Happy Valley (Hong Kong)

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panorama
Happy Valley Racecourse

Happy Valley ( Chinese  跑馬 地  /  跑马 地 , Pinyin Pǎomǎdì , Jyutping Paau 1 maa 5 dei 6 * 2  - "horse racing course") is a district of Hong Kong in the Wan Chai District on Hong Kong Island . Happy Valley is characterized by higher-priced residential complexes such as The Leighton Hill , The Summit, and Highcliff . Local attractions include Happy Valley Racecourse , Hong Kong Stadium, and Hong Kong Cemetery .

The place is namesake of the soccer club Happy Valley AA .

Surname

The landscape architect Ken Nicolson describes the origin of the place name Happy Valley as a British euphemism for the cemetery complexes, which were created from 1848. According to author Patricia Lim, the name Happy Valley was already in use before the opening of the first cemetery. Their explanation is that Happy Valley was the most fertile and most beautiful place on the north coast of Hong Kong Island when British colonization began. Orlando Bridgeman, Lieutenant in the 98th Regiment of Foot in Hong Kong from 1842 to 1843, is said to have described the place as follows:

“There is only one spot in the whole of the island that has a tree on it. It is called Happy Valley, and is certainly a pretty spot. The rest of the island is one barren rock and perfectly devoid of all vegetation. "

“There is only one spot on the whole island that has a tree. It's called Happy Valley and it's certainly a beautiful place. The rest of the island is a bare rock and completely free of any vegetation. "

The Chinese name 跑馬 地 / 跑马 地 literally means "place for horse racing events " or "place for horse run" .

history

Happy Valley was originally a marshland and mouth of the Wong Nai Chung River ( 黃泥 涌  /  黄泥 涌 , Huángní Chōng , Jyutping Wong 4 nai 4 Cung 1  - " Loess arm"). Farmers grew sweet potatoes and especially rice here . Due to the Feng Shui of the place , Happy Valley was not coveted as building land by the Chinese population . European settlers initially built houses, but avoided the site after deaths caused by malaria in the swampy area increased .

In the newly formed Victoria City , the death rate from malaria and other diseases was high. While the first Christian cemeteries in Wan Chai became increasingly full, the Protestant cemetery Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley was established in 1845 . Around the same time, rice cultivation in Happy Valley was banned and the wetland drained. The Happy Valley Racecourse was opened in 1846 on the land that has now been freed . In the following years, more cemeteries were established near the Hong Kong Cemetery: Roman Catholic 1848 , Parish 1852 , Jewish 1855 , Muslim 1870 and Hindu 1880 with the earliest graves dated to 1888.

Bowrington Canal (1920)

Under Governor John Bowring , the Wong Nai Chung River was expanded into a canal , the Bowrington Canal , from the mid-1850s . A prominent point was the Bowrington Bridge , built in 1861 , over which the Hong Kong Tramways later passed the canal. Later land reclamation projects covered the canal and removed the bridge. It now runs underground under Canal Road and the Canal Road Flyover , which forms part of Route 1 .

In 1884 the Hong Kong Jockey Club was founded to promote horse racing . In 1918, around 600 people died in a fire at Happy Valley Racecourse.

In 1953, the Government Stadium was opened, which was converted into the Hong Kong Stadium in 1994 .

In 2001 and 2003, the neighboring skyscrapers The Summit and Highcliff were built in the south of Happy Valley and are among the tallest residential buildings in Hong Kong.

literature

  • Patricia Lim: Forgotten Souls: A Social History of the Hong Kong Cemetery . Hong Kong University Press, Aberdeen, Hong Kong 2011, ISBN 978-962-209-990-6 .
  • Ken Nicolson: The Happy Valley: A History and Tour of the Hong Kong Cemetery . Hong Kong University Press, Aberdeen, Hong Kong 2010, ISBN 978-988-8028-10-8 .

Web links

Commons : Happy Valley  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nicolson 2010 , pp. 1-2
  2. ^ Lim 2011 , pp. 5-6
  3. ↑ Lim 2011 , page 6
  4. ↑ Lim 2011 , pp. 6–12
  5. ↑ Tim-Keung Ko: A review of development of cemeteries in Hong Kong: 1841-1950 . In: Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society . No. 41 , 2001, p. 241-280 ( cultus.hk [PDF]).
  6. ↑ Jason Wordie: Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island . Hong Kong University Press, Aberdeen, Hong Kong 2002, ISBN 962-209-563-1 .

Coordinates: 22 ° 16 '  N , 114 ° 11'  E