- 1881 Heritage, located within the renovated Former Marine Police Headquarters
- China Hong Kong City, which also houses office buildings, a hotel and a ferry terminal
- Cke, in the Chungking Mansions building
- Harbour City
- iSQUARE, opened in 2009
- K11, opened in 2009
- Miramar Shopping Centre
- New World Centre
- Sogo, opened in 2005. It is located underground, below Salisbury Road. The location was formerly the site of The Palace Mall,[2] from 1997 to 2001, and of Teddy Bear Kingdom (Amazon), from 2002 to 2005.
- Silvercord, at the junction of Canton Road and Haiphong Road
- The ONE, built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at No. 100 Nathan Road, at the corner with Granville Road
Tsim Sha Tsui (Chinese: 尖沙咀),
often abbreviated as TST, is an urban area in southern Kowloon, Hong
Kong. The area is
administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed
from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui. The area is bounded north by Austin Road and
in the east by Hong Chong Road and Cheong Wan Road. Geographically, Tsim Sha
Tsui is a cape on
the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula pointing
towards Victoria Harbour, opposite Central.
Several villages had been established in this location before Kowloon was ceded to the British Empire in
1860. Tsim
Sha Tsui in Chinese means sharp sandspit.
It was also known as Heung Po Tau (香埗頭), i.e. a port for exporting incense tree. Tsim Sha Tsui is a major tourist hub in metropolitan Hong Kong, with many
high-end shops and restaurants that cater to tourists. Many of Hong Kong's museums are located in the area.
Geography
Before
any land
reclamation, Tsim Sha Tsui consisted of two parallel capes with a bay in
between in the south. The west cape, Kowloon
Point, the proper Tsim Sha Tsui, coincided with the small hill where
the Former
Marine Police Headquarters is sited, while the east cape was the hill
that is today known as Blackhead Point. The
bay between the capes extended as far north as the present-day Mody Road. Today, Canton Road marks
the western edge of Tsim Sha Tsui, and Chatham Road the
eastern edge. The area is hilly, although many hills were levelled for
reclamation.
History
Historical maps in Ming or Qing Dynasty named
the channel between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central as Chung Mun (Pinyin: Zhong Men, 中門, lit.
the middle gate) as it is located in the middle of the two other
channels, Kap Shui Mun in the west and Lei Yue Mun in
the east, in the harbour.
Before
Kowloon was
ceded to Britain in 1860, many villages were present in the area.
Incense trees (Aquilaria sinensis) from New Territorieswere
gathered at some quays in Tsim Sha Tsui and transferred to Shek Pai Wan in
southern Hong
Kong Island to be exported to rest of the world. It was thus known as
Heung Po Tau, the fragrant quay. Shortly after the land was ceded to Britain,
construction began on the first section of Tsim Sha Tsui's major
thoroughfare, Nathan
Road.
In
1888, the Star Ferry offered
regular transport between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, and the area has
flourished ever since. Until the 20th century, Tsim Sha Tsui was a leafy
suburb dominated by the people and facilities of the British military. Whitfield Barracks,
converted into Kowloon
Park in 1970, ran to the west of Nathan Road, and Kowloon
Naval Yard occupied the waterfront to the west of the army encampment. In the
early 20th century, Chinese people were allowed to live in the area to attract
more people to trade in the colony. Garden houses were replaced with crowded
residential blocks. Wharves and godowns were built along
the west shore. Major developers like Hormusjee
Naorojee Mody and Catchick Paul Chater actively
participated in the development of Tsim Sha Tsui.
The Kowloon–Canton
Railway (British Section) commenced service on 1 October 1910. Kowloon Station in
Tsim Sha Tsui was built on the new southern reclamation from 1913 to 1915. The
rails extended along the western reclamation parallel to Chatham Road, with
old Hung Hom
Station near the Gun Club Hill
Barracks at the junction of Chatham Road and Austin Road. Another
major road, Salisbury Road,
was completed in approximately the same period. The landmark Peninsula Hotel was
built on the reclamation in 1928, opposite to the station.
