Wikipedia

Po Yan Street

22°17′06.4″N 114°08′49.5″E / 22.285111°N 114.147083°E / 22.285111; 114.147083

Po Yan Street (普仁街)
Po Yan Street in 2020
Map
Interactive map of Po Yan Street (普仁街)
Former name(s)坟墓街
聖士提反街 (St. Stephen Street)
Length200m
Restrictions50 km/h
LocationCentral and Western District, Sheung Wan
FromHollywood Road
ToHospital Road
Construction
Inauguration19th century (named on 1869)
An art gallery on Po Yan Street
A camera shop on Po Yan Street (now closed)
Po Yan Street outside Tung Wah Hospital (2006)

Po Yan Street (Chinese: 普仁街) is a street in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, that allows two-way traffic. It was formerly known as St. Stephen Street (Chinese: 坟墓街), and was renamed in 1869. It starts at Hollywood Road and ends at Hospital Road. Po Yan Street is the birthplace of Tung Wah Hospital and the Po Leung Kuk. The Tung Wah Hospital building was completed in 1870, and the Po Leung Kuk initially used space in the hospital as its office. In addition, a theatre, a shelter for the homeless, and a refugee camp were once built on Po Yan Street. The Hong Kong government also constructed sewer facilities in the area on multiple occasions. Since the 2000s, high-end shops such as furniture stores, antique shops, and art galleries have appeared on Po Yan Street, and some service units of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals are also located in buildings on the street.

Etymology

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Before 1869, Po Yan Street was named ("Grave Street"), after the cemetery for Chinese people located beside the street.[1][2] It was also previously known as "St. Stephen Street".[3]

History

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In the late Qing dynasty, political instability on the Chinese mainland prompted many Chinese people to come to Hong Kong to make a living or to emigrate overseas via Hong Kong. Sanitary conditions at the time were very poor, epidemics were rampant, and most Chinese people did not trust Western medicine, resulting in a high death rate. The hillside beside Po Yan Street therefore became the main burial ground for Chinese people.[4] There was also a church named "St. Stephen's Church" in the Po Yan Street area, which was completed in 1866 and demolished around 1888.[5]

In addition, the Tong Hing Theatre (同庆戏院) was completed in 1868 on Po Yan Street. The theatre was built of brick and wood, two storeys high, and provided 200 to 300 seats across four classes.[6] It was renamed Chung Hing Theatre in the 1890s and demolished in 1912.[7] The Shengping Theatre was also built at the junction of Po Yan Street and Tai Ping Shan Street.[8][9]

Po Yan Street is the origin of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and the site of the first hospital in Hong Kong founded by Chinese people.[10] Tung Wah Hospital was established in 1870. Governor Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell granted a plot of land on Po Yan Street and sponsored HK$115,000 under the Tung Wah Hospital Ordinance, with the balance raised by the Chinese community. After its establishment, the hospital provided traditional Chinese medicine services to Chinese people.[10] The hospital was initially a two-storey wooden building; in 1934, it was rebuilt as a six-storey structure designed by architect John Carr Clark.[11][12] When the Po Leung Kuk was first established, it used the "Ping On" and "Fuk Sau" buildings at Tung Wah Hospital on Po Yan Street as its office. In 1891, the government allocated a plot on Po Yan Street for the construction of the Po Leung Kuk headquarters. By 1932, the premises on Po Yan Street were insufficient, and the organisation relocated to its current site on Leighton Road.[13][14]

In the 1880s, the government made several efforts to improve sanitary conditions in the Po Yan Street area. In 1882, sanitary commissioner Osbert Chadwick, sent by the British Colonial Office, proposed building a sewer system in the Po Yan Street and Pound Lane area.[15] The Hong Kong government had similar plans in 1884.[16]

1990s

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In the 1930s, a shelter for the homeless was built on Po Yan Street, and after the war, Tung Wah Hospital established a refugee camp there.[17][18] In 1964, a four-storey wooden building at No. 2 Po Yan Street collapsed,[19] killing three people, including a pregnant woman; two other women were buried alive.[20][21] Afterwards, the Works Bureau [zh] sealed off the area to facilitate search operations by firefighters.[22] An editorial in the Kung Sheung Evening News identified poor building supervision and ageing structures as the main causes of the accident;[22] another editorial suggested that government departments should immediately seal buildings with structural problems for repairs, and that residents should notify the government immediately.[21]

2000s

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Since the 2000s, high-end shops such as furniture stores, antique shops, and art galleries have appeared on Po Yan Street.[23] Some properties on the street house service units of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; for example, the first floor of Tung Fai Garden is used as the general outpatient clinic for traditional Chinese medicine at Tung Wah Hospital, while the first to fourth floors of Tower 125 (世银花苑) accommodate the Hui Mok Tak Yu Care and Attention Home for the Elderly operated by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.[24] In addition, in 2011, Po Yan Street was included by the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences in the Tai Ping Shan Medical Heritage Trail to help the public understand the history of medical development in Hong Kong.[25]

Illegal parking has long been a problem in the Po Yan Street area, especially on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. In 2013, the Transport Department temporarily designated Po Yan Street as a restricted zone, prohibiting all motor vehicle drivers from picking up or setting down passengers or loading/unloading goods within the zone. The Central and Western District Council raised the issue with the Hong Kong Police Force in 2018.[26] The Police Force stated that officers from the Central District would conduct irregular traffic control and enforcement actions in the area.[27]

Alignment

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The alignment of Po Yan Street has changed several times. In 1887, it started at Gap Street (now incorporated into Hollywood Road).[28][29] In 1906, it started at No. 222 Hollywood Road and ended at Rutter Street.[30] In 1979, the section of Po Yan Street between New Street and Hollywood Road was converted to two-way traffic.[31] Currently, Po Yan Street starts at Hollywood Road and ends at Hospital Road,[1] and intersects with New Street, Po Hing Fong, Po Yee Street, and others.[26] Hospital Road and Po Yan Street are connected by a staircase that passes staff quarters and a mortuary; nearby residents also use it.[32]

