How Sheung Wan became the heart of Chinese entrepreneurship in Hong Kong
As plan mulled to turn Des Voeux Road into a pedestrian-only street, we look at the critical role historic district played in Hong Kong’s growth as a trading port
A pioneering urban planning scheme, Walk DVRC, is looking to pedestrianise Des Voeux Road in Central and Sheung Wan districts, easing traffic congestion and making local attractions more accessible to residents and tourists alike.
The area surrounding the stretch of the road in Sheung Wan is one of Hong Kong’s most distinctive neighbourhoods, with a long and colourful history. It is also arguably the heart of Chinese entrepreneurship in Hong Kong – for over a century, it was where Chinese merchants, financiers and fortune seekers made their first port of call.
The development of Sheung Wan really started in the 1840s after Hong Kong was handed over to the British by the defeated Qing dynasty, according to local historian Ko Tim-keung. Chinese vendors and street hawkers would line up their stalls on the neighbourhood waterfront, in what is now Queen’s Road.
“The historical development of Sheung Wan has long been overlooked by Western historians,” says Ko, who is also a former member of the Hong Kong government’s Antiquities Advisory Board.
“Without all the shops and institutes in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong would never have been like what we see now. All the activities and people there really made Hong Kong.”