Wanchai

Wanchai, meaning “small bay” in Cantonese, first began in pre-British times as a small Chinese settlement around the present Tai Wong Temple on Queen’s Road East. For generations it was also known as Ha Wan, or Lower Bay. The development of modern Wanchai began in the 1840s with the intention of creating a high-class residential and commercial centre. The major foreign firms all had substantial buildings in the area facing the sea, which included godowns and wharves. This area, known as Spring Gardens, was centred around the present-day Spring Garden Lane.

The tramway opened in 1904 along that section of the waterfront (known as the eastern Praya) that is now Johnston and Hennessy Roads.

Modern Hennessy, Lockhart, Jaffe and Gloucester Roads were all built on reclaimed land.  Gloucester Road, with its substantial and distinctive police station, remained as the Wanchai waterfront until further reclamation work was started the the late 1970s.

Wanchai was also a major distribution centre for rattan goods, a precursor of the many rattan shops still to be found in the area, especially along Queen’s Road East.

The enduring reputation of Wanchai as a nightlife zone developed in the post-war era. Before the war there were a few bars in the area, mainly owned by the Japanese and patronized by servicemen from the nearby barracks.  The big boom in these businesses started during the Korean War and continued during the Vietnam War, While bars and night clubs remain a features of the area, there is a great deal more to Wanchai than these aspects.