PlanetWare.com > Asia and the Pacific region > Hong Kong > Hong Kong Tourist Attractions

Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island

The Wan Chai district lies to the east of Central District (Victoria) on Hong Kong Island. It can be reached by way of Queensway or Harcourt Road.
Wan Chai is the home district of Suzie Wong, the romantic figure of the novel and film which also starred William Holden; the Luk Kwok Hotel she made famous was pulled down in 1986. In the evening this part of the city south of Johnston Road becomes a brightly-lit entertainment quarter with discos and other haunts of pleasure which are very popular with sailors.
Picture - Wan Chai buildings, Hong Kong.
Picture - The exterior of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Picture - The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
View a slideshow of Wan Chai Pictures
During the day it is worth visiting for the sake of the little market lanes with their innumerable stalls selling fresh vegetables and livestock. Other features of interest are a number of small temples, the 66-story Hopewell Centre, the Arts Centre, with its theater and stage shows, and the new Convention and Exhibition Centre, which boasts the largest glass wall in the world.
Once a typically Chinese district known as "Little Shanghai", Wan Chai is now steadily losing its original character; the old houses are being pulled down and replaced by tall office blocks, and the ever-increasing rent levels are compelling many small shopkeepers and businessmen to close down.

Related Attractions

Hong Kong Arts Center

The 14-story Hong Kong Arts Centre (from which there is a magnificent panoramic view of the harbor) was opened in 1976. In its three halls - the Shouson Theatre, the Studio Theatre and the Recital Hall - there are events organized by the Hong Kong Arts Festival and other international performances are held. In the main, however, local groups of artistes perform here.
A variety of local and international exhibitions are put on throughout the year in the Pao Sui Loong Galleries on the fourth and fifth floors.
Picture - The exterior of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Hong Kong is not short of superlatives, and the completion of the Convention and Exhibition Centre in the Wan Chai district on Hong Kong Island at a cost of 2.5 billion Hong Kong dollars added one more. With an area of 31,000sq.mi, it provides accommodation for trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences, together with two international luxury hotels with 1500 beds and a high-rise apartment block. Built in only two years, the complex boasts such refinements as the world's largest wall of glass (with a fascinating view over Hong Kong harbor and Kowloon), two goods lifts each of which can carry a fully laden 45-ton truck, and conference rooms which can accommodate 3500 people.
Soon after its completion the center - where important trade fairs and congresses are regularly held - was booked up for years ahead. However it soon proved to be too small, and an extension was built in 1997 on land reclaimed from the sea.
Picture - The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Picture - Glass exterior of the Hong Kong Convention Centre.
Picture - View from the Hong Kong Convention Centre.
Picture - Interior of the Hong Kong Convention Centre.
Picture - Hong Kong Convention Center at night.
Picture - The Golden Bauhinia Sculpture at Golden Bauhinia Square of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Picture - Hong Kong Convention Center from the water.
Picture - Evening at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Museum of Chinese Historical Relics

Opened in 1984, with a floor area of some 1200sq.m/13,000sq.ft, this museum houses a permanent exhibition of China's cultural treasures. Archaeological finds, including some recent ones, illustrate the high technical standards and artistic skills of earlier periods.
Twice a year there are exhibitions on special themes. Replicas of items displayed in the museum can be purchased.