The east of the island was the first to take up the
population pressures of the nascent colonial capital of Victoria, and
until the late 1970s had a low rent reputation. Some of that survives in
the haggard pole-dancing clubs and tattoo parlours of Wan Chai, the
quarter where Richard Mason wrote The World Of Suzie Wong,
and where generations of sailors have nursed hangovers. But today,
you’re far more likely to run into Starbucks, serviced apartments and
highly expensive office space. The night races at Happy Valley are where
you’ll see Hong Kongers at their most fevered, while in Causeway Bay is
the neon of restaurants and boutiques. Further out, there are worthy
surprises among the unlovely warehouses and office blocks of Quarry Bay
and Chai Wan – live jazz, microbreweries and dance clubs.
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Many first-time visitors
to Hong Kong have one image of Wan Chai fixed firmly in their heads –
that of the Luk Kwok Hotel with its tarts-with-hearts and
rickshaw-cluttered surrounds from the film of Richard Mason’s novel The World of Suzie Wong.
It’s an image that’s at least 40 years out of date. The original hotel
was knocked down in 1988, and the soaring glass and steel tower that
replaced it, bearing the same name, is full of offices and restaurants.
Suzie might still survive, but if she does, she has gimlet eyes and a
harridan’s scowl.
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Sights in the NortheastCentral Plaza Perhaps
the developers figured “Central Plaza” had more cachet than “Wan Chai
Plaza”, or perhaps Wan Chai is more central than Central if you’re
talking about the mid-point of the water-front. Anyway, Central Plaza is
Hong Kong’s second tallest building (after the new IFC Tower), standing
at 374 m (1,227 ft).
Central Plaza
Noonday Gun Immortalised in Noel Coward’s famous song about Mad Dogs and Englishmen,
the famous cannon has been fired at midday every day since 1860.
Bigwigs pay for the privilege of firing it, with the money going to
charity. Otherwise, a gunner dressed in traditional military attire does
the honours. Originally it was fired whenever the Taipan arrived or
departed from Hong Kong.
Noonday gun
Convention and Exhibition Centre The
building looks a bit like the Sydney Opera House might if its roof had
just been swatted by a giant hammer. The designers, however, maintain
that the flowing lines are meant to evoke a bird in flight. It’s
certainly a study in contrast with the upthrust towers scratching the
sky all around. There was a race against time to finish stage two of the
$5 billion complex in time for the 1997 Handover ceremony. Britain’s
loss and China’s gain is commemorated with a big black obelisk. The
venue also hosts occasional raves and pop concerts. 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai 2582 8888
Convention and Exhibition Centre
Lockhart Road Made famous in Richard Mason’s novel The World of Suzy Wong, Wan Chai’s sinful strip is these days an odd blend of girlie bars with doddery mama-san
who saw action during the Vietnam War and will rob you blind as soon as
look at you; down-at-heel discos; mock-British pubs; and super-trendy
bars and restaurants. The road is almost always being dug up, adding to
the hubbub. “Old” Wan Chai This
might soon be labelled Hong Kong’s “Little Thailand”. Dozens of Thai
mini-marts and hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurants have sprung up amid Wan
Chai market in the narrow warren of lanes that run between Johnston
Road and Queen’s Road East. You can find the same dishes here for a
quarter of what you’ll pay in smart Thai restaurants just blocks away. Happy Valley Racecourse From
September to June the thud of hooves on turf rings out most Wednesday
nights from this famous racetrack – once a malaria-ridden swamp – where
Hong Kong’s gambling-mad public wager more money per meeting than at any
other track in the world. .
Happy Valley racing
Hopewell Centre Construction
mogul Gordon Wu has built roads in China and half-built a railway in
Bangkok, but this remains his best-known erection. The 66-storey
cylinder rears up behind Wan Chai, making diners dizzy in its revolving
restaurant, R66. The food, frankly, is not up to much, but the view
makes up for it. Nighttimes are most spectacular, or perhaps a cocktail
as the sun dips behind the harbour.
Hopewell Centre
Victoria Park Hong
Kong’s largest urban park opened in 1957, and features a bronze statue
of the killjoy British monarch, which one “art activist” once
redecorated with a can of red paint. There’s a swimming pool, tennis
courts and lawn bowling greens. It’s also the venue for the Chinese New
Year Flower Market, and every Sunday at noon would-be politicians can
stand up and shoot their mouths off at the forum.
Victoria Park
Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter Barnacle-encrusted
hulks and down-at-heel gin palaces rub gunwhales with multi-million
dollar yachts in this packed haven from the “big winds” that regularly
bear down on the South China coast. There are also quaint houseboats
with homely touches like flower boxes permanently anchored behind the
stone breakwater. The impressive edifice to the left as you look out to
sea is the Hong Kong Yacht Club. Tin Hau Temple Not
the biggest or best-known temple to the Chinese sea goddess but
certainly the most accessible on Hong Kong Island. Worth a look if
you’re in the area. This was once the waterfront, believe it or not.
There’s usually a handful of worshippers burning incense and paying
respects, although it may be packed during Chinese festivals.
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