Overview
Ho Man Tin is an upmarket residential neighbourhood in central Kowloon. The area is highly prized for offering a combination of a relatively peaceful living environment, a range of luxury residential developments and convenient access to Kowloon's major shopping zone and transport networks. The area also has one of the best school networks in Hong Kong, making it a much sought-after neighbourhood for families. Historically, Ho Man Tin has a strong expatriate flavour. The area was a focal point for German missionaries before it became a settlement for Portuguese colonialists. Before the first world war, Ho Man Tin's Portuguese population was reputedly the largest non-British expatriate community in Kowloon. This heritage is reflected today in the names of streets in the area. Soares Avenue takes its name from Francisco Paulo de Vasconcelos Soares, a Portuguese property developer who laid down the plans for the Ho Man Tin neighbourhood, while Emma Avenue was named after his wife and Julia Avenue his daughter.
Transport
Ho Man Tin has convenient access to major public transport networks. Mong Kok MTR station is a short walk away. And the link could be even closer if plans to build a station in the neighbourhood as part of the proposed Kwun Tong Line extension go through. Residents who need to commute to the mainland regularly can use the nearby Hung Hom KCR station from where through trains run to Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. Residents with cars who work on Hong Kong Island have convenient access through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.
Leisure
Aside from the hustle and bustle of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui, Mr Chang said residents had two large shopping malls - Langham Place and Festival Walk. For those interested in sports, the venerable Kowloon Cricket Club on Cox's Road has, in addition to its cricket ground, a wide range of sports facilities including a swimming pool complex, tennis courts, squash courts, lawn bowls, tenpin bowling lanes and snooker tables. Public sports facilities include the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Fat Kwong Street Indoor Games Hall on Good Shepherd Street and the Ho Man Tin Sports Centre on Chung Yee Street. Other places of note in Ho Man Tin include the Gun Club Hill Barracks, next to the cricket club, the Kowloon Central Library on Pui Ching Road, Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Gascoigne Road, and King's Park Sports Ground on Wylie Path.