Tsim Sha Tsui, often abbreviated as TST, is an

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

in southern

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and ...

, 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 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 ...

, opposite

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

. Several villages had been established in this location before Kowloon was ceded to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

in 1860. The name ''Tsim Sha Tsui'' in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

means ''sharp sandspit''. It was also known as Heung Po Tau (), i.e. a port for exporting incense tree. Tsim Sha Tsui is a major tourist hub in Hong Kong, with many high-end shops, bars, pubs and restaurants that cater to tourists. Many of Hong Kong's museums are located in the area.

Etymology

The name Tsim Sha Tsui () means 'sharp sandspit' in

. The traditional and archaic form of Tsim Sha Tsui in Chinese has the same pronunciation but is written differently ().

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 The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

named the channel between Tsim Sha Tsui and

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 Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

were gathered at some quays in Tsim Sha Tsui and transferred to

Shek Pai Wan Shek Pai Wan or Aberdeen Bay is a bay between Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island and Ap Lei Chau (formerly Aberdeen Island). Its name was formerly romanized as Shekpywan. The bay is one of the traditional fishery ports because the hills on two sides ...

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 Nathan Road is the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, Hong Kong, aligned south–north from Tsim Sha Tsui to Sham Shui Po. It is lined with shops and restaurants and throngs with visitors, and was known in the post– World War II years as the Gol ...

. In 1888, the

Star Ferry The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island, and Kowloon. The service is operated by the Star Ferry Co ...

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

, 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 approved to be constructed on reclaimed land in 1912. It 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 Hung Hom () is a railway station in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is an interchange station between the and the domestic services of the MTR network, as well as the southern terminus of cross-border through-trains to mainland China w ...

near the Gun Club Hill Barracks at the junction of Chatham Road and Austin Road. Another major road,

Salisbury Road Salisbury Road is a major road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Description It runs parallel to Victoria Harbour, starting from its western end at the Star Ferry Pier, passing by Blackhead Point, to Tsim Sha Tsui East. It intersects w ...

, 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 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 ...

. Hong Kong Space Museum and later the Hong Kong Cultural Centre were erected on the site. The rails were replaced with

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 ...

and other gardens in

Tsim Sha Tsui East 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 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

, 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.

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. Some of the hotels include The Peninsula,

Rosewood Hong Kong Victoria Dockside is a property development on the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong near East Tsim Sha Tsui station. The development opened in stages between 2018 and 2019 at a cost of US$2.6 billion. First founded in 1910, the site was or ...

, Kowloon Shangri-La, InterContinental Hong Kong,

The Mira Hong Kong The Mira Hong Kong is a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It has 492 rooms and suites, six restaurants and bars, and a spa centre. It was renovated in 2009 and became smoke-free in 2011. The hotel is owned by Miramar Hotel and Investment. It ...

Baden-Powell International House The B P International, more formally known as Baden-Powell International House, is a 25-storey three star hotel and conference centre in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood on the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong. Run by The Scout Association of Hong Kong ...

, 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 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 Chungking Mansions is a building located at 36–44 Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Though the building was supposed to be residential, it is made up of many independent low-budget hotels, shops and other services. As we ...

is 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 Knutsford Terrace () is a Terrace (building), terrace street in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is famous for its bars, pubs and restaurants. On the south slope of Observatory Hill, Hong Kong, Observatory Hill, Knutsford Terrace is hidd ...

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 () in Hong Kong, giving the street the nickname of Koreatown (). From there, a string of Korean restaurants are located on Austin Avenue which circles Observatory Hill. Located on

, the

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: * 1881 Heritage, located within the renovated Former Marine Police Headquarters *

China Hong Kong City China Hong Kong City () is a commercial complex that includes five office towers, a shopping centre, a hotel and a ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The complex opened in 1988 on land formerly occupied in part by the Royal ...

, which also houses office buildings, a hotel and a ferry terminal * Cke, in the

building * Harbour City * iSQUARE, opened in 2009 * K11 Art Mall, opened in 2009 *

K11 MUSEA Victoria Dockside is a property development on the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong near East Tsim Sha Tsui station. The development opened in stages between 2018 and 2019 at a cost of US$2.6 billion. First founded in 1910, the site was or ...

, opened in 2019 * Miramar Shopping Centre *

* Sogo, opened in 2005. It is now located below the Sheraton Hotel at No. 20 Nathan Road. It used to be located underground, below

. * 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

, at the corner with Granville Road The Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard is located along a section of

. 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, aviary, children's playground, kung fu corner, sculpture garden and the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre. Other parks and public open spaces include Signal Hill Garden at Blackhead Point, the

Urban Council Centenary Garden The Urban Council Centenary Garden () is a public park in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It commemorates the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Urban Council. The first phase of the park opened on 15 December 1983 with a c ...

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.

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

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

in TST East. The Avenue of Stars starts at the "

" 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 Sam's Tailor is a tailor in Hong Kong. It is noted for the roster of its clientele, which includes British royalty, American presidents, and international celebrities. History The shop was founded by Sam Melwani in 1957. This was after he sig ...

. 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

area of Hong Kong across

. The

terminal is another popular attraction for tourists, and the Avenue of Stars is also popular with photographers.

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. 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 East Tsim Sha Tsui () is a station of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system of Hong Kong. It is currently an intermediate station on the . The station was built to alleviate surface traffic jams and passenger congestion at Kowloon Tong stat ...

, 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. East Tsim Sha Tsui is the last district in Hong Kong to use a grid plan system before the Hong Kong government adopted its high land price policy, meaning that development in East Tsim Sha Tsui is less centralised than in newer districts. It is characterised by a large number of mid-rise buildings including hotels, offices and shopping centres. Pedestrian plazas are located in between the buildings. In 2005, there were 15 office buildings and 5 hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui East: * Office buildings: New Mandarin Plaza, Chinachem Golden Plaza, South Seas Center, Harbor Crystal Center, East Ocean Center, Energy Plaza, Hilton Towers, Inter-Continental Plaza, Auto Plaza, Mirror Tower, Houston Center, Wing On Plaza, Tsim Sha Tsui Centre and Empire Center. * Hotels: The Royal Garden Hotel, Regal Kowloon Hotel, Kowloon Shangri-La, Grand Stanford Harbor View Hotel and Hotel Nikko Hong Kong.

Streets

Streets in Tsim Sha Tsui include: * Ashley Road () * Blenheim Avenue () * Bristol Avenue () * Cameron Road * Canton Road * Carnarvon Road * Granville Road * Haiphong Road *

Hankow Road Hankow Road () is a street in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It runs in the north-south direction from Salisbury Road to Haiphong Road and is 370 metres in length. It was initially named Garden Road but was renamed Hankow Road after the Hubei c ...

* Hanoi Road * Hart Avenue * Hau Fook Street () * Humphrey's Avenue () * Ichang Street *

Kimberley Road Kimberley Road () is a road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Location Starting at Nathan Road in the west, it runs eastwards until Observatory Road and continues northeastwards. The Road runs parallel to and north of Kimberley Street, Camer ...

* Kimberley Street *

* Middle Road. Located in the southern part of Tsim Sha Tsui, across Nathan Road and parallel to Salisbury Road. When people leave

, they can do so through Middle Road. The road has a playground named Middle Road Children's Playground that is located on top of the MTR station. *

Minden Row Minden Row () is a street in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It junctions Mody Road to the North and ends at Middle Road to the South. A short alley called Minden Avenue () junctions the middle of the street. Name The street is named after ...

* Mody Road *

* Observatory Road * Peking Road *

Public transport

Trains

Tsim Sha Tsui is served by the

MTR The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is a major public transport network serving :Hong Kong. Operated by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL), it consists of heavy rail, light rail, and feeder bus service centred on a 10-line rapid transit network ...

Tsim Sha Tsui station, on the Tsuen Wan line. Another station,

, opened in late 2004 as a southern extension of the East Rail line from

. On 16 August 2009, the Kowloon Southern Link of the

West Rail line The West Rail line () was a rapid transit line that formed part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong until 27 June 2021. Coloured magenta on the MTR map, the line ran from Tuen Mun to Hung Hom, with a total length of ...

, from

Nam Cheong station Nam Cheong is a MTR interchange station located at ground level beneath West Kowloon Highway, in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong opposite the Fu Cheong Estate. It is served by the Tung Chung and Tuen Ma lines and provides cross-platform interchan ...

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. On 27 June 2021, the

Tuen Ma line The Tuen Ma line () is a rapid transit line that forms part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong. Coloured brown on the map, the Tuen Ma line is in length, making it the longest line of the MTR network. It has a total o ...

replaced the

Ferries

The

connects Tsim Sha Tsui to

and Wan Chai. Various hydrofoil services out of the Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal on Canton Road link Tsim Sha Tsui to

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...

, and several other places in the Pearl River Delta. They depart from China Hong Kong City, located near Harbour City.

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.

Education

Tsim Sha Tsui is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 31. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and Jordan Road Government Primary School.

Other places in the area

* Fok Tak Temple (dated back to 1900) *

Former Kowloon British School The Kowloon British School was a school established in Hong Kong for the education of the children of expatriates at the turn of the 20th century. History The school was built at 136 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon and is the oldest su ...

* Former Marine Police Headquarters (now incorporated into a shopping centre) *

Hong Kong Observatory The Hong Kong Observatory is a weather forecast agency of the government of Hong Kong. The Observatory forecasts the weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also monitors and makes assessments on radiation levels in ...

* Ocean Terminal * Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier (

)

Gallery

File:Tsim Sha Tsui Clocktower Neighbourhood Police Service.jpg, Tsim Sha Tsui Clocktower Neighbourhood Police Service File:Tsim Sha Tsui East Buildings 2010.jpg, Tsim Sha Tsui East. File:Salisbury Road in ETST 201508.jpg,

in East Tsim Sha Tsui. File:YMCA of HongKong TST HQ.jpg, The Salisbury, YMCA of Hong Kong File:Hong Kong Cultural Centre 201408.jpg, Hong Kong Cultural Centre File:Avenue of Stars1.jpg, The Avenue of Stars File:HKWanchaiwaterfront.jpg, The waterfront of the Hong Kong Island on the opposite coast of the

, as seen from Tsim Sha Tsui File:HongKongMuseumOfHistory.png, Hong Kong Museum of History File:HongKongMuseumOfArt.png, The Hong Kong Museum of Art File:P7140248.JPG, Signal Hill Tower

References

External links

Pictures of Tsim Sha Tsui
{{Authority control Yau Tsim Mong District Kowloon Capes of Hong Kong Shopping districts and streets in Hong Kong Central business districts Restricted areas of Hong Kong red public minibus