Part of our Place Names series.

Hong Kong’s daily life continues to reflect its historical maritime trade roots. Whether it’s the journeys made possible by companies like Star Ferry (Wharf) and Cathay Pacific (Swire), or the everyday convenience offered by 7-Eleven (Jardines) and Watsons (CK Hutchison, formerly Hutchison Whampoa), or even the awkward phrase “I have PayMe-d you” (HSBC), these companies, all with maritime connections, continue to shape the city’s identity.

Making waves

Hong Kong’s strategic location near China has made it one of the world’s largest ports. Initially trailing behind Shanghai, Hong Kong’s fortunes changed with the 1848 gold rush, which turned it into a pivotal point for Chinese migrants bound for the United States and Australia.

Despite criticism, the controversial coolie trade further fuelled shipping activities, before relocating to Macau and elsewhere.

Between the 1860s and the early 1900s, Hong Kong’s shipping industry experienced remarkable expansion, witnessing a more than fourfold increase in the number of ships.

This growth was fuelled by factors such as population growth, the opening of the Suez Canal, and the establishment of new trade routes. By 1899, Hong Kong had secured a significant 40 per cent of China’s total trade, solidifying its position as a key player in global maritime trade.

The early birds

Following the British occupation of Hong Kong in January 1841, foreign merchants and missionaries in Macau flocked to the newly acquired territory.

By April of the same year, basic structures such as matsheds and rudimentary godowns began dotting the city.

A mere seven days after Captain Charles Elliot declared Hong Kong a free port in June 1841, the first land sale took place, preceding the Treaty of Nanking which formalised the cession of Hong Kong Island the following year.

Foreign trading houses, known as hongs, acquired land lots along the Wan Chai and Central waterfront. Notable buyers included Jardine Matheson & Co. (Jardine) and Dent & Co., both prominent British opium merchants of the time, who secured land to establish their headquarters in Hong Kong.

Building empires

After the auction, Jardine started constructing warehouses, wharves, offices, and residences, in East Point, now Causeway Bay, establishing one of the first brick and stone structures in the city. Jardine’s Bazaar (渣甸街), Jardine’s Crescent (渣甸坊), and Yee Wo Street (怡和街), named after Jardine’s romanised Chinese name “Ewo” (怡和), were among the first streets built in the area.

Jardine’s executives, known as taipans, held esteemed positions in Hong Kong and the former concessions of Shanghai, with many serving on the Executive or Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Several streets in Causeway Bay bear the names of these individuals, including Matheson Street (勿地臣街), Irving Street (伊榮街), Percival Street (波斯富街), and Keswick Street (敬誠街).

Beyond shipping and trade, Jardine also delved into local industries, investing in ventures such as the China Sugar Refining Company and the Hong Kong Cotton Spinning, Weaving, Dyeing Co.

Both enterprises failed, resulting in the conversion of the former into the residential Sugar Street (糖街), while the latter’s land was sold to French Catholics for the construction of the St. Paul’s Convent School complex. Only a small road known as Cotton Path (棉花路) remains from that time.

Post World War II, economic shifts prompted Jardine to sell or redevelop holdings, resulting in developments like Paterson Street (百德新街), named after a former taipan, and streets like Houston Street (厚誠街), Cleveland Street (加寧街), and Kingston Street (京士頓街), named after North American cities with trade ties to Jardine.

Dent & Co., Jardine’s main competitor, took a different path. It secured land in Central during the initial auction and erected a building at the crossroads of Pedder Street and Praya Central, now part of The Landmark complex.

In Wan Chai, Dent & Co. constructed piers and warehouses, engaging in trade with Chinese ports like Xiamen and Shantou. This development led to the establishment of Amoy Street (廈門街) in the former and Swatou Street (汕頭街) in the latter after the area was reclaimed. Dent’s opulent residence, complete with a spring fountain, left behind Spring Garden Lane (春園街).

With a penchant for fountains, Dent also generously donated them to the old City Hall and Beaconsfield House in Central during the 1860s. However, the financial crisis of 1866 spelled disaster for several hongs, including Dent & Co.

Acting on early warnings, Jardine managed to avert calamity by withdrawing its balances from a failing bank. Following Dent & Co.’s collapse in 1867, half of its Pedder Street land was sold to the Hongkong Hotel, the city’s first luxury hotel, which succumbed to fire in 1926.

While Dent & Co. left little mark in that particular area, Glenealy (己連拿利) in Mid-Levels is named after the residence of Dent & Co.’s partner.

Little docks in Little Bay

Before 1841, Hong Kong did not have any shipyards or berth facilities. The closest option was the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) shipyard in Whampoa, Canton. P&O, which initiated monthly sailings to Hong Kong in 1845, later set up its headquarters in an ornate cast-iron verandah-style building. This establishment earned the company its Chinese name, “tit hong” (鐵行), which translates to “iron house.” Tit Hong Lane (鐵行里) in Central is named after this historical connection.

A pivotal moment for Hong Kong’s shipbuilding industry came with the construction of the Celestial vessel in 1843, transforming Wan Chai (灣仔) (“Little Bay” in Chinese) into a hub for small shipyards and warehouses.

Emery & Frazer pioneered a slipway, which eventually evolved into the Victoria Foundry by 1868. George Fenwick, a retired British Navy engineer, co-founded Fenwick & Morrison Engineering Co. and acquired the Victoria Foundry in 1880. Fenwick Street (分域街) honoured Fenwick’s contributions when the Praya East waterfront was completed in the early 20th century.

Timber yards were also present in the area, with streets like Burrows Street (巴路士街), named after Burrows & Sons, which was once a timber yard, and Mallory Street (茂蘿街), named after timber merchant Lawrence Mallory.

Warehouses owned by hongs, including Augustine Heard & Co. and McGregor & Co., inspired the naming of streets like Heard Street (克街) and McGregor Street (麥加力歌街). Notably, McGregor & Co. built Hong Kong’s first timber pier, replacing the earlier bamboo piers.

Jardine, which had many properties scattered throughout the area, influenced the naming of streets such as Landale Street (蘭杜街), Anton Street (晏頓街), and Gresson Street (機利臣街), all named after the company’s taipans.

Despite the changes brought about by reclamation over the years, remnants of Wan Chai’s original coastline can still be seen in several streets named after vessel types like Ship Street (船街), Schooner Street (捷船街), and Sam Pan Street (三板街).

Dock wars

During the 1860s, Hong Kong’s dockyard landscape transformed from small private docks to larger facilities capable of accommodating substantial vessels. This shift saw the establishment of Lamont Dock and Hope Dock in Aberdeen.

The emergence of Whampoa Dock Co. Ltd. and Union Dock Company, and their subsequent merger, played a pivotal role in reshaping the maritime industry in Hong Kong.

Whampoa’s path to monopoly

In 1863, Douglas Lapraik, a Scottish watchmaker turned shipping agent, teamed up with fellow Scot, Thomas Sutherland of P&O to establish the Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Company (HKWDC) – the first registered company in Hong Kong. Streets such as Douglas Street (德忌利士街), Douglas Lane (德忌利士巷), and Sutherland Street (修打蘭街) were named in honour of the co-founders.

Whampoa’s developments led Dent & Co. to partner with American companies Heard and Hunt. This partnership formed the Union Dock Company (UDC), which had shipyards in Wan Chai and Hung Hom.

