Admiralty is the eastern extension of
central business districtA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
of the
CentralCentral , the central business district of Hong Kong, was commonly known as part of Victoria City. It is an area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island. It is located across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
on the
Hong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
of
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
. It is located on the eastern end of the
Central and Western DistrictThe Central and Western District located on northern part of Hong Kong Island is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 261,884 in 2001. The district residents have the second highest income and the third lowest population due to its relatively small...
, bordered by
Wan ChaiWan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
to the east and
Victoria HarbourVictoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea was instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
to the north. The name of
Admiralty refers to the former Admiralty Dock in the area which housed a
naval dockyardA naval dockyard is a dockyard that primarily serves a navy....
. The dock was later demolished when land was reclaimed and developed northward as the
HMS TamarHMS Tamar was the name for the Royal Navy's base in Hong Kong from 1897 to 1997. It took its name from HMS Tamar a ship that was used as the base until replaced by buildings ashore.-19th Century:...
naval base. The Chinese name,
Kam-chung (金鐘), lit.
Admiralty is the eastern extension of
central business districtA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
of the
CentralCentral , the central business district of Hong Kong, was commonly known as part of Victoria City. It is an area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island. It is located across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
on the
Hong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
of
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
. It is located on the eastern end of the
Central and Western DistrictThe Central and Western District located on northern part of Hong Kong Island is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 261,884 in 2001. The district residents have the second highest income and the third lowest population due to its relatively small...
, bordered by
Wan ChaiWan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
to the east and
Victoria HarbourVictoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea was instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...
to the north. The name of
Admiralty refers to the former Admiralty Dock in the area which housed a
naval dockyardA naval dockyard is a dockyard that primarily serves a navy....
. The dock was later demolished when land was reclaimed and developed northward as the
HMS TamarHMS Tamar was the name for the Royal Navy's base in Hong Kong from 1897 to 1997. It took its name from HMS Tamar a ship that was used as the base until replaced by buildings ashore.-19th Century:...
naval base. The Chinese name,
Kam-chung (金鐘), lit. Golden Bell, refers to a golden
bellA bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
once housed at the dock.
Before the area was known as Ha Wan.
History
The area was chosen to military area by
British militaryThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
. They built
Wellington BarracksWellington Barracks was a British Army barracks in Admiralty of Central on the north side of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The three storey Classical architecture building was built in 1854. The barracks had an army hospital, and this still exists as Hong Kong International School. The barracks...
,
Murray BarracksMurray Barracks was a barracks for British Army in Admiralty of Central in Hong Kong. It was named after Sir George Murray, the Master-General of the Ordnance at the time of construction.-Location:...
,
Victoria BarracksThe Victoria Barracks were a barracks in the Admiralty district of Central on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The barracks were constructed between the 1840s and 1874, and situated within the area bounded by Cotton Tree Drive, Kennedy Road and Queensway, Hong Kong. The Barracks with Murray Barracks,...
and Admiralty Dock at the site.
The area split the urban area on the north shore of Hong Kong Island. The Hong Kong Government had tried many times to get the land from the British military to connect the two urban areas, but the military refused. It was not until the 1970s that the land was gradually returned to government and changed to commercial buildings and gardens.
The
Admiralty StationAdmiralty station is an MTR station located on Hong Kong Island, in an area often referred to as Admiralty. The station's livery is
dodger blue...
of
MTRMTR, or Mass Transit Railway, is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. The MTR first began service in 1979 and officially merged with the Kowloon Canton Railway on 2 December 2007, still bearing the same name in English. The network includes 211.6 km of rail with 150 stations,...
was built on the former site of the Hong Kong dockyards which was built in 1878 and demolished in the 1970s. After completion, the area became increasingly known as Admiralty, rather than Central.
Major buildings
Queensway Plaza is a shopping centre located above the station. The
Pacific PlacePacific Place is a complex of office towers, hotels and a shopping centre in Admiralty, Hong Kong.Pacific Place is a shopping mall in Hong Kong which opened in 1989,. A division of Swire, which built the property, continues to manage it. One of its main competitors for retail space rental in Hong...
shopping mall, an additional shopping centre, a number of
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s and several office tower complexes, all located on the former site of the
Victoria BarracksThe Victoria Barracks were a barracks in the Admiralty district of Central on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The barracks were constructed between the 1840s and 1874, and situated within the area bounded by Cotton Tree Drive, Kennedy Road and Queensway, Hong Kong. The Barracks with Murray Barracks,...
, are connected to the MTR station via an underground walkway. Other major buildings in the area include
British Consulate General Hong KongThe British Consulate-General Hong Kong, located at 1 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty on Hong Kong Island, is the largest British consulate-general and is bigger than many British embassies and high commissions abroad...
, Admiralty Centre,
United CentreUnited Centre is a Ukrainian political party supporting the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko. It is an offspring of Our Ukraine. It will participate in the next Ukrainian parliamentary election independently...
, Far East Financial Centre,
CITIC TowerCITIC Tower is an office building on Tim Mei Avenue, Admiralty, Hong Kong. It is the corporate headquarters of CITIC Pacific Ltd, a conglomerate publicly traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and listed on the Hang Seng Index, and also a subsidiary of the CITIC Group.This 33-storey prestigious...
, and the Lippo Centre Towers.
QueenswayQueensway is a major road in the Admiralty of Central, Hong Kong. It was originally a section of Queen's Road East to its westmost before the Hong Kong Government separated and renamed it as its present name in 1967...
and
Harcourt RoadHarcourt Road is a major road in Admiralty in Hong Kong, connecting Wan Chai and Central.-History:Built after World War II, Harcourt Road was once a waterfront promenade and to ease congestion on Hong Kong Island...
are the major roads in the area.
The High Court and
Hong Kong ParkThe Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong. It covers an area of 80,000 m² and is an example of modern design and facilities blending with natural landscape.-History:...
are located south of Queensway.