The
Kowloon Station was relocated to a new Hung Hom Station in 1978. The whole
station and rails were demolished except the landmark Clock Tower. Hong Kong Space
Museum and later the Hong Kong
Cultural Centre were erected on the site. The rails were replaced
with New World
Centre and other gardens in Tsim Sha Tsui East.
In
2016 the Tsim
Sha Tsui Waterfront Revitalisation Plan was shelved due to public
controversy.
Industry
Tsim
Sha Tsui remains tertiary
sector from colonial days to present. In early colonial days,
transport, tourism and trading are main business of the area. As port and rail
facilities moved out of the area, the major industry falls on the later two.
Tsim Sha Tsui, like Central, contains
several centres of finance. After Kai Tak Airport closed,
the height restrictions on buildings has dropped and now larger taller
skyscrapers, parallel to those of Central, have been constructed.
Demography
There
are a substantial number of African, Indian and Pakistani minorities
in the area. In colonial days, many Indians set up their businesses or joined
the army and police force in Hong Kong, and their descendents continue to live
in the territory. In recent years, Hong Kong has also attracted African
traders, especially those of the Commonwealth,
to trade in the territory. Most of them are transient residents and live in
inns in the area.
Recreation and tourist attractions
Hotels
Tourist
hospitality is a major industry in Tsim Sha Tsui. The area has the highest
concentration of hotels in Hong Kong. Prominent and renowned hotels
include The
Peninsula, The
Kowloon Hotel at Middle Road, Kowloon Shangri-La,
the InterContinental
Hong Kong, the Sheraton Hotel,
three Marco
Polo Hotels, The Langham Hong
Kong, the Renaissance Kowloon Hotel (since demolished), The Mira Hong Kong, Baden-Powell
International House, Hotel ICON and
the Hotel Panorama.
The Hyatt
Regency Hong Kong was closed on 1 January 2006 and the iSQUARE shopping mall
was built at its former location. It has re-opened in October 2009 on Hanoi
Road of Tsim Sha Tsui within the new The
Masterpiece skyscraper. Other hotels in virtually every price range
and level of luxury can be found throughout the area; Chungking Mansions is
well known for providing cheap lodging for backpackers.
Restaurants
Tsim Sha Tsui is one of many places to find exotic restaurants in
Hong Kong. Hillwood Road at the north of Observatory Hill concentrates on restaurants of different
national dishes. Knutsford Terrace on
the other side of the hill is a terrace of pubs. Kimberley Street is
famous for the Korean cuisine restaurants
and grocery stores, especially after the advent of Korean Wave (韓流) in
Hong Kong, giving the street the nickname of Koreatown (小韓國). Located on Nathan Road, the Chungking Mansions is a major tourist attraction in Tsim Sha
Tsui. Georgetown Parade is well known for its dog nose biscuits. These
recognisable buildings were featured in the film Chungking Express, and are full of inexpensive guest houses,
Indian restaurants, and money changers.
Shopping
Tsim
Sha Tsui is one of the main shopping areas in Hong Kong. Shopping malls in the
area include:
The
Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard is located along a section of Nathan Road. The flagship
stores of several luxury brands are located in the Tsim Sha Tsui section
of Canton Road.
Parks
The
largest park in Tsim Sha Tsui is Kowloon Park, a popular
destination complete with swimming pools, an aviary and a sculpture garden.
Other parks and public open spaces include Signal Hill Garden at Blackhead Point,
the Urban
Council Centenary Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Salisbury Garden,
Middle Road Children's Playground and the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, which
includes the Avenue of
Stars, along the Victoria Harbour waterfront.
Museums and performance venues
Half
of the major museums in
Hong Kong are situated in Tsim Sha Tsui. The Hong Kong Space
Museum, Hong Kong Museum
of Art and the Hong Kong
Cultural Centre are located at the southern waterfront. Hong Kong
Museum of History and Hong Kong
Science Museum are situated in Tsim Sha Tsui East. The Hong
Kong Heritage Discovery Centre and the Health
Education Exhibition and Resource Centre, located within Kowloon Park, are
housed in preserved and restored blocks of the former Whitfield Camp.