However, intense competition between the two resulted in a merger in 1870. The merger with UDC, the acquisition of the Sands Slip in Kennedy Town (which Sands Street (山市街) was named after), and the Cosmopolitan Dock in Tai Kok Tsui solidified HKWDC’s position as a frontrunner in the local dockyard industry.

By the 1880s, the company had expanded its operations across Hong Kong, including the Kowloon Docks, which operated for over a century until closing in 1980. The legacy of Kowloon Docks lives on in Hung Hom, reflected in Whampoa Street (黃埔街) and Dock Street (船澳街). Streets like Gillies Avenue North (機利士北路), Gillies Avenue South (機利士南路), Dyer Avenue (戴亞街), and Cooke Street (曲街) are named after the company’s taipans.

Taikoo’s Industrial Empire

In the early 1900s, Taikoo Dockyard emerged as a major player in the shipbuilding industry.

The roots of Taikoo Dockyard trace back to 1872 when Butterfield & Swire Co. established The China Navigation Company. Capitalising on a surge in raw cane sugar trade, Taikoo Sugar Refinery was established in Quarry Bay, leaving behind Tong Chong Street (糖廠街), which translates as Sugar Refinery Street.

The area near the foot of Mount Parker, known as Kornhill (康山), named after Ferdinand Korn, became the site of the company residence for the senior manager of the refinery.

In response to the increasing need for their fleet, Taikoo Dockyard was built in 1907 adjacent to Taikoo Sugar Refinery. Street names like Taikoo Shing Road (太古城道), Taikoo Wan Road (太古灣道), and Shipyard Lane (船塢里) reflect the dockyard’s legacy, while Finnie Street (芬尼街), Greig Road (基利路), and Greig Crescent (基利坊) were named after the dockyard’s managers.

After World War II, a shift towards property development prompted the merger of Taikoo Dockyard and Whampoa Dockyard, forming Hong Kong United Dockyards in Tsing Yi. Both the Kowloon and Taikoo Docks closed in the 1970s and 1980s and were transformed into large private housing estates – Whampoa Garden and Taikoo Shing.

The legacy of Sir Catchick Paul Chater

As the maritime trade continued to flourish in Hong Kong, the development of wharves and godowns played a pivotal role in supporting the bustling port activity. In 1886, Sir Catchick Paul Chater founded The Hongkong & Kowloon Wharf & Godown Co. in Tsim Sha Tsui. With godowns acquired from Jardine and P&O, the company established facilities in Wan Chai, Sheung Wan, and the Western District. 

Born into an Armenian family in Calcutta in 1846, Chater was an influential figure in Hong Kong’s history, playing a crucial role in shaping the city. Starting as a bank assistant, he established his own bills and bullion brokerage business with the support of the Sassoon family.

Chater later contributed to the founding of the Star Ferry Company, Dairy Farm, Hongkong Electric Company, and Hongkong Land. He also transformed Hong Kong’s waterfront by reclaiming land along the shore of Central, creating 65 acres of new land. Catchick Street (吉席街) in Kennedy Town, Chater Road (遮打道), and Chater Garden (遮打花園) in Central were named in his honour.

The inbetweeners

In the era dominated by foreign hongs in maritime trade, Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong primarily engaged in three key industries associated with international trade: compradores, transfer houses, and Nam Pak Hongs.

Derived from the Portuguese word for “buyer,” compradores (買辦) served as intermediaries between foreign hongs and the Chinese business community. They earned commissions while shouldering responsibilities for bad debts and risks.

Typically held by individuals proficient in both English and Chinese, these roles were mainly occupied by Chinese or Eurasians, many of whom later established their own businesses and held prominent positions in society.

Kwok A-Cheong (郭亞祥) (also known as 郭甘章、郭松), hailing from Canton’s boat-dwelling community, stood as one of the earliest prominent figures in Chinese business. Beginning as a comprador for P&O, he ascended to oversee P&O’s shipwright and engineering department, eventually forming his own fleet of steamships.

Establishing Fat Hing Hong (發興行), a merchant house in Sheung Wan, Kwok expanded his landholdings significantly. By 1876, he ranked as Hong Kong’s third-largest ratepayer, following Douglas Lapraik & Co. and Jardine, Matheson & Co.

Kwok capitalised on the Second Opium War, supplying the British forces and reaping substantial profits. Beyond business, he served as a respected advisor to the government on Chinese community matters and was an original director of the Tung Wah Hospital. While Kwok Chung Lane (郭松里), dedicated to his memory, has been demolished, his legacy endures through Fat Hing Street (發興街) in Sheung Wan, named after his company.

Sir Robert Hotung, among Hong Kong’s wealthiest individuals, hailed from a compradore background. Born in Hong Kong to a Dutch father and Chinese mother, he identified strongly with his Chinese heritage. After serving as Jardine’s head compradore in 1894, Hotung embarked on an extraordinary entrepreneurial journey thereafter.

Upon leaving Jardine, he built a vast business empire spanning Hong Kong, China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America. His ventures encompassed real estate, shipping, food, finance, trade, insurance, entertainment, and hotels. By 1938, he held shares in one fifth of all companies listed in Hong Kong.

See also: Historian Vaudine England delves into Hong Kong’s lesser-known origin story

Beyond business, Hotung was a generous philanthropist, serving on several influential charitable boards. He received knighthood twice, from King George V and Queen Elizabeth II, a unique honour in Hong Kong’s history. Ho Tung Road (何東道) in Kowloon Tong was named after him in recognition of his role in rescuing the Kowloon Tong development project after it went bankrupt in 1928.

Sir Boshan Wei Yuk (韋寶珊) (also known as 韋玉) was another notable figure with a compradore background, and was one of the first Chinese individuals to pursue studies in Britain.

Educated in England and Scotland, he assumed his deceased father’s role as compradore for the Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London and China in 1879.

Wei emerged as a pivotal supporter of the Chinese community in Hong Kong, holding positions such as chairman of the Tung Wah Hospital board, co-founder of the Po Leung Kuk, and contributing significantly to various committees. He served on the Legislative Council from 1896 to 1917 and became the third Chinese individual in the colony to receive knighthood.

Wei’s astute business acumen led him to recognise the financial opportunities presented by the British acquisition of the New Territories in 1898. He was an early advocate for a railway connecting Hong Kong and Canton, now Guangzhou, which eventually materialised as the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Po Shan Road (寶珊道) in Mid-Levels was named after him.

Pot Of Gold

During the gold rush, Chinese laborers flocked to San Francisco, known as “Old Gold Mountain” (“舊金山”), and Melbourne, dubbed “New Gold Mountain” (“新金山”). This surge in migration fuelled demand for Chinese goods abroad, prompting the establishment of Gold Mountain House (金山莊) in Sheung Wan. These transfer houses provided essential services like lodging, ticketing, and remittance for workers, while also trading in food, medicines, and local products.

Conversely, Nam Pak Hongs (南北行) (South-North Houses) emerged to facilitate trade between Southeast Asia (South) and the Chinese mainland (North), aiding Chinese merchants in exchanging Chinese products and importing foreign goods into China. Concentrated around Bonham Strand East and West in Sheung Wan, these businesses shaped the area’s identity and economic activity.

Li Sing (李陞) (also 李璿), a Guangdong native, was a prominent 19th-century businessman. Fleeing the turmoil of the Taiping Rebellion in 1857, he settled in Hong Kong where he co-founded a shipping business catering to passengers bound for California and Australia.

Initially involved in then-legal activities like the trade of opium and labourers, at the time called coolies, he later expanded into recruitment and import-export trading in Nanyang.

Shifting his focus to property development, Li capitalised on Governor Kennedy’s urban development initiatives, acquiring significant land in Sheung Wan and the Western District.

In addition to real estate and trading, Li ventured into modern enterprises. He founded the On Tai Marine Insurance Company, the first Chinese enterprise to join the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, and invested in telegraph and mining businesses. Li also co-founded institutions such as the Tung Wah Hospital and the Po Leung Kuk. Upon his death in 1900, his estate was valued at HK$6 million, three times the annual revenue of the colonial government.

Li Sing Street (李陞街) and Ko Shing Street (高陞街) in Sai Ying Pun honour the contributions of Li Sing.

Ko Shing Street was named after Ko Shing Theatre 高陞戲院, Hong Kong’s second indoor theatre owned by Li Sing. Li Sing’s family legacy includes Li Po Lung Terrace (李寶龍臺), named after his fourth son, Li Chit Street (李節街) in Wan Chai after his brother and business partner, and The Li Po Chun United World College after his youngest son.

The first street in colonial Hong Kong named after a Chinese individual honours Toishan merchant Lee Yuk Tong (李煜堂). He was a pivotal figure in foreign trade and co-founded the Bank of Canton, the city’s first Chinese-owned bank.

After growing up in San Francisco, Lee migrated to Hong Kong and established Kam Li Yuen (金利源), importing Chinese medicine from North America during the Gold Rush. In 1902, he founded The China Hong Nin Life Insurance Company Limited, paving the way for multiple insurers and popularising life insurance among the Chinese, challenging foreign insurance monopolies and earning him the title of the Insurance King.

Lee’s influence extended beyond commerce. He played a crucial role in revolutionary movements, notably the Xinhai Revolution and the boycott of American goods. Joining the Tongmenghui in Hong Kong, he operated his shop as a clandestine liaison office for revolutionary activities.

In 1894, Lee invested in newly reclaimed land in Central, shaping the area that eventually became Li Yuen Street East (利源東街) and Li Yuen Street West (利源西街), named after Lee’s businesses.

Wong Yiu Tung (黃耀東), another emigrant from Toishan, had a significant impact on Kowloon’s urban development. After making his fortunes working in a transfer house, Wong ventured into various businesses such as gold and silver trading, ice production, timber, shipbuilding, restaurant and theatre. His extensive investments in Sham Shui Po earned him the title Sham Shui Po Emperor.

In 1936, he funded the construction of the Sham Shui Po Chinese Public Dispensary, located on Yee Kuk Street (醫局街), and co-established a steamship route linking Sham Shui Po to Central, enhancing connectivity with Hong Kong Island.

Wong also sponsored schools for underprivileged children and made significant donations to secondary education. He served as chairman of Po Leung Kuk for four terms and was appointed a Justice of the Peace. In honour of his contributions, Yiu Tung Street (耀東街) was named after him.

Banking beginnings

When Hong Kong became a free trading port, no local currency was available for everyday circulation. Instead, people used a mix of foreign currencies like Indian rupees, Spanish and Mexican reales, Chinese cash, silver taels, and British pounds. It wasn’t until 1863 that coins specifically for Hong Kong were minted by London’s Royal Mint. These coins bore the portrait of the reigning monarch and came in silver and bronze.

In the late 1860s, there was an attempt at local coin production at the Hong Kong Mint in Causeway Bay, but it didn’t gain much traction. The Mint closed in 1868, and its site was later acquired by Jardine Matheson, eventually becoming the China Sugar Refinery Co.

Despite Royal Mint Street disappearing by the 1890s, an inconspicuous street named Pennington Street (邊寧頓街) commemorates this overlooked history. James Pennington, despite his significant contributions to banking, monetary policy, and international trade, is relatively unknown today. His work addressed issues like coin shortages and gold overvaluation, as well as analysing currency systems in British colonies.

As shipping and trade grew, so did related industries like bullion brokerage, insurance, and banking. At first, only foreign bank branches existed in Hong Kong but with increased trading activities, the demand for a local bank in Hong Kong became clear.

In mid-1864, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, now known globally as HSBC, traces its origin to a group of British financiers in Bombay who aimed to establish a new bank in Hong Kong.

Upon hearing this, Thomas Sutherland of P&O and lawyer E.H. Pollard spearheaded the drafting of a prospectus for a competing bank in Hong Kong. They received support from influential figures such as Douglas Lapraik and the taipans of Dent and Co., Augustine Heard, John Burd & Co. and Gilman & Co., the latter two the namesakes of Burd Street (畢街), Gilman Street (機利文街), and Gilman’s Bazaar (機利文新街).

A Provisional Committee of 13 managed to raise US$5 million within a week, marking the inception of HSBC and the early downfall of its competitor bank. Initially, Jardine Matheson abstained due to its reluctance to collaborate with Dent & Co., its main rival, and to safeguard its foreign exchange business.

However, once HSBC had firmly established itself, a partnership was formed with Jardine Matheson in 1877. Notable figures from Jardine Matheson, including J.J Bell-Irving, James Johnstone Keswick, and David Landale, who are commemorated in the streets mentioned earlier, later became chairmen of HSBC’s board of directors. Notably, John Johnstone Paterson served three terms in this capacity.

Other roads with historical connections to HSBC include Forbes Street (科士街) in Kennedy Town, named after William Forbes, chairman of Russell & Co., who also served two terms as chairman of the HSBC board of directors. Additionally, Jackson Road (昃臣道) is named in honour of Thomas Jackson, who became the bank’s third chief manager at the young age of 35 in 1876.

The Bank of East Asia (BEA) was founded in 1918 by influential Chinese businessmen in Hong Kong, echoing the beginnings of HSBC. BEA aimed to merge Eastern and Western banking traditions by embodying the characteristics of a Chinese family-run bank while embracing modern accounting and banking methods.

The founders of BEA had strong ties to prominent companies like Nam Pak Hong, transfer houses, and various industry firms, which helped them establish a robust business network in Hong Kong. This network became pivotal to BEA’s success. By the late 1920s, BEA had expanded its footprint globally, with agents in cities such as Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, Bombay, Sydney, London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu.

Among the co-founders, Sir Shousan Chow, a revered businessman and community leader, held a prominent role as the first Chinese member of the Executive Council. Chow, originally from Wong Chuk Hang, was part of the third group of Chinese students sponsored by the Qing government to study in the United States.

In addition to co-founding BEA, he occupied various diplomatic positions and served as a director for numerous companies, including the Hongkong Electric Company, Hongkong Telephone Company, Hongkong Tramways, A.S. Watson’s, and the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company.

Notably, Chow played a significant role in the attempted development of the land that eventually became Kai Tak International Airport, collaborating with Sir Boshan Wei Yuk and other Chinese businessmen. Upon his retirement, the Hong Kong government honoured his dedicated service by naming the hill where his residence stood Shouson Hill (壽臣山) and the surrounding road Shouson Hill Road (壽山村道).

Take a look

Exploring Hong Kong’s maritime history reveals both its industrial development and the people who steered its course. Companies like Jardine Matheson and Swire left significant imprints on the cityscape, while compradores and transfer houses streamlined transactions, playing a crucial role in shaping early Chinese communities.

