Central City Hall Public Library | A Century of Cultural Development in Central and Western District – Harbour

Description

Victoria Harbour is one of the most famous harbours in the world. Its international reputation is attributable to its exceptional geographical features, as well as historical circumstances and human factors.

The first governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry Pottinger, declared on 27 October 1842 that “Hong Kong is a tariff-free port and is open to trade from all nations”, thereby establishing the status of Hong Kong as a free port and marking the beginning of its trade history. While Hong Kong has been an entrepot for international trade, Victoria Harbour plays a prominent role in the development of local economy and tourism, and is vital to the emergence of Hong Kong as a global metropolis.

With a limited supply of land for development, the British Hong Kong government began carrying out reclamation projects on both sides of Victoria Harbour in 1842. The Bonham Strand Reclamation Project, the first official reclamation project and located at present-day Bonham Strand East in Sheung Wan, commenced in 1852 with the objectives of increasing the developable area in Sheung Wan for the construction of government buildings and port facilities and the expansion of Victoria City. Today, much of the land along the coast of the Central and Western District comes from reclamation, not only bearing testimony to the development of Victoria Harbour over the years, but also recording the historical imprints from a bygone era.

Speaker：Mr. SO Man-hing

Remarks：Conducted in Cantonese. Free admission by reservation. Seats are limited. First-come-first-served. Reservation for the talk starts from 9:00 a.m. on 6.9.2025 (Sat) by phone or online registration. The programme is subject to change without prior notice.