Other facilities
There
is a public library in Tsim Sha Tsui, at 1st Floor, Concordia Plaza, 1 Science
Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. It is closed Thursdays and opens every other day
at 10:00 a.m. It closes at 7:00 weekdays and 5:00 weekends
(1:00 p.m. on public holidays). As with all HKPL libraries, it has the
free Government wifi service, has computer terminals available for guest use
and the 'Print with Ease' Self-printing Service.
Tourist attractions
Tsim
Sha Tsui was once the terminus of the Kowloon-Canton
Railway (KCR). After the British Section of the railway was opened
for traffic on 1 October 1910, the construction of the railway station in Tsim
Sha Tsui started in 1913. Construction on the railway station and its clock
tower were completed in 1915. The main building of the Tsim Sha Tsui station
was demolished in 1978. The station was relocated to Hung Hom to make way
for the Hong
Kong Space Museum and the Hong Kong
Cultural Centre. But the Clock Tower of
the station was not demolished and was kept in place. It is all that remains
standing of the station. The clock tower is forty-four metres high, surmounted
by a seven metre high lightning rod. It is now surrounded by the public piazza
of the Cultural Centre and has become a landmark of Hong Kong. Six pillars of
the railway were relocated to the Urban
Council Centenary Garden in TST East.
The Avenue
of Stars starts at the "New World Centre"
shopping centre near the Cultural Centre. There is also the attraction of
shopping at a clothing store frequented by famous people from all over the
world, at Sam's
Tailor.
The
Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is another popular destination for locals and
tourists alike. It is especially popular for photographers, as it offers an
unobstructed view of the Central area
of Hong Kong across Victoria Harbour.
The Star Ferry terminal
is another popular attraction for tourists, and the Avenue of
Stars is also popular with photographers.
Tsim
Sha Tsui is also a great place to watch Christmas lightings during December
every year as tall buildings in the district will set up light bulbs on their
walls with Christmas patterns, which is a well known famous scene.
East Tsim Sha Tsui
East Tsim Sha Tsui or Tsim
Sha Tsui East (尖沙咀東 or
simply 尖東) is an area east of Chatham Road South reclaimed from Hung Hom Bay in
the 1970s. Many restaurants, office buildings and
hotels are located in the area. The Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade links the area with the Hong Kong Cultural
Centre near the Clock Tower. In 2004, the East Rail Line returned to Tsim Sha
Tsui with the extension of the line from Hung Hom to the new East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, which serves as an interchange station with
Tsim Sha Tsui station on the Tsuen Wan Line. Unlike
other East Rail Line stations, it was built underground near Blackhead Point. An
extensive tunnel system was constructed for pedestrians to access the most
popular destinations in Tsim Sha Tsui, and to change trains between the two
lines.
Public transport
Trains
Tsim
Sha Tsui is served by the MTR Tsim Sha Tsui
Station, on the Tsuen
Wan Line. Another station, East Tsim Sha
Tsui Station, opened in late 2004 as a southern extension of the East Rail Line from Hung Hom Station. On
16 August 2009, the Kowloon Southern
Link of the West Rail Line,
from Nam
Cheong Station to East Tsim Sha Tsui Station was opened.
Simultaneously, the segment between East Tsim Sha Tsui Station and Hung Hom
Station was transferred from the East Rail Line to the West Rail Line, so Hung
Hom Station is now the interchange station between the East Rail Line and the
West Rail Line. East Tsim Sha Tsui Station is connected to Tsim Sha Tsui
Station and a number of locations in the area though an extensive pedestrian
subway network.
Ferries
The Star Ferry connects
Tsim Sha Tsui to Central and Wan Chai. Various hydrofoil services out
of the Hong Kong
China Ferry Terminal on Canton Road link
Tsim Sha Tsui to Macau, Guangzhou, and several
other places in the Pearl River Delta.
Buses
Since
Tsim Sha Tsui is in the heart of Kowloon Peninsula, the area is served by an
extensive network of bus routes to many parts of Hong Kong. There are major
bus terminals beside the Star Ferry terminal and atop East Tsim Sha Tsui
underground station on Chatham Road.