Queensway, Hong Kong

Queensway is a major road in the Admiralty of Central, Hong Kong. It was originally a section of Queen's Road East to its westmost before the Hong Kong Government separated and renamed it as its present name in 1967. Its Chinese name can be transliterated as "Golden Bell Road", a reference to a golden bell in the Admiralty Dockyard situated there at that time, and has nothing to do with the Queen. It merges with Queen's Road Central and Des Voeux Road Central at its west-end and connects with Hennessy Road and Queen's Road East to the east at its east-end.

Important buildings

Despite being only about 600 metres long, it houses numerous famous and important sites.

At Garden Road-Queen's Road Central-Des Voeux Road Central junction sits the Bank of China Tower at the Central end of the road; which in turn sits adjacent to Cheung Kong Centre.

Cheung Kong Centre is the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings founded by Li Ka Shing with Chater Garden - a popular place for protesters to gather - on the opposite. At the Wan Chai end, stands the Headquarters of the Hong Kong Police Force.

Major sites located along the "hillside" (Southern side) of the road are; in order of position beginning from the west-side of Queensway; Cheung Kong Centre, Bank of China Tower, the Hong Kong Park (where the Flagstaff House and Museum of Tea Ware are located), Queensway Government Offices, High Court alongside the Queensway, and the Swire-owned Pacific Place shopping centre, hotels and office towers complex.
The hotels- Conrad Hotel & Island Shangri-La Hotel sits atop the roof of 2 Pacific Place mall while the JW Marriott Hotel and The Swire Offices Building sit atop 1 Pacific Place.

On the "waterfront-" (northern side) of the road, there stands; again in order beginning from west-end of Queensway; Chater Garden, the Lippo Centre, Queensway Plaza shopping mall- a very large one-storey shopping complex semi-detached with the United Centre office block. Queensway Plaza is also linked to Pacific Place; across a width of Queensway by means of a skywalk. Further down the road there stands the recreational park- ""Harcourt Park".

The road continues on until it splits into two different roads at the east-end junction.

Military history

Before 1980s, both sides of the road were for British military structures. Located on the South of the road were Wellington Barracks, Murray Barracks and Victoria Barracks while to the north, the Admiralty Dock. The Flagstaff House was the residence of the Commander British Forces of Hong Kong between 1842 to 1978. These were gradually removed and replaced as Central district expanded.

Layout

The road was not as straight as its present form. Two close bends in the mid-section formed an S-shape. It was also known as "death bend of Queensway" (金鐘道死亡彎角) that it frequently resulted in traffic accidents of mobile vehicles and trams. A straightening project was carried out in 1974 and officially completed on 12 January 1975.

The present-day Queensway is much wider than before. The carriageways of Queensway are separated by the turn-of-the-century public transport, Hong Kong Tramways. Pedestrians must make use of footbridges when crossing the road or going to the tramway stop islands.

Events

Although Queensway is a main road in Hong Kong, the road has hosted various major marches and protests including July 1 marches since 2003.

Trivia

The road is sometimes mistaken written as Queensway Road by local people. [The Consulate General of India and Consulate General of Greece list their street as Queensway Road, as listed here [http://www.fso-tela.gov.hk/gui/guide_to_filming_06_01.cfm] ] It might be affected by the suffix 道 ("to", lit. road) of its Chinese name, as only few roads like Glenealy and Smithfield have a single word road name in the territory.

ee also

*List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
*Murray House, Stanley, Hong Kong

References

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=%E9%87%91%E9%90%98%E9%81%93+%4022.277780,+114.168380&daddr=22.279953,114.160647&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=18&mra=dme&sll=22.280003,114.161768&sspn=0.002035,0.003648&ie=UTF8&ll=22.27886,114.16451&spn=0.008141,0.014591&z=16&om=1 Google Maps of Queensway]