The Avenue of Stars (), modelled on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

, is an avenue located along the

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbor, harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrume ...

waterfront in

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui, 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 ...

. It honours celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.

History

Establishment

In 1982, the New World Group built a promenade along the waterfront around the

New World Centre The New World Centre () was a retail-hotel-residential-office complex on Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It housed two hotels ( InterContinental Hong Kong, now closed for renovation in order to rebrand as Regent Hong Kong in 2 ...

Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon Tsim Sha Tsui, 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 ...

. In 2004, the Group announced it would spend HK$40 million to build the Avenue of Stars, a project supported by the

Hong Kong Tourism Board The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a Government-subvented body founded in 2001. The Board replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) established in 1957. It has 15 branch offices and representative offices in 6 markets around the w ...

Tourism Commission Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

, the

Leisure and Cultural Services Department The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. It provides leisure and cultura ...

of the

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...

and the Hong Kong Film Awards Association. The avenue was opened to the general public on 28 April 2004 with an opening ceremony held the previous day, 27 April 2004. The opening ceremony was presided over by a number of government and industry figures, including

Henry Tang Henry Tang Ying-yen (; born 6 September 1952) is a Hong Kong politician who served as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong between 2007 and 2011. He held the position of Financial Secretary from 2003 to 2007. In 2012, he lost the Hong Kong Chief ...

(''Financial Secretary''), Stephen Ip (''Secretary for Economic Development and Labour''),

Patrick Ho Patrick Ho Chi-ping (born 24 July 1949 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong ophthalmologist turned politician. He joined the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Preparatory Committee of Hong Kong SAR. When the Principal Offic ...

(''Secretary of Home Affairs''), Selina Chow (''Chair of Hong Kong Tourism Board''),

Manfred Wong Manfred Wong (; Wong Man-Chun; born 5 June 1957, in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong radio personality, film producer, screenwriter, film director and actor. He is best known for his involvement as a writer for the ''Young and Dangerous'' film series. ...

(Director/Actor), and

Cheng Yu-tung Cheng Yu-tung GBM (; 8 August 1925 – 29 September 2016) was a Hong Kong billionaire with extensive property investment, development and service businesses, hotels, infrastructure, jewellery retailing and transportation interests in Hong Kong, ...

(Chair of New World Group); in which the privately funded avenue was handed over to the Hong Kong SAR government as public property. At opening, the avenue honoured an initial 73 inductees elected by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association and the readers of ''City Entertainment''.

Redevelopment controversy

After having managed the avenue for 11 years, its contract is due to expire. It was announced in August 2015 that the

of the Hong Kong government would redevelop and expand the avenue jointly with the company. The Hong Kong government declared that the enhancement project would contain limited commercial appeal, and no luxury shops or high-end restaurants would be added. The walkway, very popular with tourists, is to be closed off and relocated to the Tsim Sha Tsui East Waterfront Podium Garden temporarily for three years while the expansion is undertaken. The decision to award the contract for the redevelopment to the company without putting it out to tender, on the justification that the project was non-profit, sparked controversy locally. Residents' groups and other development companies owning properties adjacent to the walk expressed discontent, whilst the LCSD claimed that consultations with the local district council had been favourable. In an apparent attempt to de-fuse the public furore at the apparent collusion between government and big business, the government promised a public consultation.

Renovation

On 31 January 2019, the Avenue was reopened to the public after three years of renovation, redesigned by New York High Line architect James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) together with other international and local designers.

Description

The Avenue of Stars is the eastern node of several tourist attractions along the

Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, 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 Tsi ...

waterfront. In addition to the promenade and

, a number of attractions exist including the Museum of Art, Space Museum,

Cultural Centre A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * Ce ...

and the

Clock Tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

. Entering from Salisbury Garden, a 4.5-metre-tall replica of the statuette given to winners at the

Hong Kong Film Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ...

s greets visitors. Along the 440-metre promenade, the story of Hong Kong's one hundred years of cinematic history is told through inscriptions printed on nine red pillars. Set into the promenade are plaques honouring the celebrities. Some plaques contain hand prints and autographs of the stars set in cement, but most of the plaques only contain celebrities' names as they are now deceased. A 2.5-metre bronze statue of Bruce Lee was erected along the Avenue of Stars in 2005. In 2014, a bronze statue of Anita Mui was erected along the Avenue of Stars. The promenade commands a panoramic view across

. At night, it is a popular viewing place for the Symphony of Lights display. A large replica of the 2008 Summer Olympics torch will be on permanent display here.

List of stars

The following people have received plaques on the avenue of stars.
Note: People in the list who were born before 1949 in the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

are not from modern day

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

, but from

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...

, which the Republic of China encompassed until the end of the last civil war.

References

External links

*
Photos of The Avenue of Stars
{{Authority control Culture of Hong Kong Entertainment halls of fame Landmarks in Hong Kong Tourist attractions in Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong, Avenue of Stars