By tracing Hong Kong’s monetary history, from its diverse currency origins to the establishment of local banks such as HSBC and the Bank of East Asia, we uncover a story of perseverance. This history highlights not just economic growth, but also the enduring spirit of enterprise and cultural exchange that defines the city today.

Explore the map below to see how maritime trade and commerce have influenced our street names.

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Part of a series on Hong Kong’s historic place names.

Hong Kong’s street names offer a glimpse into its rich history as a former British colony on Chinese soil and a global trading hub. They tell a compelling story about its past and its connections to the wider world, showing that perhaps Hong Kong does – after all – deserve its self-proclaimed title of Asia’s World City.

This is the third part in a series about street names in Hong Kong. Click here for Part One, which explores how transliterations resulted in some bizarrely named roads, and click here for Part Two, which focuses on anglicised street names with no British origin.

British influence

London transplants

As a former British colony, it is no surprise that many street names bear British influences. In the early days of the city’s development, some street names were directly borrowed from London, based on their similar functions. 

One of the first priorities for the British was law and order. In 1842, they completed Victoria Gaol in Central, which later became Victoria Prison and is now part of Tai Kwun. The British not only brought their judicial system from their homeland but also named the new streets around the prison after two streets in London.

Old Bailey Street (奧卑利街) was named after the historic institution in London, also known as the Central Criminal Court. Chancery Lane (贊善里) is a small street behind Victoria Prison that got its name from a street in West London where the Court of Chancery and many law firms are located. Perhaps the name was chosen to symbolise the right to a fair legal defence for those undergoing trials near Victoria Prison.

When a cattle quarantine depot and slaughterhouse were constructed in Kennedy Town in the 1890s, the area was given the name Smithfield (士美菲路), after a street market and meat wholesale centre in London.

Other transplanted street names include Great George Street (記利佐治街) in Causeway Bay, after the same street in Westminster which houses the headquarters of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and Lambeth Walk (琳寶徑) in Central, after a street in South London, which has its own song from the musical Me and My Girl.

Hills and rivers

Up in the New Territories, a British surveyor and his team of Indian technicians conducted a comprehensive survey of the area in 1901. They incorporated a mix of British and Indian place names into the region. Over time, many of these names have either fallen out of use or have been replaced with local names since the city’s Handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

Certain areas were named after geographical similarities, for example, the region around Tai Mo Shan was designated as Cheviots due to its resemblance to rolling hills on the Anglo-Scottish border. Fanling became known as Cotswolds, inspired by a hilly region in Gloucestershire, England. San Tin’s lowlands and hills were respectively named North Downs and South Downs after areas in southern England. 

Lin Ma Hang was named Mendips for a range of hills in Somerset, England. Ngau Tam Shan (大牛潭峒) and Hung Fa Chai (紅花寨) were named Snowdon and Ben Nevis, after the highest peaks in Wales and Scotland respectively. 

They didn’t forget India either. The largest rivers in the New Territories were once named River Indus, River Jhelum, River Chenab, River Sutlej, River Beas, and River Ganges, influenced by the Indian connection.

Located in Lok Ma Chau, Mount Kirkpatrick is a curious case. Although it shares its name with the highest point in the Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica, discovered and named by the British Antarctic Expedition in the early 1900s, further investigation suggests that the mountain was actually named after George Macaulay Kirkpatrick, a Canadian who served as the Commander of British Forces in China from 1921 to 1922. The two other mountains in the area were named after his successors, John Fowler and Charles Luard.

Under control

Streets near government and military establishments in Hong Kong often have names of British locations. For example, the roads surrounding former government quarters on the Peak, such as Mansfield Road (文輝道), Watford Road (和福道), and Guildford Road (僑福道), are named after British towns.

Route Twisk (荃錦公路), once a military road, passes through the former Shek Kong Camp, with streets nearby named Northumberland Avenue (諾森伯倫路), Shropshire Road (史樂信路), and Staffordshire Avenue (士達福信路).

For all the adventure-seekers out there, the World War Two tunnels in the Shing Mun Redoubt offer a fascinating exploration opportunity. This defensive position played a crucial role during the ill-fated Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941.

The tunnels, part of the Gin Drinker’s Line, were constructed by the British military in the late 1930s. Each entrance, passage, and exit bears the name of a street in Central London, such as Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, and Charing Cross. 

Garden city

In the 1920s, Legislative Council member Charles Montague Ede led a group of British merchants to develop the land near Kowloon City into a “Garden City.” As most of the investors were British, the streets were named after English counties such as Essex Crescent (雅息士道), Rutland Quadrant (律倫街), and Kent Road (根德道). 

When the Hong Kong government developed the then-barren area of Kowloon Tsai into a residential area in the early 1950s, the streets were also named after English counties, such as Oxford Road (牛津道), Cambridge Road (劍橋道), and Durham Road (對衡道).

Naval side quest

Located on Ap Lei Chau, London Lane is a small and inconspicuous alley that holds a hidden story of a naval encounter. The area was once a harbour busy with fishing boats, sampans, shipyards, and warehouses. Residents would unload goods like grain, oil, and groceries in a sandy area called Tozai Tau (渡仔頭), from where they could be transported to various shops on Main Street.

In the 1960s, a group of British sailors from HMS London visited the area and decided to build a rudimentary pier. To mark its completion, the locals erected a cast iron sign reading “London Pier.” Sadly, the pier fell into disrepair after a few years but the road leading to it was later renamed London Lane (倫敦里) in honour of that little naval adventure.

Chinese connections

Watery paths to Kowloon’s streetscape

As you walk through the lively streets of Kowloon, you will come across many names that transport you to mainland China. However, it all began with two streets on the other side of the harbour. 

In the mid to late 19th century, Wan Chai became a hub for maritime trade and business. Companies established offices, docks, and warehouses along the coast. One of them, Dent & Co, mainly traded with Chinese ports like Xiamen and Shantou.

When the original dock area shifted inland due to land reclamation, Amoy Street (廈門街) and Swatow Street (汕頭街) were created. These names were derived from the Romanisation of Hokkien and Teochew dialects spoken in those cities, and these two streets were among the first in Hong Kong to be named after cities in mainland China.

Seeing double

In 1860, after the British claimed the Kowloon Peninsula, road construction began in the bustling district of Tsim Sha Tsui. Several new roads sprouted up, starting from what is now known as Nathan Road.

However, many had the same names as their counterparts on Hong Kong Island, which caused some issues with postal delivery. To solve this problem, the government renamed several important streets in Kowloon in 1909.

Many of these new names were chosen to represent mainland provinces and cities closely connected to Hong Kong’s trade. In Tsim Sha Tsui, Chater Road was renamed Peking Road (北京道) and MacDonnell Road became Canton Road (廣東道).

In Yau Ma Tei, First Street, Second Street, and Fourth Street became Kansu Street (甘肅街), Pak Hoi Street (北海街), and Ning Po Street (寧波街), respectively, and Station Street became Shanghai Street (上海街), among others.

This naming practice continued throughout Kowloon’s development, leaving its mark on Sham Shui Po and Hung Hom too.

Laying Hung Hom’s foundation

Two streets in Hung Hom tell the story of the area’s early development. In the early 20th century, the expansion of the Whampoa dockyard and the presence of companies like Green Island Cement Company and China Light and Power Company drove the area’s development.

The Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company was established in the 1860s. Over the following decades, the company acquired various docks in Hung Hom, expanding its operations. “Whampoa” in the company’s name originates from the harbour at what was then known as Whampoa Island in Guangzhou.

It was the chief anchorage for ships engaged in Guangzhou’s foreign trade, and the company owned another dockyard there.

In 1897, the Green Island Cement Company relocated from Ilha Verde, Macau, to Hong Kong. The following year, it partnered with the Whampoa shipyard to undertake a substantial land reclamation project, establishing a cement factory in the newly reclaimed area. When the area was redeveloped in the 1980s, traces of these companies could still be seen on streets such as Whampoa Street (黃埔街) and Tsing Chau Street (青州街), meaning “Green Island Street.”

Honouring the ancestral home

In the early 20th century, Chinese businessman Lee Hysan acquired land in Causeway Bay and constructed numerous commercial buildings, including Lee Garden and Lee Theatre. To pay homage to his ancestral home, the streets in the area are named after places in his hometown, Siyi (四邑) in Guangdong.

As you stroll through the area, you will find yourself immersed in the four counties of the Pearl River Delta via Sun Wui Road (新會道), Hoi Ping Road (開平道), Sunning Road (新寧道), and Yun Ping Road (恩平道).

Poetic connections

Some streets in Hong Kong that are named after Chinese cities have no direct connection to their namesakes. In Aberdeen, a businessman opened the Tai Shing Paper Manufacturing Company (大成紙廠) in 1905.

A reservoir was also constructed on the hill behind the mill to store water for powering the machines. Although the paper mill is no longer operational, the street on which it was located is named Lok Yeung Street (洛陽街), after the poetic idiom “Luoyang paper is expensive” (洛陽紙貴).

Subsequently, several new streets in the area were named after provinces and cities in mainland China, despite having little trade or historical connection to Aberdeen in Hong Kong.

These streets include Sai On Street (西安街), Chengtu Road (成都道), Fung Tin Street (奉天街), Wu Pak Street (湖北街), Wu Nam Street (湖南街), Nam Ning Street (南寧街), and Tung Sing Road (東勝道).

The ones that have been lost

Over the years, large-scale land reclamation and redevelopment projects have led to the disappearance of many streets in Hong Kong. Fuk Ts’un Heung (福全鄕) next to Tai Kok Tsui, was a settlement for local fishermen and farmers in the early 19th century.

Located near the border and the bay, it served as a port for cargo transportation and business activities, with streets such as Newchwang Street (牛庄街), Chungking Street (重慶街), and Foochow Street (福州街).

The three main streets in Fuk Ts’un Heung, however, became infamous due to neglect and the prevalence of illegal activities and were even given the nickname of the “three infamous alleys” (三陋巷). Around 1926, the area started to merge with parts of Tung Chau Street (通州街), Tai Kok Tsui Road (大角咀道), and the extended sections of Boundary Street (界限街). The old remaining street was later renamed Fuk Tsun Street (福全街) to commemorate Fuk Ts’un Heung.

Other streets that have disappeared over time include Hainan Street (海南街) and Lin Chau Road (連州道／廉州道) in Sham Shui Po, Nanning Lane (南寧里), Suchow Lane (蘇州里), Tientsin Street (天津街), Wuchow Terrace (梧州台) in Yau Ma Tei, Fukien Street (福建街) and Honan Street (河南街) in To Kwa Wan / Hung Hom, and Kwang Tung Street (粵東街) and Kwangsi Street (粵西街) in Kowloon City.

From Hong Kong with love

Remembering the lives lost

Hong Kong has places named after unexpected locations, some of them chosen by the British military to pay tribute to fallen personnel. Streets in Tsim Sha Tsui, such as Minden Avenue (棉登徑), Minden Row (緬甸臺), and Blenheim Avenue (白蘭軒道), were named after Royal Navy ships that were themselves named after German towns where battles took place.

In Yau Ma Tei, Waterloo Road (窩打老道) and Pilkem Street (庇利金街) were named after Belgian towns where the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of Passchendaele took place, with many British soldiers losing their lives.

The British military camps and training areas in the northern New Territories were named after major battles that Britain fought in both world wars, such as Gallipoli Lines and Vimy Ridge from the First World War, as well as Cassino Lines and Burma Lines from the Second. 

A distinctive feature of Burma Lines is the Hindu temple, which, though vacant since 1996, remains almost intact and was once used by the camp’s Gurkhas for worship. The temple is dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, and is organised in a hexagonal structure with five entrances, resembling a lotus flower — a symbol of beauty and holiness in Hinduism.

Asia calling

Hong Kong’s history as a trading hub is evident in streets named after partners in Asia. One significant trading partner during the 19th century was Indochina, with Vietnam being particularly important.

During the French colonial period, trade relations between China and Vietnam were maintained through three main routes: the Lao Cai-Yunnan railway, the Hai Phong Port to Hong Kong and Guangdong, and the Saigon Port connecting to Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

During the renaming of Kowloon streets in 1909, Hong Kong paid tribute to the connection by renaming three streets after Vietnamese cities. Elgin Road became Haiphong Road (海防道), East Road was changed to Hanoi Road (河內道), and Third Street became Saigon Street (西貢街).

In Sham Shui Po, Tai Nan Street (大南街) was named after Danang, a port city in Vietnam. Tonkin Street (東京街) may confuse some readers as it translates to “Tokyo Street” in Chinese, but it is actually named after the northern region of Vietnam.

The term “Tonkin” is a Western adaptation of Đông Kinh, which means “eastern capital” in Vietnamese. Although historically used in China and neighbouring countries, it now specifically refers to Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

Other streets named after port cities include Ki Lung Street (基隆街) in Sham Shui Po, named after Keelung in Taiwan and Malacca Street (馬來街) in Hung Hom.

Going Dutch

Despite its small size, the Netherlands has left its mark. Dutch Lane (荷蘭徑), a path situated above Bowen Road and below Peak Road, dates back to 1902 when Dutch shipping company Java-China-Japan Lijn (JCJL) opened a branch in Hong Kong. JCJL’s staff quarters were situated on Peak Road and employees probably used the path to walk from their homes to their offices.

The story of JCJL did not stop at Dutch Lane. After the Second World War, JCJL, which had become the Royal Interocean Lines, built its head office in North Point. The adjacent road became Java Road (渣華道), reflecting the Dutch colonial period’s association with the Indonesian island of Java.

The origin of Holland Street (荷蘭街) in Kennedy Town is still a mystery. It first appeared on a map along the coast in 1889. Since this was before JCJL officially had a branch in Hong Kong, it is unclear whether the street was named after the area where Dutch ships used to unload or after Holland Street in London’s Kensington district.

Selling units

Developers understand that choosing the right name for their projects is crucial in attracting potential buyers. To create a sense of sophistication and prestige, they have been using English, French, or Latin names for the past few decades.

In Hong Kong, where potential buyers often can’t physically see the finished product, the name holds particular significance. In the New Territories, you can find streets named after locations such as California, Rome, Kensington, and Versailles.

Jardine Matheson has been a prominent figure in the international business community since the British arrived in Hong Kong in 1841. The company constructed a pier, warehouses, factories, offices, and residences along the western shore of Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island.

Following World War Two and the subsequent changes in the commercial market, Jardine started selling or redeveloping its properties, transforming them into commercial and residential buildings. Streets such as Houston Street (厚誠街), Cleveland Street (加寧街), and Kingston Street (京士頓街), were named after North American cities that held trade relations with the company.

Located in Kowloon, Mei Foo Sun Chuen is home to a few surprises. It was built between the 1960s and 1970s and was the first large-scale private housing estate in Hong Kong. At one point, it held the title of the largest private housing development worldwide.

The estate was built on land that was previously a petroleum-storage facility of Mobil and was redeveloped by Mei Foo Investments Limited, a subsidiary of Mobil Oil. Two streets within the complex are named after the company’s New York origins — Broadway (百老匯街) and Nassau Street (蘭秀道).

However, the origin of the third street, Humbert Street (恒柏街), remains a mystery. While there is a Humbert Street in both New York and New Jersey, it appears to have little significance.

Time For A World Tour

Throughout Hong Kong, you can find street names reflecting the global influences that have shaped its identity, from British and Chinese cities to trading partners and even some unexpected locations.

In fact, if you head to the New Territories, it’s just a 10-minute ride from Zurich to Rome.

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Part of a series on Hong Kong’s historic place names.

Hong Kong was under British rule for over 150 years but it wasn’t a one-way street when it came to developing – and naming – one of the world’s top trading destinations.

Most English-language street names are transliterations of the Cantonese, while some commemorate governors or other colonial empire-builders. But more than 11 per cent of the non-Cantonese names originate from languages and cultures outside the UK.

One of the best-known appears to be D’Aguilar Street in Central. But where did these other street names with anglicised words come from?

Explore the interactive map below to see the linguistic roots of Hong Kong’s ‘English’ street names:

As an entrepôt in the early colonial days, Hong Kong attracted opportunists from all walks of life. Between 1844 and 1897 its foreign population increased more than 18-fold and these merchants, officials, and missionaries played an important role in shaping the city. With 25 per cent of all the English-based street names in Hong Kong named after individuals, the legacy of many of them endures.

Portuguese: Pioneers of HK’s Suburbs

The story of the Portuguese in Hong Kong goes back to the early Portuguese exploratory expeditions in India, the Malay Peninsula, Japan and Macau. Many Portuguese in Hong Kong were descendants of the early seafarers in Macau. By 1897, more than half of the Portuguese population in Hong Kong had been born in the city.

The multilingual Portuguese community played a crucial role as buffers between the British and Chinese during the early colonial period. The Portuguese were seen as different from other Europeans and were discriminated against by the British.

In one case, when Granville Sharp (not the British campaigner for the slave trade abolition) laid out how he wanted to bequeath the Matilda Hospital, he noted in his will that:

‘…different classes be provided for and that the hospital be reserved for British, American and European patients, with some very limited discretion for the directors, but excluding Chinese, Portuguese and Japanese.’

As the city developed, high rents on Hong Kong Island drove many Portuguese to Kowloon. By the 1920s, Tsim Sha Tsui was mostly a Portuguese area and many of Kowloon’s earliest developers were Portuguese. 

Francisco Paulo de Vasconcelos Soares developed the Kowloon suburb of Homantin in the mid-1920s. He named the streets after his family (Soares Avenue 梭椏道), his wife (Emma Avenue 艷馬道) and his daughter (Julia Avenue 棗梨雅道), as well as in honour of World War I (Peace Avenue, Victory Avenue, and Liberty Avenue). 

Hiding in this cluster is a tiny path called San Francisco Path (舊金山徑, “Old Golden Mountain Path” in Chinese, the moniker of the California city). At first glance, the street may seem oddly named after an American city – did Soares see himself as a saint and name the street after his namesake, ‘Francisco’? While that cannot be entirely ruled out, it is more likely to be a tribute to the oldest garden in Macau (S. Francisco Garden/加思欄花園/Jardim de S. Francisco) that his father helped design. 

Other Portuguese-named streets include Braga Circuit (布力架街) and Rozario Street (老沙路街). If you fancy a better view, you could even hike up to Boa Vista (野豬徑), which means “Good view” in Portuguese (the Chinese name means Boar Path) in Tai Tam.

Indians: Keeping things in check

In the 1750s, the British East India Company began training and deploying mercenary soldiers from the Indian subcontinent for overseas military engagements. They fought in the First Opium War which led to the cession of Hong Kong. By the time the British occupied Hong Kong in 1841 there were already around 2,700 soldiers from the Indian subcontinent based there.

About one-third of the garrison in Hong Kong during the first decade of colonial rule were from India. Many of them transferred to the police after retirement; before World War II, 60 per cent of the police force was made up of Sikhs from Punjab. Even though most ended their service in Hong Kong after India gained independence from Britain in 1947, traces of the community’s military involvement can be seen in some street names.

“Lascar” in Upper and Lower Lascar Row (摩羅上/下街) was used by the British to refer to seafarers from the Indian subcontinent and is derived from “lashkar,” the Persian word for military camp. The area was home to dozens of Indian traders and in-between-jobs sailors from the 1840s to 1920s. Many of them brought products from all over the world to sell and the area became a marketplace for second-hand goods. 

Jat’s Incline (扎山道) in Wong Tai Sin was built by the 119th Infantry (later renamed the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Jat Regiment) in 1907 and repaired in 1932 by the 3rd Battalion of the 9th Jat Regiment.

In addition to helping keep things in check, South Asians were among the first to “check Hong Kong out.” After the British took control of the New Territories in 1898, a team of Indian surveyors led by the Anglo-Indian George Passman Tate, for whom Tate’s Cairn (大老山) is named, conducted a large-scale survey of the area. 

It is no coincidence that some of the largest river systems in the New Territories were named after major rivers in India and Pakistan – River Indus, River Jhelum, River Chenab, River Sutlej, River Beas, and River Ganges. Although these rivers were renamed after the Handover, it is still fascinating to think that four of five Punjab rivers were in Hong Kong at one point. 

Jews: Philanthropists, a governor, and a camel

The first Jewish settlers in Hong Kong were descendants of Jews who fled the Inquisition to Baghdad. During the 19th century, they travelled to India to set up trading operations, and later in Canton, Macau and Hong Kong. 

While Jews never constituted a large community in Hong Kong, many influential members have left their mark in the city, including Sassoon Road (沙宣道) and Kadoorie Avenue (嘉道理道) named after the two powerful Jewish families. In addition to founding the China Light and Power Company (CLP Group) and The Peninsula Hotels, the Kadoories engaged in many philanthropic endeavours including housing Jewish refugees in transit after World War II.

Kadoorie’s philosophy of “helping people help themselves” was evident in the often neglected colonial-era New Territories. The family set up Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden, initially an experimental farm to demonstrate crop production and livestock farming to local farmers. In Yim Tin Tsai, Sai Kung, they donated cement and pipes to villages to improve access to fresh water.

Matthew Nathan, the 13th and only Jewish governor of Hong Kong, catalysed the development of Kowloon, a then-marshy area, by constructing what would eventually become Nathan Road (彌敦道). Even so, he was not part of the Hong Kong Club as most Jews, with a few exceptions, were not permitted there then. The eccentric Emanuel Belilios, who funded the first government school for girls in Hong Kong, famously kept a camel on the Peak which sadly fell off a cliff.

Parsis: Small but mighty

Parsis are descendants of Zoroastrian followers who fled to India from Persia (present-day Iran) to escape Muslim persecution 1,300 years ago. Some eventually settled in Hong Kong in the 19th century through trade.

