Friday, August 12, 2005
Central Market
Recently, I saw an interesting description in Chinese of 中 環 市 場 jung1 waan4 si5 cheung4 Central Market, which is located on 皇 后 大 道 中 Queen’s Road Central between 域 多 利 皇 后 街 Queen Victoria Street and 租 庇 利 街 Jubilee Street:
After Hong Kong was established, the Chinese liked to gather on the Central waterfront to sell things. Because the peddlers mostly came from Guangzhou (Canton), people called that place 廣 州 市 場 gong2 jau1 si5 cheung4 Canton Bazaar. Much later, in 1895, the government constructed the Central Market in the same place. The Central Market, which belonged to the Victorian style, was three stories tall with a tower in the middle. This Central Market was torn down in 1937.
In April 1939, the present new Central Market was completed, officially opening in May. The ground floor chicken, duck, and fish stalls started in operation on May 3rd; the second story meat stalls on May 4th; the third story fruit and vegetable stalls on May 5th. During the period that Japan occupied Hong Kong, the name was changed to 中 央 市 場 jung1 yeung1 si5 cheung4. It resumed operation after the war.
For a more detailed description of the history and architecture of the Central Market, including some interesting photos, see "A Study on Historical and Architectural Context of Central Market" by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. Some things I didn’t know:
The entrance on Queen’s Road is on the second level because the market is on a sloping site.
The new market building that opened in 1939 was a design influenced by the modern architecture of the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany. (My ancestors came from a village near there.)
The Central Market ceased operation in 2003 and presently is under consideration for preservation.
When I visited Hong Kong last year, I walked through all the districts from 堅 尼 地 城 Kennedy Town in the west to 鰂 魚 涌 Quarry Bay in the east. However, I didn’t do much exploring on the 九 龍 Kowloon side. Next year, when I go to Hong Kong, I plan to explore the districts in Kowloon (油 蔴 地, 紅 磡, 等 等) and the New Territories. There should be many more cool things to explore. ¶ 9:00 PM
Recently, I saw an interesting description in Chinese of 中 環 市 場 jung1 waan4 si5 cheung4 Central Market, which is located on 皇 后 大 道 中 Queen’s Road Central between 域 多 利 皇 后 街 Queen Victoria Street and 租 庇 利 街 Jubilee Street:
After Hong Kong was established, the Chinese liked to gather on the Central waterfront to sell things. Because the peddlers mostly came from Guangzhou (Canton), people called that place 廣 州 市 場 gong2 jau1 si5 cheung4 Canton Bazaar. Much later, in 1895, the government constructed the Central Market in the same place. The Central Market, which belonged to the Victorian style, was three stories tall with a tower in the middle. This Central Market was torn down in 1937.
In April 1939, the present new Central Market was completed, officially opening in May. The ground floor chicken, duck, and fish stalls started in operation on May 3rd; the second story meat stalls on May 4th; the third story fruit and vegetable stalls on May 5th. During the period that Japan occupied Hong Kong, the name was changed to 中 央 市 場 jung1 yeung1 si5 cheung4. It resumed operation after the war.
For a more detailed description of the history and architecture of the Central Market, including some interesting photos, see "A Study on Historical and Architectural Context of Central Market" by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. Some things I didn’t know:
The entrance on Queen’s Road is on the second level because the market is on a sloping site.
The new market building that opened in 1939 was a design influenced by the modern architecture of the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany. (My ancestors came from a village near there.)
The Central Market ceased operation in 2003 and presently is under consideration for preservation.
When I visited Hong Kong last year, I walked through all the districts from 堅 尼 地 城 Kennedy Town in the west to 鰂 魚 涌 Quarry Bay in the east. However, I didn’t do much exploring on the 九 龍 Kowloon side. Next year, when I go to Hong Kong, I plan to explore the districts in Kowloon (油 蔴 地, 紅 磡, 等 等) and the New Territories. There should be many more cool things to explore. ¶ 9:00 PM
