Yau Ma Tei (traditional Chinese: 油麻地 or 油蔴地), with alternative transliterations including Yaumatei, Yau Ma Ti, Yaumati and Yau-ma-Tee, is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District, in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.
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Name
Yau (油) literally means "oil", Ma (麻) can either refer to "sesame" or "jute", and Tei (地) means "field" or "open ground". Hence, Yau Ma Tei can be interpreted to mean either "oil-sesame field" or "oil and jute ground". This dual-interpretation is perhaps the reason why there are two explanations for the origin of the place name.[1]
Geography
Dundas Street marks the north border of Yau Ma Tei with Mong Kok and Austin Road its south border with Tsim Sha Tsui. To its west is Victoria Harbour and its east the hilly region of Ho Man Tin.
Southern Yau Ma Tei was traditionally known as Kwun Chung, but came to be called Jordan after the completion of Jordan MTR station at its heart.
History
Yau Ma Tei was a village in Kowloon. It was mentioned that a Chinese burial ground was assigned at a mile northeast of a village of Yau-ma-Tee at 2 December 1871.[2]
The name Yau Ma Tei is not thought to pre-date British rule. However, Kwun Chung is mentioned in many historic documents. Kwun Chung was a river valley with village and cultivation. On the hill south near the coast was Kwun Chung Fort built by Chinese (Qing) official Lin Tse-hsu to defend against the British. During the Battle of Kwun Chung in 1839, the fort - together with Tsim Sha Tsui Fort - successfully kept the British from Kowloon. The fort with the hill was demolished for development during early British rule of Kowloon.
Prior to the ceding of Kowloon to the British in 1860, Yau Ma Tei was a beach and a bay gathering many Tanka fishermen. Its water remains an harbour for fishermen after several times of reclamation by the Hong Kong Government. The Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter became an exotic water area where restaurants on boats offered dishes of indigenous seafood. These typhoon shelter dishes remain famous to this day and are even offered on land. The typhoon shelter not only hosted fishermen, but was also a port in Hong Kong. Numerous piers were built along its shore.
Ferry Point in the southern part of Yau Ma Tei was a transportation hub where many commuters took ferries to and from Hong Kong Island. The service was offered by Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry.
Inland, the reclamation became the residential area for the ever-increasing Chinese population, with retail shops on the street level. Shanghai Street was the main street before being replaced by Nathan Road.
Along Waterloo Road, is the Fruit Market which is a century old fruit market and its adjacent Yaumati Theatre was once the largest theatre in Kowloon. The Kwong Wah Hospital was the first hospital on the Kowloon peninsula established in 1911. YMCA headquarters and its hostel in Hong Kong are also located on that road.
Public health
Kwong Wah Hospital, run by charity Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, is the first major hospital in the area. Historically, there was a small pox hospital (油蔴地痘局) at the hill northeast of Kwong Wah Hospital. Founded by Hong Kong Government, Queen Elizabeth Hospital is another major hospital in the area.
Demographics
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During the 1960s and 1970s, Yau Ma Tei saw distinct development and the accompanying influx of an active, young population due to various commercial activities, such as movie theaters. These theaters have however moved or closed down, removing the incentive for development and the attractiveness of the neighborhood for the young, leaving the area with an aging population.
The higher rate of elderly also poses some practical issues: facilities for aid in mobility such as lifts and skid-proof tape on stairs have since been installed, often at the expense of the local commerce.
Sightseeing
The district is mainly an area of mixed residential and retail. Every night there is a market selling many different kinds of products including clothes, decorations, VCD and toys in Temple Street, a street in the area where the famous Tin Hau Temple was built in 1876. The Temple is at Public Square Street. The square, known as Yung Shue Tau, was a night market.
Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Museum in Kwong Wah Hospital, displaying the history of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and its relation with Hong Kong people, is also located in Yau Ma Tei.
Other buildings of historical value include:
- Yau Ma Tei Police Station
- Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market
- Yaumati Theatre
- Engineer's Office of the Former Pumping Station
- Kowloon Union Church
- Old South Kowloon District Court
Public housing
In the 1980s, the Government handed over the redevelopment project of Lee Tat Street (traditional Chinese: 利達街) and Cheung Shui Street (traditional Chinese: 祥瑞街) in Yau Mei Tei (the two streets were later removed during redevelopment) to the Hong Kong Housing Society. This became Prosperous Garden (traditional Chinese: 駿發花園), a "Urban Improvement Scheme" estate[3] in Public Square Street[4] Phase 1, including Block 1, 2 and 5, was completed in the site in 1991. Block 1 and 2 were for sale while Block 5 was for rental. Its Phase 2, including Block 3 and 4, was completed in 1995 and was for sale.[5]
Hoi Fu Court (traditional Chinese: 海富苑) is a mixed Home Ownership Scheme court and public estate built on reclaimed land of the old Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter.[6][7] It is the only public housing estate built by Hong Kong Housing Authority in the District. It comprises 5 blocks completed in 1999.[8]
Transport
Nathan Road goes north-south across the heart of Yau Ma Tei. Most of buses routes via Nathan Road to the destinations in North Kowloon and New Territories. Trains of MTR shuttle beneath the road. Yau Ma Tei is served by Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong lines on the MTR metro system, at a single station with the same name, Yau Ma Tei MTR Station. The station is the terminus of Kwun Tong Line.
Other streets in the area or partly in the area include:
Education
The Wah Yan College, Kowloon is located in Yau Ma Tei. It's a boys' school. The Methodist College is located in Yau Ma Tei. It's an EMI school for both boys and girls.
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yau Ma Tei |
- List of areas of Hong Kong
- Broadway Cinematheque
- Charming Garden
- Eaton Hotel Hong Kong
- Fo Pang
- King's Park, Hong Kong
- Kowloon Central Post Office
- Yaumatei Ferry Pier
References
- ^ Architectural Conservation Office, HKSAR Government. (2008). Heritage Impact Assessment Report of the Yau Ma Tei Threatre & Red Brick Building Retrieved October 21, 2009
- ^ Hongkong Government Gazette, Notification 169 of 2 December 1871
- ^ Urban Redevelopment Project (Chinese)
- ^ Location with Reverse Vending Machine Installed
- ^ Prosperous Garden (Chinese)
- ^ TYPHOON SHELTER
- ^ Hoi Fu Shopping Centre, Mongkok
- ^ Hoi Fu Court, Yau Tsim Mong, Kowloon
External links
- History of Yau Ma Tei (pp. 5-12)
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