When it was first surveyed in the 1860s, Nathan Road was called Robinson Road after the Governor Sir Hercules Robinson. In the late 19th century, street names in Kowloon paralleled some names on Hong Kong Island, such as Macdonnell Road (now Chatham Road). To avoid confusion, they were redesignated, and Robinson Road was named Nathan Road after the thirteenth Governor, Sir Matthew Nathan, the only bachelor and the only Jew to hold this office.
Such a broad thoroughfare was originally considered unnecessary, considering Kowloon was sparsely populated. It has long since proven its worth as one of the few roads in the area with no traffic jams. Now known as the 'Golden Mile' due to the many shops and hotels that vacuum money out of gullible tourists, Nathan Road was quite different before the 1960s. In those days, all of Tsim Sha Tsui was quiet, with low-rise buildings, tree-lined streets and only a few cinemas and hotels - a far cry from the noisy, polluted area it is today.
The Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre was originally built for the Indian Muslim soldiers stationed in Hong Kong before the Pacific War. It was also used by the many Punjabi Muslims in the Hong Kong police force. The original building was much smaller than the present one which was built in 1984, and reflects the wealth and standing of the Muslim community in Hong Kong today. One of the volunteers at the mosque, Mohamed Khan, is a Hong Kong-born Chinese Muslim, and recalls how he was forced to attend mass and recite Christian prayers in his Roman Catholic school. A former journalist and retired civil servant, Khan says the Chinese discriminated against Muslims and mocked their religion in those days, but he's optimistic that Hong Kong society is becoming more tolerant of Islam and its adherents today. He says it isn't easy being a Muslim in Hong Kong (take the almost inescapable presence of pork in Chinese cooking for example), but his faith keeps him going.
Kowloon Park is one of those pleasant, open areas that one never expects to find in the middle of downtown Tsim Sha Tsui.For years, it was one of many British army camps in Kowloon, and was named Whitfield Barracks after Major-General H.T. Whitfield, who served as acting Governor at various times in the 1860s. The park has ancient trees , ornamental ponds, a bird garden, swimming pools and pleasant areas to walk around or sit in. It is kept spotless at all times by the legions of vigilant urban council employees, in marked contrast to the often squalid streets nearby.
The Hong Kong Museum of History was relocated to its brand new, purpose-built premises at Chatham Road in 1998. Among its numerous excellent exhibits, the permanent 'Story of Hong Kong' is one of the most popular ways to learn about Hong Kong and its past. Prior to 1998, the museum was housed temporarily in Kowloon Park in one of the ex-military buildings that survived when Kowloon Park was created out of the old Whitfield Barracks. An old soldier who recently returned to England after living in Hong Kong for 63 years, said the premises was used as a clinic for treating venereal diseases for a time in the late 1930s. When asked how he knew for sure that's what it was, he replied, 'Well, we were all soldiers together, so ...' The foundation stone for St. Andrew's Church was laid in 1904 by J.C. Hoare, the Bishop of Victoria. Hoare drowned two years later while assisting victims of a typhoon that claimed thousands of lives. The church was a gift to the community from Sir Paul Chater, the Armenian millionaire businessman and co-founder of Hong Kong Land. Chater's house was next to the church and after his death, part of his grounds were integrated into the church property. The foundation plaque of the church hall is set in the wall at the top of the steps that lead up from Nathan Road. Tucked behind trees on a small hill, many passers-by aren't aware that this small red-brick church even exists. It seems out of place surrounded by modern buildings today, and is an attractive reminder of what much of Tsim Sha Tsui once looked like.
These venerable, leafy banyan trees are known in Cantonese as yung shue, and are a reminder of the days when all Tsim Sha Tsui streets were lined with similar trees. Most of these were felled long ago, but tree-lined streets are still fairly common on Hong Kong Island, where they grow in precarious positions, surviving poor soil, dry spells and long rainy periods. Banyan trees are also tolerant of airborne pollution, which is just as well since standing in Nathan Road for any length of time is enough to suffocate the average human being. Most ornamental plants on the roadsides soon sicken and die here.
