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LIKE NATHAN ROAD in Tsim Sha Tsui, known as the Golden Mile shopping district, Hennessy Road is the island's shopping hot-spot.

The road, named after Hong Kong's eighth colonial governor Sir John Pope Hennessy who instigated its construction, passes through Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, two of the busiest shopping and entertainment districts in Hong Kong.

A major portion of Hennessy Road stretches through Wan Chai, which is peppered with nightclubs, 'girlie' bars and everything associated with after-hours entertainment.

Most first-time visitors to Hong Kong will have heard of Suzie Wong, a character made famous by the Hollywood movie, and though a nightclub bearing her name has long since shut its doors, Ms Wong's world lives on in several of the seedier bars in the area.

Entertainment aside, Wan Chai is where the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Central Plaza, Hopewell Centre, the Grant Hyatt Hotel and the Hong Kong Arts Centre are located.

The area around Hennessy Road in Wan Chai has a local flavour to it. There are wet markets selling seafood, tai pai dongs  and an assortment of Chinese food and medicine shops.

Wan Chai also has several schools such as Wah Yan College (Hong Kong), St Francis' Canossian College, Tang Shiu Kin Victoria Government Technical School and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. There are also Chinese temples, churches and even a Sikh temple.

All this variety and colour around Hennessy Road makes it one of the most interesting areas in the SAR.

As Hennessy Road runs through the busiest districts in Hong Kong, its residents say it is easy to reach any part of Hong Kong and Kowloon in minutes.

Shopping malls in Admiralty and Causeway Bay are within walking distance, and business centres in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui are less than 15 minutes away by MTR.

At least 30 bus routes pass through Hennessy Road, and countless mini-buses and trams.

Some buses go to the most remote areas in the SAR, including Yuen Long, and can reach the new airport in less than an hour.

Living in such a conveniently located area comes at a price, though. The high volume of traffic that passes through the district makes it noisy and rather polluted.

Like most urban districts in Hong Kong, Hennessy Road has a good mix of residential and commercial high-rise buildings.

Most commercial buildings are located at both ends of Hennessy Road - in Admiralty and Causeway Bay.

Compared the relatively new commercial buildings, most residential ones are old, some built more than 30 years ago.

Billy Choi Chun-hung, assistant sales manager of Midland Realty's Wan Chai branch, said the old residential buildings were uniquely designed and flats were quite spacious, unlike most new residential buildings in the SAR. Also, these flats had quite a large useable area.

'Over 80 per cent of the old houses on Hennessy Road are 700 square feet or above,' he said.

He said quite a lot of people had bought units in the area as an investment and were renting them out.

The average sales price for a flat more than 30 years old is HK$1,600 per sq ft, which works out to HK$1.12 million for a 700 sq ft unit.

But the same unit can be rented out at HK$13 to HK$14 per sq ft per month, or an average HK$9,800 per month.

'A lot of people come to Wan Chai and buy flats to rent them out. Some clients buy more than 10 units at a time. It is a good investment,' said Mr Choi.

There are a few buildings on Hennessy Road which are a bit newer than most. These include East Man Court, Hay Wah Building, Kwong Sang Hong Building and Southern Garden on O'Brien Road. The size of the units in these developments ranges from 392 sq ft to 1,082 sq ft.

Sale prices are between HK$2,200 and HK$3,400 per sq ft, and rentals are from HK$15 to HK$20 per sq ft.

Of course, there are always better options available with a bigger budget. Several new developments in Wan Chai have better facilities that will attract potential buyers.

These include Cathay Lodge and Brilliant Court, which have clubhouses. They are located on Wan Chai Road, at the junction of old Cathay Theatre and Kennedy Street. Flats in these units range from 268 sq ft to 765 sq ft, and are priced between HK$4,000 and HK$5,000 per sq ft. Cathay Lodge also has a private swimming pool.

Star Crest, located near Admiralty, is even more luxurious, with apartments ranging in size from 730 sq ft to 1,158 sq ft.

These apartments are priced from HK$7,000 to HK$8,000 per sq ft. Although the development is actually located in Mid-Levels, it is within easy walking distance of Hennessy Road.

Two other new developments in the district are at 112 Johnston Road and 1 Star Street. The Johnston Road development has smaller flats, ranging from 395 sq ft to 440 sq ft, while the Star Street development has larger units, ranging from 410 sq ft to 711 sq ft which sell for HK$4,000 and HK$4,800 per sq ft, respectively.

Mr Choi said Wan Chai was quite an active area in terms of sales, with 50 to 60 Midland transactions each month.

Next week: Mount Kellett

Graphic: pro09gwz



Heavy traffic and pollution are the prices residents pay for living in the heart of Hong Kong's shopping and entertainment district