Tsim Sha Tsui
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The Clock Tower in Tsim Sha Tsui is a famous landmark of Hong Kong. |
Tsim Sha Tsui (;
Cantonese Jyutping: zim1 sa1 zeoi2,
Mandarin Pinyin: Jiānshāz"i) or simply
TST is an area in the
Yau Tsim Mong District of southern
Kowloon,
Hong Kong.
Tsim Sha Tsui East is the reclaimed land of
Hung Hom Bay, east of Tsim Sha Tsui. It is bounded north by
Austin Road and
Hong Chong Road.
Geographically, Tsim Sha Tsui is a
cape on the tip of the
Kowloon Peninsula pointing into
Victoria Harbour. Several villages had been established in this location before Kowloon was ceded to the
British Empire in
1860.
Tsim Sha Tsui in Chinese means
sandy mouth. It was also known as
Heung Po Tau (香埗頭), i.e. a port for exporting
incense tree.
Tsim Sha Tsui is a major tourist hub in metropolitan Hong Kong, with many shops and restaurants that cater to tourists. The Hong Kong government has designated a small pedestrian-only shopping area in Tsim Sha Tsui a
duty-free zone (though this has no effect on the prices of anything but tobacco and alcohol, since Hong Kong does not have
sales tax or
tariff).
Most of major museums in the city are located in the area. It is depicted as a cultural centre.
Before any reclamation, Tsim Sha Tsui had two parallel capes with a bay in between in the south. The west cape,
Kowloon Point, the proper Tsim Sha Tsui, is identical to the small hill where
Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound sited while the east cape the
Blackhead Point. The bay was as deep as the present-day
Mody Road.
Canton Road renders its west coast and
Chatham Road east. The area is hilly even though many hills were leveled for reclamation.
Historical maps in
Ming or
Qing dynasty the channel between Tsim Sha Tsui and
Central as
Chung Mun (中門, lit. the middle gate) as it is located in the middle two other channels,
Kap Shui Mun in the west and
Lei Yue Mun in the east, in the harbour.
Before ceded to Britain in
1860, many villages were present in the area. Incense tree (
Aquilaria sinensis) from
New Territories were gathered at some quays in Tsim Sha Tsui and transferred to
Shek Pai Wan in southern
Hong Kong Island to be exported to other cities. It was thus known as Heung Po Tau, the fragrant quay.
In
1888,
Star Ferry offered regular transport between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, and the area has flourished ever since. Tsim Sha Tsui was a garden city exclusive for westerners in that era. In early
20th Century, Chinese were allowed to live in the area in order to attract more people to trade in the colony. Garden houses were replaced with crowded residental blocks.
Wharf and
godown were built along the west shore. Major developers like
Hormusjee Naorojee Mody and
Catchick Paul Chater actively participated in the development of Tsim Sha Tsui.
The
Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) commenced service on
1st October,
1910.
Kowloon Station in Tsim Sha Tsui was built on the new southern reclamation from
1913 to
1915. The rails extended along the western reclamation parallel to
Chatham Road, with old
Hung Hom Station near the
Gun Club Hill Barracks at the junction of Chatham Road and
Austin Road. Another major road
Salisbury Road was completed in approximately the same period. The landmark
Peninsula Hotel was built on the reclamation in
1928, opposite to the station.
The Kowloon Station was relocated to a new Hung Hom Station in
1978. The whole station and rails were demolished except the landmark
Clock Tower.
Hong Kong Space Museum and later the
Hong Kong Cultural Centre were erected on the site. The rails were replaced with
New World Centre and other gardens in
Tsim Sha Tsui East.
Tsim Sha Tsui remains
tertiary sector from colonial days to present. In early colonial days,
transport,
tourist and
trading are main business of the area. As
port and
rail facilities moved out of the area, the major industry falls on the later two. Different ranks of hotels and inns are present in the area. Tourists and traders from six
continents stays in the area.
Tsim Sha Tsui, like other places in Hong Kong, are Chinese in majority, but it is not hard to observe the presence of
African,
Indian and
Pakistani in the area. In the colonial days, a large number of Indians set up their business, joined the army and police force in Hong Kong. They continue to live in the territory. In
1990s and
2000s, Hong Kong also attracts lots of African, especially those of
Commonwealth of Nations, to trade in the territories. Most of them are transient residents and live in inns in the area.
Hotels
Tourist hospitality is a major industry in Tsim Sha Tsui. The area has the highest concentration of hotels in Hong Kong. Prominent and renowned hotels include
The Peninsula, Kowloon Shangri-La, two
InterContinental Hotels , the
Sheraton Hotel, three Marco Polo Hotels, as well as the Renaissance NewWorld Hotel. The Hyatt Regency Hong Kong was closed on 1 January, 2006 for reconstruction of a shopping mall, while its has been rumoured that a new
Hyatt hotel will open around 2007-2008 on Hanoi Road of Tsim Sha Tsui as a part of a new complex. Others hotels in virtually every price range, and level of luxury can be found throughout the area.
