Nathan Road
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| Traditional Chinese | 彌敦道 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 弥敦道 | ||||||||||||||
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Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong that goes in a south-north direction from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok. It is lined with shops, restaurants and tourists, and was known in the post-World War II years as the Golden Mile, a name that is now rarely used. It starts on the southern part of Kowloon at its junction with Salisbury Road, a few metres north of Victoria Harbour, and ends at its intersection with Boundary Street in the north. Portion of Kwun Tong Line and Tsuen Wan Line run underneath Nathan Road.
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History
The first section of the road was completed in 1861. It was the very first road built in Kowloon, after the land was ceded by the then Qing Dynasty government to the United Kingdom and made part of the crown colony in 1860. The road was originally named Robinson Road, after Sir Hercules Robinson, the 5th Governor of Hong Kong. To avoid confusion with the Robinson Road on Hong Kong Island, the name was changed to Nathan Road in 1909, after Sir Matthew Nathan, the 13th Governor who served between 1904 and 1907.
The early Nathan Road was largely residential, with colonial-style houses with arched verandahs and covered archways. It was home to the Whitfield Barracks, which later became Kowloon Park. Saint Andrew's Church, the oldest Anglican church in Kowloon, has been located there since its completion in 1906.
The section of the road from Gascoigne Road to Argyle Street was originally named Coronation Road (加冕道), in honour of the coronation of King George V in 1911. The road was renamed as part of Nathan Road in 1926, after works joining the road and Nathan Road was completed. The section of Tai Po Road south of Boundary Street was also renamed as part of the road.
In 1996 the 1996 Garley Building fire broke out, killing 41 people.[1] In 2008 the Cornwall Court fire broke out involving more than 200 firefighters leaving 4 dead, including 2 fire fighters.[2]
Some buildings and landmarks along the road
- The Peninsula Hotel (corner of Salisbury Road and Nathan Road)
- Chungking Mansions (#36-44)
- iSQUARE (#63, scheduled to open in 2009-2010)
- Kowloon Park
- Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard
- Tung Ying Building (#100, demolished, redevelopment expected in early 2010)
- Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre (#105)
- Miramar Shopping Centre (#132-134)
- Former Kowloon British School (#136). Now houses the Antiquities and Monuments Office
- St. Andrew's Church (Kowloon) (#138)
- Garley Building (#233-239, destroyed by fire in 1996)
- Eaton Hotel Hong Kong (#380)
- Kowloon Central Post Office (#405)
- Sino Centre (#582-592)
- Cornwall Court (#687-689). Site of the 2008 Cornwall Court fire
Gallery
 The bilingual road signs of Nathan Road and Middle Road on the exterior of The Peninsula hotel. |
 KMB Enviro500 serving Route 1 on Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. |
 Exit of Tsim Sha Tsui Station on Nathan Road. |
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 Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard. |
 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in front of the Former Kowloon British School. |
 Nathan Road, near Mong Kok. |
 Nathan Road, in the Prince Edward area. |
See also
- Yau Tsim Mong District
- List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
- List of leading shopping streets and districts by city
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nathan Road, Hong Kong |
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Coordinates: 22°18′38″N 114°10′12″E / 22.3106°N 114.1700°E
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