The death of Queen Elizabeth II shocked Hong Kong people, and some of the buildings named following them still stand today, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Secondary School and Queen Elizabeth Stadium. Looking through the information, the funds raised by the Queen’s visit to Hong Kong are often used in Hong Kong, such as funding over 10 million yuan to build the Wanchai Yi Museum. “Hong Kong Anecdote” Dr. Zhang Chaodun pointed out that most of the buildings named following the Queen of England are functional and closely related to the daily life of citizens.
The Queen of England ascended the throne in 1952, and the Queen Elizabeth II Youth Playground (commonly known as Jiuyi or Old Iraq) was completed the following year, which was presided over by the then Governor Grantham. The construction cost of this venue was 800,000 yuan in that year. It is the first indoor gymnasium in Kowloon and the most advanced in Asia. There are portrait oil paintings to celebrate the Queen’s coronation parade. The venue was finally demolished in late October 2008 and rebuilt as the current MacPherson Stadium.
Related sports venues: Old Iraq, New Iraq, Sports Academy
Although the “Jiu Yi” has disappeared, the Wan Chai Yi Pavilion still stands. Looking through the old reports of the “Overseas Chinese Daily”, the Yi Pavilion was originally planned to be named “Morrison Hill Indoor Sports Stadium”. Later, to commemorate the Queen’s visit to Hong Kong in 1975, with the Queen’s consent, it was named Queen Elizabeth Stadium (commonly known as New Iraqi Stadium). ).
The Queen’s contribution to Hong Kong’s sports industry is reflected in many sports venues. The construction cost of the Yi Pavilion depends on the Queen’s indirect “fundraising”, including 13 million yuan from the sale of the Queen’s visit to Hong Kong commemorative gold coin, 10 million yuan from the Royal Family’s Visit to Hong Kong Memorial Fund, and the rest from the Urban Council and the Hong Kong Government. According to previous reports in the South China Morning Post, the final construction cost of the Yi Pavilion was as high as 47 million yuan. When it opened in 1980, then-Hong Kong Governor MacLehose described the Yi Pavilion as the best sports venue in Hong Kong at that time.
In 1977, on the 25th anniversary of the Queen’s ascension to the throne, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Appeal Fund (The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Appeal Fund), which was established in that year, used the funds raised by the event for Hong Kong, including a donation to build the Silver Jubilee Sports Center. The center opened in 1982 and was renamed the Hong Kong Sports Institute in 1991.
Other buildings that have been approved to be named following the Queen include Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, which cost more than 2 million yuan to construct and was opened in 1956 by the Governor of Hong Kong, Mrs. Sir Grantham; Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is familiar to Hong Kong people, was built in the 1950s. Originally named “New Kowloon Hospital”, it was renamed following the Queen of England in November 1958. It was opened in 1963 and has served Hong Kong citizens for nearly 60 years. There are Queen Elizabeth Hospital Road and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Path nearby.
The Queen Names Buildings for Multiple Attributes and Functionality
“Hong Kong Anecdote” Dr. Zhang Chaodun pointed out that many places in Hong Kong have been named following queens and kings since the opening of the port (see the table at the end of the article). More than 50 years following Queen Victoria’s death, there is still a “Victoria Park” associated with her name. Edward VII, who later came to the throne, reigned for only nine years, so there are not many landmarks in Hong Kong named following him. Afterwards, George V reigned for 25 years, leaving many traces of landmarks.
The subsequent reign of Edward VIII was very short, and there is still a main road named following him, that is, the current Prince Edward Road; George VI was on the throne before and following World War II, and there was no landmark named following him in Hong Kong, only in the middle of the Zoological and Botanical Park. bronze statue as a memorial. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the landmarks named following her were mostly functional buildings, such as gymnasiums and schools.
Chinese translation of the difference between the name queen becomes queen
It is worth noting that in the early years of the street naming process, the Chinese translation of the name is quite different from that of English. For example, Queen’s Road commemorates Queen Victoria, but it is translated as Queen’s Road; Queen Victoria Street is also translated as Queen Victoria Street.
Wu Hao, an expert on historical stories, mentioned in his book “Old Hong Kong Mirror Painting Floating Life” that before 1954, street naming was only a trivial matter in the eyes of the government. Staggered, so there are different street names. After 1954, the Urban Affairs Department and the New Territories Limin Office were responsible for changing the street name. The method was more scientific. The post office, the Land and Earth Office, and the Road Department were inquired before the name was finalized.
*The reign of George VI was around the time of World War II. There was no landmark named following him in Hong Kong, only the bronze statue in the center of the Zoological and Botanical Garden commemorates it.
Source: Compiled by Dr. Zhang Chaodun and reporters from Yahoo News
