As the central business district of Hong Kong, it is the area where many multinational financial services corporations have their headquarters. Consulates general and consulates of many countries are also located in this area, as is Government Hill, the site of the government headquarters until 2011. The area, with its proximity to Victoria Harbour, has served as the centre of trade and financial activities from the earliest days of the British colonial era in 1841, and continues to flourish and serve as the place of administration after the handover to China in 1997.
Naming
View of Central and Victoria Harbour from Victoria Peak. Tsim Sha Tsui is visible across the harbour.
The General Post Office, the City Hall, and the surrounding business buildings in Central, viewed from the west.
The area of Chung Wan[2][3] (aka Choong Wan in the past;[4][5][6]中環), named Central in English, was one of the districts (四環九約) in Victoria City. The English name Central became prevalent after the Island line of the MTR metro system was built in the early 1980s,[citation needed] and the connected stations of Pedder and Chater renamed as Central. On some older maps, it and the area to its west are named Kwan Tai Lo (羣帶路) below Victoria Peak. It formed a channel, Chung Mun (中門), with Tsim Sha Tsui, on the sea route along the coast of southern China. The eastern part of Central District has been known as Admiralty since the completion of Admiralty station in the early 1980s.[citation needed]
Location
Central is located on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula. It is bordered in the west by Sheung Wan, with the border being along Aberdeen Street (also called Wing Kut Street). It is bordered in the east by Admiralty, an eastern extension of the central business district. As such, Admiralty is sometimes considered a part of Central. Central is bordered in the south by Mid-Levels, an area halfway up Victoria Peak. The boundary between Central and Mid-Levels is not clearly defined.
For district council elections purposes, the area, together with Admiralty, correspond roughly to the "Chung Wan" constituency.[7] The boundaries of such constituencies may be subject to modification.[8]
The British landed on Possession Point of Sheung Wan in 1841. They soon decided to build a city on the north coast of Hong Kong Island, and the present-day Central was chosen to house major military facilities and an administrative centre. The area soon attracted both Westerners and Chinese to trade and live in the area, and a Canton Bazaar (precursor of Central Market) was built between Cochrane Street and Graham Street in 1842. The area was soon zoned for Westerners only, and the Chinese residents were restricted to Sheung Wan. [It was zoned for "Western-style buildings," meaning buildings with minimum space and hygiene standards]. The area was largely dominated by the presence of Victoria City. The popularity of this area would also boost the population of Hong Kong from 5,000 in 1841 to 24,000 in 1848.[9]Government House and other Hong Kong Government buildings were completed during this period on Government Hill. Various barracks, naval bases and the residence of Commander, Flagstaff House were built on the east end of the district. Between 1860 and 1880 the construction of City Hall, Theatre Royal and other financial structures made Central the heart of Hong Kong.[citation needed]
The military structures survived until the 1980s. Only Flagstaff House remains as Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong Park. City Hall sat on the present premises of the HSBCHong Kong headquarters. Hong Kong's first road, Queen's Road, passes through the area and the business centre continued to expand toward the shoreline as far as the reclaimed lands.[citation needed]
Nord Anglia Education, which operates international schools in various countries, formerly had its head office in Central.[23] The head office moved to Hong Kong in 2012.[24] In 2018 the company announced it was returning its head office to the United Kingdom.[25]
Central is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 11. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and the following government schools: Bonham Road Government Primary School and Li Sing Primary School [zh] (李陞小學).[33]
^"Contact UsArchived 20 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Bank of China. Retrieved on 11 September 2011. "Registered Office BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Limited 52/F Bank of China Tower 1 Garden Road Hong Kong"
^"Contact Us." HSBC. Retrieved on 12 September 2011. "The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation – Hong Kong Address: GPO Box 64, Hong Kong, 1 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong SAR, China"
^"Contact Us". Chu Kong Passenger Transport. Retrieved 25 August 2021. Company Address: 22/F.,Chu Kong Shipping Tower, 143 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong – Traditional Chinese: "香港干諾道中一四三號珠江船務大廈22字樓" , Simplified Chinese: "香港干诺道中一四三号珠江船务大厦22字楼"
^"Contact Us". HKR International Limited. Retrieved 9 December 2023. Mail HKR International Limited 23/F, China Merchants Tower Shun Tak Centre 168 Connaught Road Central Hong Kong - Traditional Chinese: "香港干諾道中168號 信德中心招商局大廈23樓", Simplified Chinese: "香港干诺道中168号 信德中心招商局大厦23楼"
^"Contact Us." Nord Anglia Education. Retrieved on 5 March 2016. "Central Office Address: Nord Anglia Education St George's Building Level 12 2 Ice House Street Central Hong Kong"
This list is incomplete. Central has its own template due to the number of sites in that area. Sites specifically associated with University of Hong Kong are listed at the relevant template.
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