Kowloon City

Kowloon City
High-rise buildings have been built in Kowloon City after the relocation of the Hong Kong International Airport from Kowloon City to Chek Lap Kok.
Traditional Chinese 九龍城
Simplified Chinese 九龙城
Aerial view of Kowloon City

Kowloon City (Chinese: 九龍城; Jyutping: gau2 lung4 sing4) is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is administratively part of Kowloon City District.

Compared with the administrative Kowloon City District, the Kowloon City area is vaguely bounded south by Prince Edward Road West and Prince Edward Road East, north with Lo Fu Ngam, east with Kai Tak Nullah and west with Kowloon Tsai.

History

Low-flying aircraft were a common sight in Kowloon City before the relocation of Hong Kong's airport

As early as in the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BCE), Kowloon City was famous for its pearl production. During the Song dynasty (960-1279), Kowloon City was a part of Kwun Fu Cheung (simplified Chinese: 官富场; traditional Chinese: 官富場; pinyin: guān fù chǎng), which was a part of salt yard governed by Chinese officials.

Part of the district was the location of the original Kowloon Walled City, erected during the Qing dynasty. This is now Kowloon Walled City Park. The former Kai Tak International Airport was also located in the district.

In 1982, Hong Kong was divided into 18 administrative districts, and Kowloon City and its neighbouring areas, such as Hung Hom, now belong to the Kowloon City District.

Prior to 1998, a strict building height restriction was imposed in Kowloon City to minimize the hazards of air traffic commuting through the Kai Tak Airport. The closure of Kai Tak as a result of the opening of the new Hong Kong International Airport lifted the height restriction, and more high-rise apartments started to appear.

Sights

Features

Kowloon City is an old district in Hong Kong; however, it has been transforming into a modern district with a lot of new shops and restaurants over the years. The district is well known for its wide range of cuisine. Other than the traditional Hong Kong-style restaurants that offer local dishes, there are numerous restaurants that offer Southeast Asian dishes like Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian. Many Thai grocery stores can be found throughout this place, too. Due to the prevalence of Thai restaurants and stores as well as the population of Thai-speaking ethnic Chinese, Kowloon City is also known as "Hong Kong's Little Thailand." [3] It is not only a food paradise for authentic main dishes of many cultures, but also a popular place for both traditional Hong Kong-style and western desserts.[4]

Transportation

Major roads that serves the area include:

Public transport

Kowloon Motor Bus
  • 1, 1A, 2A, 2D, 3B, 3C, 5, 5C, 6C, 6D, 6F, 7B, 9, 10, 11B, 11D, 11X, 12A, 13D, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 40, 42, 61X, 75X, 85, 85A, 85B, 93K, 95, 98, 98S, 98C, 203E, 213D, 296C, 297, N216, N293
New World First Bus
  • 796C, 796X, N796
Citybus
  • A22, E22, E23, N23, N26
Cross Harbour Tunnel
  • 101, 106, 107, 108, 111, 113, 115, 116, N121
Minibus
  • 2, 2A, 2M, 13, 25M, 33, 46, 69, 69A, 105, 105S, 110

See also

References

  1. ↑ DeWolf, Christopher (23 September 2011). "Best wet markets in Hong Kong". CNN Travel. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  2. ↑ Goldberg, Lina (24 February 2013). "10 of the world's best fresh markets". CNN Travel. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "A walking tour of Hong Kong's Little Thailand".
  4. ↑ "Why we love Kowloon City".

Further reading

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