Despite being a small community, they contributed to the establishment of many century-old institutions, including HSBC, where two of the founding members were Parsis, the Star Ferry, founded by Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, and Hong Kong Ruttonjee Sanatorium, funded by Jehangir Hormujee Ruttonjee. 

Hormusjee Naorojee Mody, after whom Mody Road (麼地道) was named, was a businessman and land developer. He alone contributed HK$285,000 to the establishment of the University of Hong Kong. As the first major benefactor to pledge HK$150,000 to construct the Main Building, he set a precedent for others to follow. He also contributed to the founding of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Kowloon Cricket Club.

In addition to Freddie Mercury, Robert Kotewall, a businessman and civil servant born to a Chinese mother and a Parsi father, is another Parsi showbiz connection. He wrote “Uncle Kim,” (鑒叔) the first English Cantonese opera, in 1921, and successfully petitioned the Governor in 1933 to allow casts made up of both genders in Cantonese operas. Despite his fall from grace due to his collaboration during the Japanese occupation, his legacy continues. He left behind Kotewall Road (旭龢道) and a great-grandson who continued his love of the arts by starring in Hollywood productions such as The Social Network and The Handmaid’s Tale.

Somewhere Borrowed 

While Hong Kong has many streets named after places in the United Kingdom (Dorset Crescent 多實街), China (Peking Road 北京道), and foreign islands (Java Road 渣華道) linked by trade, there are a few streets named after places where the connection is less obvious. 

Remembrance 

Minden Avenue (棉登徑), Minden Row (緬甸臺), and Blenheim Avenue (白蘭軒道) near Signal Hill in Tsim Sha Tsui are named after the two Royal Navy ships HMS Minden and HMS Blenheim, which in turn took their names from German battlefield towns. The German connection is lost in Minden Row particularly as its Chinese name was mis-transliterated to the Chinese name of Myanmar「緬甸」(min5 din1).

Further up in Yau Ma Tei, Waterloo Road (窩打老道) and Pilkem Street (庇利金街) bear the names of two Belgian towns where the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of Pilckem Ridge took place. During World War I in 1917, Pilckem Ridge in Ypres, Belgium, was heavily contested during the Battle of Passchendaele. Over 30,000 British troops lost their lives in this battle. 

Fanciful

Aside from remembering the fallen, foreign places are also used because they are seen to lend cachet to property developments. Despite the Handover, luxury properties in Hong Kong have been given vaguely western names to sound more upscale. In the New Territories, you can find clusters of streets named after California cities, the Swiss Alps, and French wines.

• San Simeon Avenue (西蒙徑) – Spanish
• Zermatt Avenue (策馬特大道) – German
• Lafite Avenue (洛菲大道) – French

However, having a fancy foreign name doesn’t necessarily imply knowledge of the language. “Viale,” for example, is used as a suffix, as opposed to a prefix as it should be in Italian street names.

Hong Kong English

Words from other cultures have been adapted into our day-to-day vocabulary over the years, and some can be seen in our street names.

From Macau with Love

The term “Praya” was borrowed from Macau. Derived from the Portuguese word for beach, it refers to a seafront promenade dotted with houses. The crescent-shaped Praya Grande beach in Macau was the Portuguese colony’s most famous viewpoint and appeared in many artworks. The term was transplanted when the British set up their own Praya in Hong Kong. 

The Praya was once part of Hong Kong Island’s original seafront. After the Praya Reclamation Scheme in the late 19th century, the Praya became Des Voeux Road (德輔道), Johnston Road (莊士敦道) and Hennessy Road (軒尼詩道). It is still possible to see remnants of the original Praya in Kennedy Town (Praya, Kennedy Town 堅彌地城海旁), but with reclamation it has become landlocked.

Even though the Praya is long gone, there are a few streets that still retain “Praya” in the name.

Interestingly, not all seafront promenades in Hong Kong are referred to as Praya. Other terms such as “promenade” and ‘Hoi Pong” are also employed and there seems to have been no logic in the process. Lei Yue Mun Praya, in particular, begins its linguistic journey on Lei Yue Mun Praya Road (鯉魚門海傍道) and ends on Lei Yue Mun Hoi Pong Road East (鯉魚門海傍道東).

From Valley Stream to Drainage 

The word "Nullah" was documented in English as far back as the mid-17th century in the writings of British merchants and officers in India. It refers to  "a stream in a narrow valley, a drain for floodwater" and has roots from Bengali নালা (nala), Hindi नाला (nālā), and Sanskrit नाडी (nāḍī). The term was later brought to Hong Kong to describe open-air, concrete-lined channels for diverting floodwater.

Although some nullahs still exist, many have been covered up through the years. Stone Nullah Lane (石水渠街) in Wan Chai and Nullah Road (水渠道) in Mong Kok are remnants of their watery past.

English or…?

Despite being a largely homogeneous society, with Chinese comprising over 91 per cent of the population, Hong Kong has long been home to an eclectic mix of people and cultures fuelled by trade. The linguistic diversity in street names reflects the diverse communities that helped build the city. 

In case you're still wondering about Mr D'Aguilar, despite the name being derived from Old French, he was English after all - a native of Liverpool.

Clarification 29/12/2022: An earlier version of this article stated that Jews were not welcomed at the Hong Kong Club. However, there were some exceptions, as a later version of the piece clarified.

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Part of a series on Hong Kong’s historic place names.

There are two different English names near Chung Ying Street (中英街, China England Street), a historical location on the Hong Kong—mainland China border. Car Park Street, a translation of the Chinese name (車坪街), can be seen on the old T-shaped sign while the newer sign reads Che Ping Street, the transliteration of the Cantonese. So what happened there?

The street was the terminus of the Kowloon–Canton Railway’s short-lived Sha Tau Kok branch in the early 20th century. Sometime after the line ceased operation in 1928, the street was renamed.

While there appears to be no records about the name change, it begs the question: why are some street names converted semantically and others phonetically?

Not that kind of junk

Street names are bilingual in Hong Kong but the conversion between English and Chinese names is often confusing. Mistranslations and ill-sounding transliterations sometimes lead to hilarity.

The Geographical Place Names Board, founded to clean up inauspicious or eyebrow-raising place names, famously rebranded the place now called Tseung Kwan O (將軍澳) in the 1980s. When the British first surveyed the area, it was named Junk Bay after the junk boats spotted nearby.

With landfills and ship-breaking operations nearby, the name caused some problems during the new town’s development as it was taken to refer to “junk” or trash. A transliteration of its Chinese name was then given to the area, renaming it Tseung Kwan O.

Despite the committee’s efforts to eradicate unfortunate-sounding names, it is unclear how Wan King Path (灣景街, waan1 ging2 gaai1, ‘Bay View Path’) in Sai Kung managed to survive the purge in the 1990s.

One way or another

In many East Asian countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan, street names are often romanised versions of their native languages. Unlike our neighbours, Hong Kong’s street names are sometimes not merely transliterations between English and Cantonese.

Some are translated (e.g. Hospital Road ↔ 醫院道) and others are a mix of transliteration and translation, often with numbers or cardinal directions (e.g. Yee Kuk West Street ↔ 醫局西街). There are also streets where their bilingual names are either mistranslated or seem to have no relation to each other (e.g. Stewart Terrace ↔ 十間, “Ten Units”).

