Bowen Road
Encyclopedia
Bowen Road is a road from the Mid-levels
Mid-levels
Mid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...

 to Wong Nai Chung Gap
Wong Nai Chung Gap
Wong Nai Chung Gap is a geographic gap in the middle of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The gap is between Mount Nicholson and Jardine's Lookout behind Wong Nai Chung. Five roads meet at the Gap Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, Tai Tam Reservoir Road, Repulse Bay Road, Deep Water Bay Road and Black's Link...

 of Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...

, on the slope above Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...

, Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...

 and Happy Valley
Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Happy Valley is a mostly residential suburb of Hong Kong, located in the northern part of Hong Kong Island. Administratively, it is part of Wan Chai District....

 in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. Bowen Road starts from Magazine Gap Road
Magazine Gap Road
Magazine Gap Road is a winding road on Mid-levels and the Peak on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is one of the main access leading to the Peak area....

 near the rail of Peak Tram
Peak Tram
The Peak Tramway is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central district to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of...

 and ends at the junction with Stubbs Road
Stubbs Road
Stubbs Road connects Happy Valley and The Peak area on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, through an area near the Wong Nai Chung Gap. It goes through a residential area of luxurious high-rise tower blocks....

, Tai Hang Road
Tai Hang Road
Tai Hang Road is a major road on the north side of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Starting low from Tai Hang at Tung Lo Wan Road, Causeway Bay, it winds up to So Kon Po and further up to the mid-levels of Jardine's Lookout and Mount Nicholson, passing through Wong Nai Chung Gap...

 and Wong Nai Chung Gap Road.

Today the road is a popular route for joggers and dog walkers.

History

The road was named after George Ferguson Bowen
George Ferguson Bowen
Sir George Ferguson Bowen GCMG was a British colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland , New Zealand, Victoria , Mauritius and Hong Kong....

, the 9th Governor of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...

, from 1883 to 1885. It was colloquially called "Third Road" by residence in Hong Kong for being the third east-west road from the shore at that time. "First Road" and "Second Road" were Queen's Road
Queen's Road
Queen's Road is the first road in Hong Kong built by the Government of Hong Kong between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui to Wan Chai...

 and Kennedy Road
Kennedy Road, Hong Kong
Kennedy Road is a road in the Mid-levels on the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Starting from Garden Road in the west, it goes past St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong Park and Hopewell Centre and ends at the junction with Queen's Road East near Morrison Hill in Wan Chai.At...

 respectively.

As Hong Kong lacked fresh water at that time, Tai Tam Reservoir was built in Tai Tam Valley. An aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....

 was built to transfer from Tai Tam
Tai Tam
Tai Tam or Tytam is an area in Southern District on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Tai Tam means a big pool in the Chinese language which illustrates a triangular bay, namely Tai Tam Bay between Stanley Peninsula, D'Aguilar Peak and Tai Tam Tuk...

 to Central via Wong Nai Chung Gap and Happy Valley. Later Bowen Road was built on top of the aqueducts. The road makes the south boundary of Victoria City. A boundary stone was at the junction with Stubbs Road. The road also passes by many schools.

Lover's Stone

The famous Lover's Stone is located just off the road, around 20 minutes walking time from Stubbs Road
Stubbs Road
Stubbs Road connects Happy Valley and The Peak area on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, through an area near the Wong Nai Chung Gap. It goes through a residential area of luxurious high-rise tower blocks....

. The 9 metre high granite monolith is said to have the power of giving happy marriages for those who worshipped it. It is also a nice place to view Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent...

's scenery.

Dog poisonings

Bowen Road is also infamous as the site of a serial animal killer. The scenic views and rambles make Bowen Road extremely popular with dog walkers, particularly among Hong Kong's expatriate community. Since 1989 (to end of October 2009), there have been 72 cases of dog poisoning in the area, and 22 dogs have been killed by eating poisoned chicken. The last British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....

, also nearly fell victim, with his Norfolk terrier Whisky made seriously ill from consumption of poisoned chicken.

Some have speculated that previous dog owners may have left their charges off leads and allowed them to defecate on the many Chinese graves that are accessible from Bowen Road, offending someone. Whatever the true motive, the killings have followed patterns with the killer (or possibly killers) leaving cooked chicken, covered in a commonly available - but very powerful - insecticide.

Local SPCA
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong)
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity for animals in Hong Kong.-Background:Before 1997, it was named the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ...

 officials have advised Hong Kong residents to never allow their pets off a lead at any time in the area, and to always be cautious about letting their dogs sniff or eat in the area.

Hong Kong police believe the elusive killer is at work again. On the 12 October 2008, the SPCA sent specialists to the Peak
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...

where a dog was poisoned. The reward has been upped from HK$30,000 to HK$150,000.

Another dog died in one of two poisonings in a week in December 2010.

A copycat killer may have appeared on nearby Lamma Island. At least 6 dogs have been poisoned by contaminated roadside meat in the fall of 2011.

External links

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