A great hidden value: The YMCA has a wonderful 168-room hotel on top of its dormitory floors. The main dining room has a spectacular floor-to-ceiling view of Victoria Harbour and the Cultural Center. There is a gym and even a small business center. It is very centrally located around the corner from an MTR station, and within minutes walking distance of both the night market and the busy Nathan Road.
Restaurants
Tsim Sha Tsui is one of places to find exotic restaurants in Hong Kong.
Hillwood Road at the north of
Observatory Hill concentrates restaurants of different national dishes.
Knutsford Terrace on the other side of the hill is a terrace of pubs.
Kimberley Street is famous for the
Korean cuisine restaurants and grocery stores, especially after the advent of
Korean Wave ("流) in Hong Kong, which make the street nicknamed the
Koreatown (小"國). Located on
Nathan Road, the
Chungking Mansions is a major tourist attraction in Tsim Sha Tsui. These recognizable buildings were featured in the film
Chungking Express, and are full of inexpensive guest houses, Indian restaurants, and money changers.
Parks
There is a public
library in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Kowloon Park is a popular destination, complete with swimming pools.
Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre and
Health Education Exhibition and Resources Centre are housed in the preserved and restored blocks of former
Whitfield Camp.
Museums and performance venues
Half of major museums in Hong Kong are sited on Tsim Sha Tsui. The
Hong Kong Space Museum,
Hong Kong Museum of Art and the
Hong Kong Cultural Centre are located at the southern waterfront.
Hong Kong Museum of History and
Hong Kong Science Museum are situated in Tsim Sha Tsui East.
Tourist attractions
Tsim Sha Tsui was once the terminus of the
Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR). After the British Section of the railway was opened for traffic on
1st October 1910, the construction of the railway station in Tsim Sha Tsui started in
1913. Construction on the railway station and its clock tower were completed in
1915. The main building of the Tsim Sha Tsui station was demolished in
1978. The station was relocated to
Hung Hom to make way for the
Hong Kong Space Museum and the
Hong Kong Cultural Centre. But the
Clock Tower of the station was not demolished and was kept in place. It is all that remains standing of the original Tsim Sha Tsui station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway. The clock tower is forty-four
metres high, surmounted by a seven meter high lightning rod. It is now surrounded by the public piazza of the Cultural Centre and has become a landmark of Hong Kong. Six pillars of the railway have been relocated to the
Urban Council Centenary Garden in
TST East. The
Avenue of Stars starts at the "
New World Centre" shopping centre near the Cultural Centre.
The Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is another popular destination for locals and tourists alike. It is especially popular for
photographers, as it offers an unobstructed view of the
Central area of
Hong Kong across
Victoria Harbour. The
Star Ferry terminal is another popular attraction for tourists, and the
Avenue of Stars is also popular with photographers.
 |
Two men angle for fish, while a janitor sweeps, near the waterfront at Tsim Sha Tsui East. |
Tsim Sha Tsui East (尖沙嘴東 or simply 尖東) is an area east of Chatham Road South
reclaimed from
Hung Hom Bay in the
1970s. Many
restaurants,
office buildings and hotels are located in the area. The
Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade links the area with the Hong Kong Cultural Centre near the Clock Tower. In
2004, the 's
East Rail opened a new station.
East Tsim Sha Tsui is an interchange station with Tsim Sha Tsui station on the
MTR Tsuen Wan Line. Unlike other KCR stations, it is underground near
Blackhead Point. An extensive tunnel system was built for pedestrians to access the most popular destinations in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The
Hong Kong Museum of History and
Hong Kong Science Museum are located in this Tsim Sha Tsui East.
Tsim Sha Tsui is served by the
MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station, on the
Tsuen Wan Line. The
KCR East Rail was extended from
Hung Hom to
East Tsim Sha Tsui in late 2004, which is connected to the MTR station with an extensive tunnel network. The
Star Ferry connects TST to
Central and
Wan Chai.Various
hydrofoil services out of the
Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal on
Canton Road link Tsim Sha Tsui to
Macau,
Guangzhou, and several other places in the
Pearl River Delta.
*
Avenue of Stars*
Former Kowloon British School *
Former Marine Police Headquarters Compound*
Harbour City*
Hong Kong Observatory*
Ocean Terminal*
The Peninsula Hotel*
Wing On Plaza Garden*
Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier (
Star Ferry)
*
List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong*
Museums in Hong KongImage:Culturecenter TST HK.jpg|The Hong Kong Cultural CentreImage:Avenue of Stars1.jpg|The Avenue of StarsImage:TSTNewWorldCentre.jpg|The New World Centre shopping mall during the Christmas seasonImage:SOGO-TST,HK.png|The Sogo department store at Tsim Sha TsuiImage:water_front.jpg|The waterfront of the Hong Kong Island on the opposite coast of the Victoria Harbour, as seen from Tsim Sha TsuiImage:HongKongMuseumOfHistory.png|The Hong Kong Museum of HistoryImage:HongKongMuseumOfArt.png|The Hong Kong Museum of ArtImage:StarFerry-TST.png|The Star Ferry Pier at Tsim Sha TsuiImage:ThePeninsula@Night.png|The Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui
