The Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden is a public garden located in southern Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was constructed by the Tourism Commission of Hong Kong in 2007, and has been operating under Leisure and Cultural Services Department as a public space ever since. The site currently hosts the Avenue of Stars under the name "Garden of Stars" as part of an ongoing waterfront revitalisation project.[1][2]
History
Construction site of Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden, 2004
The garden's predecessor was the Wing On Plaza Garden (永安广场公园), named after a nearby commercial plaza.
In 2004, the government relocated the bus terminal of the nearby Star Ferry Public Transport Interchange to this area.[3] The Tsim Sha Tsui Spur Line of the Hong Kong MTR, which was supposed to pass through the region, was redesigned into an elevated railway.[4] Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden was constructed as a part of the redesigned transportation hub, and it was connected to Middle Road Children's Playground, which was also relocated above the East Tsim Sha Tsui station.
Overview
The garden was constructed in a Modernist architectural style, with water pool, small theater, dining area and pavilion, as well as two elevators connected to the ground floor.
On November 15, 2015, four bronze statues and some of the hand prints of celebrities were temporarily moved from Avenue of Stars to the Garden of Stars constructed here. Inside the garden, a 63-metre long painting strip was also set up, which featured scenes and characters from several famous Hong Kong movies. Out of all the original 107 hand prints, only 20 were placed in a recreated frame in time, while the others were only presented in 2016.[5]
Since the renovation of the Avenue of Stars were completed, the hand prints and statues were returned from the Garden of Stars.