Transliteration

Most street names in Hong Kong are transliterations between Cantonese and English. As a former British colony with fewer than five per cent of the people being primary English speakers, similar sounds are helpful for communication between races.

In a few rare cases, street names are transliterated from Chinese languages other than Cantonese. Daoyang Road (道揚道 dou6 joeng4 dou6) and Jat Min Chuen Street (乙明村街 jyut3 ming4 cyun1 gaai1) took their names from notable Chinese figures with Mandarin and Hakka names.

Several streets have transliterations that do not even sound Cantonese or Mandarin. Take a walk around the Yau Tsim Mong area and you will find many streets named after different Chinese cities. Postal Romanisation is used in some streets (e.g. Peking Street), where the transliteration is neither Cantonese- nor Mandarin-sounding. These old Chinese place names were replaced by Mandarin pinyin in the 1950s.

Linguistic differences between English and Chinese pronunciations and writing systems are evident in some transliterations. A common misreading of the silent “h” is found in Chinese transliterations of Bonham, Chatham, Wyndham, etc., where “ham” is rendered as 「咸」(haam4). In one particular case, differences in English and Chinese writing systems resulted in a unique name. A Chinese clerk accidentally transposed “Alexander Terrace,” its intended name, as Rednaxela Terrace because Chinese was written from right to left at the time. The name stuck and became a feature of Mid-Levels.

Translation

The Hong Kong government and property developers have been responsible for naming and translating street names since 1842. To no one’s surprise, translations are not always accurate. Some are partly translated, like Princess Margaret Road (公主道), where Margaret was omitted in the Chinese name. Others are downright incorrect, such as Pine Street (杉樹街) and Fir Street (松樹街), in which their Chinese translations were erroneously swapped.

Adding to the confusion are mistranslations of polysemes (words with multiple meanings). Constructed in the early 1840s, Queen’s Road was named after Queen Victoria and remains a key thoroughfare to this day. However, instead of referring to the sovereign ruler (女皇), the Chinese name was mistranslated as queen consort  (皇后), the wife of a King.

Other examples of mistranslated polysemes include:

• Pound Lane (磅巷) — named after an animal shelter nearby, was mistaken for a unit of measurement
• Power Street (大強街) — named after a power station, but mistaken for strength
• Spring Garden Lane (春園街) — named after a garden with a spring fountain, but mistaken for “spring” (the season).

Nuances in the Chinese language can be spotted in some street names. “Dock” in Chinese is「船塢」 (syun4 ou3), yet the Chinese name for Dock Street (船澳街), named after the Kowloon Docks is a meaningless homophone (words with the same pronunciation but different meanings) of「船塢」(syun4 ou3).

The translation of Ice House Street into ‘Snow Factory Street’ in Chinese may seem baffling to some, but this is due to a particular nuance in Cantonese. Ice (冰) and snow (雪) were interchangeable in Cantonese. For example, refrigerator in Cantonese means ‘snow cabinet’ (雪櫃) whereas it is ‘ice box’ (冰箱) in Mandarin. Named after the building that stored ice shipped from North America in the 1840s, ice was never manufactured on Ice House Street.

Ones that bear no relations

Wishful thinking

To convey good wishes for the neighbourhoods, the government and property developers often christen streets with auspicious names in Chinese that have no linguistic relation to their English counterparts. 

The Governor’s Walk, translated into “Together Happy Walk”「同樂徑, was taken from the Chinese saying「官民同樂」which means joy “shared between rulers and people.”

Mong Kok is another prime example. The former coastal region was named after the overgrown silvergrass found in the area 「芒角」(mong4 gok3, ‘corner of silvergrass’).

When the government reclaimed the bay and developed the area in the early 1900s, the Chinese name was renamed to its current appellation [旺角」(wong6 gok3) which means “Prosperity Point.” The English name was never updated. With its extremely high population density of 130,000 per square kilometre, perhaps the name did deliver.

Colonial imposition

Like other then-colonies, many places and streets in Hong Kong were named after colonial officials. Rather than being just transliterations from English, their Chinese names often tell a different story.

Known for its fishing village, not many people know that Aberdeen is the “original Hong Kong.” Named after George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, who played a pivotal role in the Opium Wars leading to the cession of Hong Kong, Aberdeen’s Chinese name 「香港仔」(hoeng1 gong2 zai2, ‘Little Hong Kong’), gave Hong Kong its name. When the British landed near Aberdeen in the early 19th century, they mistook the name of the village “Hong Kong” for that of the entire territory – and the rest was history.

Some colonial street names were decolonised even before the Handover. Jervois Street was named after British General William Jervois, who was in charge of rebuilding Sheung Wan after the devastating fire of 1851. Originally transliterated to「乍畏街」(zaa3 wai3 gaai1), 「乍畏」was considered inauspicious as it means “dread” in Chinese. The Chinese name was renamed to「蘇杭街」(sou1 hong4 gaai1, “Suzhou Hangzhou Street”) in 1978 as most of the shops along it sold textiles from Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Some colonial place names with different Chinese and English interpretations remain a mystery to this date. Whoever Penny’s Bay (竹篙灣, “Bamboo Pole Bay”) was named for would not be pleased to know that it would become a dreaded Covid quarantine facility.

Colourful highways

Some highway names have unusual origins. Rather than being named after someone called Twisk, Route Twisk (荃錦公路) came from the initials of the two places it links: Tsuen Wan (TW) and Shek Kong (SK). The origin of the ‘i’ in the middle has been contested — some claimed that it refers to “intersection” while others claimed that it was a misprint of “Route TW/SK.” In Chinese, the highway means Tsuen Wan – Kam Tin Route (Kam Tin is an area next to Shek Kong).

Hiram’s Highway (西貢公路), connecting Sai Kung to Clear Water Bay, was named after Major John Wynne-Potts who expanded the road built by the Japanese military during World War II. So, where did Hiram come from? At that time, an American tinned sausage brand called Hiram K. Potts was supplied to the British army in large quantities as military rations. The sausages were hated by everyone, but Major Wynne-Potts gladly accepted them from his colleagues in exchange for other food. Due to the brand of cans bearing his surname Potts, he became nicknamed Hiram over time. The anecdote is lost in its Chinese name as it only refers to Sai Kung Highway with no mention of said sausage.

Chef’s kisses

In spite of the numerous bizarre street name conversions, there are a few that deserve a special mention. A few streets such as Link Road (連道, lin4 dou6) and Welfare Road (惠福道, wai6 fuk1 dou6) managed to achieve the near-impossible by matching their English and Chinese names both phonetically and semantically.

In Aldrich Street’s translation story, English and Cantonese are creatively intertwined. Situated in Aldrich Bay, the area is named after Colonel Edward Aldrich, who was responsible for formulating the British defence plan and was known for his remarkable effectiveness in rectifying military discipline. When the bay was named after him in 1845, “Aldrich” was converted to 「愛秩序」(ngoi3 dit6 zeoi6) in Chinese, which means  “loving discipline” and its Cantonese transliteration.

Eclectic linguistic journey

Linguistic relationships between Hong Kong’s bilingual street names are weird and wonderful. There are times when mistranslations or ill-sounding transliterations lead to hilarious sightings, and there are streets with bilingual names that are completely unrelated. Their Chinese names, however, often tell a different story. Some managed to preserve their indigenous names, while others were shaped by the socio-cultural context of their colonial nomenclature. 

Explore the map below by hovering on different streets to see how their bilingual street names are related.

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