Nearby

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Túshuō xiāngjiāng: Pǔ rén jiē, yuē 1930 nián" 圖說香江：普仁街，約1930年 [Illustrated Hong Kong: Po Yan Street, circa 1930]. 文匯報 (in Chinese). 2008-09-23. Archived from the original on 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  2. ↑ "Dōnghuá yì zhuāng lìshǐ" 東華義莊歷史 [History of Tung Wah Coffin Home] (PDF) (in Chinese). 東華三院網站. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-04. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  3. ↑ "Tong Lau / 唐樓, the Hong Kong shophouse. Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-04.
  4. ↑ 呂嘉麗 (2017-03-03). "Wèihé shànghuán tèbié měng guǐ? Fénmù jiē yītiáo lóng sǐwáng fúwù jiànzhèng huágōng bǎinián xīnsuān shǐ" 為何上環特別猛鬼？墳墓街一條龍死亡服務 見證華工百年辛酸史 [Why is Sheung Wan particularly haunted? Grave Street's one-stop death services witness a century of hardship for Chinese workers]. 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 2020-09-17.
  5. ↑ "St. Stephen's Church (1st Generation), IL830 [1866-c.1888]. Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-17.
  6. ↑ 黎鍵 (2010-11-01). 香港粵劇敘論 [Discourse on Hong Kong Cantonese Opera] (in Chinese). 三聯書店(香港)有限公司. p. 145. ISBN 978-962-04-3048-0.
  7. ↑ "Tung Hing theatre [1867-1912] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-09-16.
  8. ↑ 鄭寶鴻. "Túshuō xiāngjiāng: Pǔ rén jiē, yuē 1930 nián" 圖說香江：普仁街，約1930年 [Illustrated Hong Kong: Po Yan Street, circa 1930]. 香港文匯報 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  9. ↑ "Xìtái shàngxià — xiānggǎng xìyuàn yǔ yuèjù" 戲台上下 — 香港戲院與粵劇 [On and Off the Stage — Hong Kong Theatres and Cantonese Opera] (PDF) (in Chinese). 香港文化博物館. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-31.
  10. 1 2 "Wǒmen de qǐyuán | Dōnghuá sān yuàn" 我們的起源 | 東華三院 [Our Origins]. tungwah.org.hk (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04.
  11. ↑ "John Caer CLARK [c.1878-1943] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04.
  12. ↑ "Historic Building Appraisal Main Block, Tung Wah Hospital, No. 12 Po Yan Street, Sheung Wan, H.K." (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-04.
  13. ↑ 黃棣才 (2015-05-08). Túshuō xiānggǎng lìshǐ jiànzhú 1920-1945 圖說香港歷史建築 1920－1945 [Illustrated Hong Kong Historical Buildings 1920–1945] (in Chinese). 中華書局(香港)出版有限公司. p. 136. ISBN 978-988-8340-20-0.
  14. ↑ 張連興 (2012-07-01). Xiānggǎng èrshíbā zǒngdū 香港二十八總督 [The 28 Governors of Hong Kong] (in Chinese). 三聯書店(香港)有限公司. p. 126. ISBN 978-962-04-3249-1.
  15. ↑ Chadwick, Osbert (1882). Mr Chadwick's reports on the sanitary condition of Hong Kong; with appendices and plans. George E.B. Eyre and William Spottiswoode, for Her Majesty's Stationery Office. p. 15.
  16. ↑ Hong Kong Government (1884-03-08). "Government Notification No.81" (PDF). Hong Kong Government Gazette.
  17. ↑ "STREET SLEEPERS: Shelter Society's Humane And Efficient Work NEED TO EXPAND". South China Morning Post. 1936-03-31.
  18. ↑ "Xuè jiàn pǔ rén jiē" 血濺普仁街 [Blood Splattered on Po Yan Street]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese). 1951-09-28.
  19. ↑ "Pǔ rén jiē yī jiù lóu tāntā sān fù bèi mái kěnéng shì sān shī wǔ mìng cǎnjù" 普仁街一舊樓坍塌三婦被埋可能是三屍五命慘劇 [The collapse of an old building on Puren Street buried three women, possibly a tragic incident involving three corpses and five lives]. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese). 1964-10-02.
  20. ↑ "Xiāofáng yuán zài pǔ rén jiē tā wū xiànchǎng" 消防員在普仁街塌屋現塲 [Firefighters at the scene of the collapsed house on Po Yan Street]. Hong Kong Kung Sheung Daily News (in Chinese). 1964-10-04.
  21. 1 2 "Pǔ rén jiē de jiàoxùn" 普仁街的教訓 [The Lesson of Po Yan Street]. 工商晚報. 1964-10-05.
  22. 1 2 "Shànghuán pǔ rén jiē tā lóu zāi cháng liǎng fù bèi huómái réng wèi jiùchū" 上環普仁街塌樓災塲兩婦被活埋仍未救出 [Two women remain buried alive in the collapsed building on Po Yan Street in Sheung Wan; rescue efforts are still ongoing]. 工商晚報 (in Chinese). 1964-10-02.
  23. ↑ Bassi, Fiorella (2001-02-07). "The Source: PO YAN SREET, SHEUNG WAN". South China Morning Post.
  24. ↑ "Qíxià fúwù dānwèi | Dōnghuá sān yuàn" 旗下服務單位 | 東華三院 [Service Units] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04.
  25. ↑ "Tàipíng shānxià yīdào xué lìshǐ - dōngfāng rìbào" 太平山下醫道學歷史 - 東方日報 [Medical History Trail at the Foot of Tai Ping Shan]. orientaldaily.on.cc (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04.
  26. 1 2 "Yùnshū shǔ - jiāotōng tōnggào" 運輸署 - 交通通告 [Transport Department - Traffic Notice]. www.td.gov.hk (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04.
  27. ↑ "Zhǎngzhě tíchū yǒuguān jiāotōng jí yùnshū de yìjiàn" 長者提出有關交通及運輸的意見 [Opinions on Transport and Traffic from the Elderly] (PDF) (in Chinese). 中西區區議會. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-04.
  28. ↑ 鄭寶鴻 (2019-07-18). Xiānggǎng lìshǐ kǎochá zhī lǚ: Gǎngdǎo qū 香港歷史考察之旅：港島區 [Hong Kong Historical Exploration Tour: Hong Kong Island District] (in Chinese). 商務印書館(香港)有限公司. p. 40. ISBN 978-962-07-7334-1.
  29. ↑ Hongkong Daily Press Office (1894). The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, &c: With which are Incorporated "The China Directory" and "The Hongkong Directory and Hong List for the Far East" ... p. 265.
  30. ↑ Hongkong Daily Press Office (1906). The Directory & Chronicle of China, Japan, Straits Settlements, Malaya, Borneo, Siam, the Philippines, Korea, Indo-China, Netherlands Indies, Etc. p. 983.
  31. ↑ "Pǔ rén jiē jiāotōng zhōu wǔ gǎi shuāng chéng" 普仁街交通周五改雙程 [Traffic on Po Yan Street will be diverted to both directions on Fridays.]. 大公報 (in Chinese). 1979-02-21.
  32. ↑ "Yì zāi chéng guǐ yù tàipíng shān jiē sǐ dé rén duō yuànqì zhòng" 疫災成鬼域 太平山街死得人多怨氣重 [Epidemic turns area into ghost town; many deaths on Tai Ping Shan Street breed resentment]. the-sun.on.cc (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04.
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