extensive cultivation was possible in the fertile lands formed by rivers running down from Beacon Hill.

In the 1920s, the Hong Kong Government decided to develop the land of east of Kowloon Tong and Kowloon Tsai on both sides of Kowloon–Canton Railway into a low density residential area based on the British model. The residential area is thus known as Kowloon Tong. The area is well-planned, and the broad roads and streets are largely named after counties in England. It was the home of a large number of wealthy English businessmen.

Over the years, the proper location of Kowloon Tong and Kowloon Tsai have been forgotten. The name of Kowloon Tsai is preserved in the hill west of the former village of Kowloon Tsai. Currently, luxurious houses in or around La Salle Road, Kadoorie Avenue and Oxford Road sell for 100 million HKD. It is home to many celebrities, billionaires, movie-stars and CEOs.

Kowloon Tong is notoriously remembered as the site of martial artist Bruce Lee's death on Friday, July 20, 1973.

Media

The two biggest radio companies in Hong Kong, Commercial Radio Hong Kong and Radio Television Hong Kong, are both located in Broadcast Drive, Kowloon Tong. Minibus route 29A serves Broadcast Drive from MTR Kowloon Tong Station.

Education

City University of Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Baptist University and the City University of Hong Kong are located in Kowloon Tong. Many leading local English medium of instruction (EMI) primary and secondary schools on the Kowloon peninsula are located in the area, including Kowloon True Light Middle School, Kowloon Tong School (Secondary Section), Maryknoll Convent School, La Salle College and the Beacon Hill School. Other well known international schools in the area include the American International School, Yew Chung International School, Concordia International School, Australian International School, and the Delia School of Canada.

Transport

Kowloon Tong is served by the MTR's East Rail Line and Kwun Tong Line at Kowloon Tong Station. Passengers may change here between the two lines. The stretch of Waterloo Road through Kowloon Tong forms part of Hong Kong's Route 1. It leads into the Lion Rock Tunnel, and as such serves as an important artery for traffic heading into and out of the New Territories (in particular Sha Tin). Yau Ma Tei is also accessible via Waterloo Road.

Streets

Streets in Kowloon Tong include:

Private housing

Schools

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kowloon Tong.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.