Statue Square (; lit. "Empress' Statue Square") is a public pedestrian

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

in Central,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. Built entirely on reclaimed land at the end of the 19th century, Statue Square consists of two parts separated by Chater Road into a northern and a southern section. It is bordered by Connaught Road Central in the north and by Des Voeux Road Central in the south. The name is a reference to the statues, mainly of British royalty, which stood on the square until the

Japanese occupation of Hong Kong The Imperial Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began when the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the British Crown colony of Hong Kong to the Empire of Japan on 25 December 1941. The surrender occurred after 18 days of fierce ...

during World War II. Today, the only statue on the square is the

one 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet, an early

HSBC HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...

banker.

History

The square was built at the end of the nineteenth century on land reclaimed by the

Praya Reclamation Scheme The Praya Reclamation Scheme () was a large scale land reclamation project carried out by the Hong Kong Land company in Colonial Hong Kong under Sir Catchick Paul Chater and James Johnstone Keswick. Early proposal The project was first proposed ...

. The idea of a square of statues dedicated to royalty was conceived by Sir Catchick Paul Chater.The Statues of Statue Square
Hong Kong by Liz Chater, privately published July 2009 Initially named "Royal Square", it gradually became known as "Statue Square", as it originally contained the statue of Queen Victoria, in commemoration of the Queen's

Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

in 1887. The statue of the Queen should have been made not in bronze but in marble, an error that was not discovered until the bronze statue was almost completed.Wordie, Jason
"The square that put an old queen in her place"
''

The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...

'', 2 May 1999 It was officially unveiled at the centre of the square on 28 May 1896, the day officially appointed for the celebration of the 77th birthday of the Queen. A statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet, the chief manager of

the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly known as HSBC (), was the parent entity of the multinational HSBC banking group until 1991, and is now its Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific subsidiary. The largest bank in Hong ...

was unveiled in 1906. Apart from Jackson's statue and the two bronze lions in front of the HSBC building, the rest of the statues were displaced to Japan to be melted by the Japanese occupiers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

The Cenotaph The Cenotaph is a war memorial on Whitehall in London, England. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it was unveiled in 1920 as the United Kingdom's national memorial to the British and Commonwealth dead of the First World War, was rededicated in 19 ...

, a replica of the

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament ...

, London,Brief Information on Proposed Grade I Items, pp. 53–54
was unveiled on 24 May 1923 (

Empire Day Commonwealth Day (formerly Empire Day) is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, since 1977 often held on the second Monday in March. It is marked by an Anglican service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by the monarch a ...

) by the Governor Sir

Reginald Edward Stubbs Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs (; 13 October 1876 – 7 December 1947) was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong. He caused controversy while Governor of Ceylon over the Bracegirdle Incident. Early life and educa ...

. It was built on the northeastern section of Statue Square, facing the Hong Kong Club Building. This area is now only uncommonly referred to as part of Statue Square. After the war, some of the statues were brought back to Hong Kong. Sir Thomas Jackson's now stands roughly in the middle of the square, facing the

Court of Final Appeal Building The Court of Final Appeal Building, also known as the Old Supreme Court Building, is the home of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong. It housed the former Supreme Court from 1912 to 1983 and the Legislative Council from 1985 to 2011. ...

. Queen Victoria's statue was placed in Victoria Park, and the two HSBC lions returned to the front of the HSBC building. The bronze statue of George V, also removed by the Japanese, was lost and never replaced after the war. Since the 1980s, it has been a tradition for thousands of Filipina

domestic workers A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

to congregate in and around Statue Square every Sunday, their usual rest day of the week. A parallel tradition has since been developed in Victoria Park for

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesia ...

domestic helpers in Hong Kong.

Surrounding buildings

;South The HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building is located along the southern side of the square, across Des Voeux Road Central. The site was previously occupied by the old

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

(built 1869, demolished 1933) and smaller earlier generations of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building. ;East *

Legislative Council Building A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

, along the eastern side of the southern section of the square * Hong Kong Club Building, along the eastern side of the northern section of the square ;West Several buildings with names reminiscent of British royalty were built on the western side of the square. Prince's Building and Queen's Building were built directly along the square (southern section and northern section respectively), while the others were built further west. * Prince's Building 1904–1963, replaced by the current Prince's Building (1965) *

Queen's Building Queen's Building () was a late 19th-century neoclassical building located in Central, Hong Kong. Named after Queen Victoria, it was situated to the west of Statue Square on Hong Kong Island's waterfront with Victoria Harbour at the time. It ...

1899–1961, replaced by the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong hotel (1963) * King's Building 1905–1958, home to Marconi Wireless and now part of the footprint for Chater House * St George's Building (聖佐治大廈) 1904–1966, home to Millington Limited and replaced by the current St. George's Building office tower (1969) * Alexandra Building (亞歷山大行) 1904–1950, named for Princess of Wales, later

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of Kin ...

, replaced by modernist Alexandra Building (1952–1974) and now Alexandra House (歷山大廈) (1976) ;North The square was initially bordered by

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform 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 instrumental i ...

on its northern side, but following

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclam ...

, it is now separated from it by Edinburgh Place, which housed the Star Ferry pier, among others, until 2007.

The statues

Today, the only freestanding statue on the Square is the statue of Sir Thomas Jackson. Additionally, a 2.7 m high blind-folded statue of

Themis In Greek mythology and religion, Themis (; grc, Θέμις, Themis, justice, law, custom) is one of the twelve Titan children of Gaia and Uranus, and the second wife of Zeus. She is the goddess and personification of justice, divine order, fa ...

, the Greek Goddess of Justice and Law, stands on top of the pediment of the

, and is facing the Square. The statues that have been historically on display on the square include: * Statue of Queen Victoria. Unveiled on 28 May 1896. Taken by the Japanese during World War II and returned to Hong Kong in 1952. It is now in Victoria Park. * Statue of

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

, added before 1902.Wiltshire, Trea. irst published 1987(republished & reduced2003). Old Hong Kong – Volume One. Central, Hong Kong: FormAsia Books Ltd. Page 8. * Statue of the

Duke of Connaught Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...

. Donated by Catchick Paul Chater and erected in 1902. It was moved to the waterfront at Connaught Road Central and Pedder Street in 1907,Arthur Hacker
"Statue Square: Arthur Hacker digs up the history on Hong Kong statues"
CityLife near Blake Pier.Liz Chater
Details of statues in Statue Square
Gwulo: Old Hong Kong website * Statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet, the chief manager of

. Unveiled on 24 February 1906 by the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Sir Matthew Nathan. * Statue of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. Bronze statue created by George Edward Wade. Donated by Catchick Paul Chater and unveiled on 6 February 1907 by the Duke of Connaught. * Statue of the Prince of Wales who later became King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Q ...

. Donated by

John Bell-Irving John Bell-Irving, JP (2 February 1846 – 1925) was a Scottish businessman in Hong Kong. He was a partner of the Jardine Matheson & Co., one of the leading trading firm in the Far East. He was the eldest son of John Bell-Irving of Whitehill, a ...

, a director of Hongkong Electric Company and unveiled on 6 February 1907 by the Duke of Connaught. * Statue of

. Bronze statue created by George Edward Wade. Unveiled on 25 November 1909. It was removed during the Japanese occupation.Gwulo.com
1909 Unveiling statues in Statue Square
/ref> * Statue of

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of King-E ...

, Princess of Wales and future Queen Mary. Bronze statue created by George Edward Wade. Donated by

Hormusjee Naorojee Mody Sir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody (12 October 1838 – 16 June 1911) was a successful Indian Parsi businessman in Hong Kong. He made Hong Kong his home for 50 years, during which he did much for the benefit of the colony and finally founded the Univer ...

as "a genuine token of the loyalty and esteem of the Parsis for their King and Queen". Unveiled on 25 November 1909. It was removed during the Japanese occupation. * Statue of Sir Henry May, 15th Governor of Hong Kong. Unveiled on 3 May 1923. * The HSBC World War I memorial statue, "Fame". Unveiled on 24 May 1923. In addition, statues of royalty and colonial administrators located outside of Statue Square included: * Statue of Sir

Arthur Kennedy John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the origi ...

, in the Botanical Gardens
picture
. Erected by public subscription following his death at sea in 1883, it was unveiled in November 1887 by the newly arrived Governor

William Des Vœux Sir George William Des Vœux (22 September 1834 – 15 December 1909) was a British colonial administrator who served as governor of Fiji (1880–1885), Newfoundland (1886–1887), and Hong Kong (1887–1891). Early life Des Vœux was born a ...

and stood "above the second terrace looking down on the fountain". It was removed during the Japanese occupation, and never recovered. * Statue of King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

, in Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Erected in 1941 and still standing.

In popular culture

This location was the "Pit Stop" for the tenth episode of '' The Amazing Race 17''.

Gallery

File:HKClubQVstatue ca1905-10r.png, Statue of Queen Victoria and its canopy at its original location in 1905. File:Hkhsbc jap.jpg, Sealed canopy during the Japanese occupation. File:HK CWB Victoria Park Queen Statue 1.jpg, Statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Park in October 2006. File:Victoria Park 0606.JPG, The relocated statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Park in June 2006. File:Victory Duke of Connaught statue (cropped).jpg, Statue of the

at the end of Pedder Street in 1919. File:Hong Kong Central in 1930s cropped.jpg, Statue of

in the 1930s. File:Governor1930.jpg, Statue of Sir Henry May c. 1930. File:Statue Square, Hong Kong, Mar 06.JPG, Statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet, with Prince's Building in the background, in March 2006. File:HK Central Statue Square Legislative Council Building n Themis s.jpg, Statue of

on the

. Image:HK Statue Square Founatin1.jpg, One of the water fountains on Statue Square, in June 2008. File:MTR CEN (19).JPG, Central MTR station Exit K in May 2009.

References

External links

Antiquities and Monuments Office: Statue Square
* Alain Le Pichon,
In the Heart of Victoria: the Emergence of Hong Kong's Statue Square as a Symbol of Victorian Achievement
, Revue LISA/LISA e-journal nline Vol. VII – n°3, 2009. Online since 25 May 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2011. * Ng, Chi-ho
"Metamorphosis of Statue Square"

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public university, public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest Higher education in Hong Kong, tertia ...

, 1994 {{Coord, 22.28106, 114.15974, display=title Central, Hong Kong Squares in Hong Kong Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong