Portland Street
Encyclopedia
Portland Street is a popular street in Kowloon
, Hong Kong
. The street is known for its business and retailing skyscraper
complex Langham Place, numerous restaurants and its famous red-light district
.
and Mong Kok
in Kowloon
. Approximately three-quarters of a mile in length, it spans between Bute Street
in the north and one block past Waterloo Road in the south. The street is directly accessible by the Mong Kok
and Yau Ma Tei
stations of the MTR
, Hong Kong's subway system.
Except for a few small parks, the entire two-lane street is highly urbanized with dense pedestrian and motor traffic thoroughout most of the day.
and Dundas Street, hosts arguably Hong Kong's most famous red light district (serving mostly local Chinese clientele) and a popular scene in Hong Kong films. There, underneath a dizzying and chaotic array of neon sign
s, one can find prostitutes from around the world (although mostly from mainland China
) serving in hundreds of massage parlours, night clubs, karaoke
/hostess bars and brothels. Although prostitution
is legal in Hong Kong, law enforcement is often active in this area conducting raids for prostitutes who've entered Hong Kong illegally or have overstayed their visas or to search for underaged prostitutes, pimps, human traffickers
and triad activities.
Langham Place, a 167,000 square meter (1.8 million square foot) shopping centre, theatre, hotel and office tower complex opened on Portland Street near the Nelson Street intersection in July 2004. The complex has its own MTR station access (Mong Kok station exit C3). Outside one of the complex's east entrances is a large jumbotron broadcasting news and entertainment shows for pedestrians below. Since its opening, Langham Place and surrounding areas has become a popular night-time destination for both locals and tourists. Some had predicted the massive upscale development would gentrify
the area and drive away the Portland Street sex trade. However, after several years of operation, Langham Place's impact on the nearby sex industry remains minimal.
The Portland Street segment between Argyle Street
and Bute Street
is home to over 50 retailers selling home renovation materials and supplies such as toilet utensils, tiles, and wallpapers.
Other establishments along Portland Street includes fast-food restaurants, congee
/noodle shops, convenience stores and working class residential highrises. Near the Soy Street
intersection during the evenings, there are often unlicensed food stands and professional Chinese Chess players plying their trades. Further south, there is a small public playground at the Changsha Street intersection.
, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
in 1783 and between 1807 and 1809. It is unclear why the street was bestowed in his honour although, as a former British colony, many of Hong Kong's streets and institutions were named in memory of prominent English historic and political figures. Surrounding streets with similarly naming scheme include Pitt Street, Bute Street
, Arran Street, Hamilton Street, Dundas Street and Waterloo Road.
There is a street in London
named Great Portland Street
although it is unclear whether there is any relation or relevance to Portland Street in Hong Kong. There is also a street in Edinburgh named Portland Street which is not far from a Pitt Street and a Dundas Street - although again it is not clear if there is any relevance to the Hong Kong Portland Street.
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, 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...
. The street is known for its business and retailing skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
complex Langham Place, numerous restaurants and its famous red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
.
Geography
Running north-south and parallel to (and west of) Nathan Road, a main thoroughfare up the Kowloon peninsula, Portland Street extends through the districts of Yau Ma TeiYau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei, also known as Waterloo , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.-Name:Yau Ma Tei is a phonetic transliteration of the name 油麻地 in Cantonese...
and Mong Kok
Mong Kok
Mong Kok , less often known as Argyle , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong...
in Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
. Approximately three-quarters of a mile in length, it spans between Bute Street
Bute Street
Bute Street is a street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong.On one east end the street, it is the exit to Mong Kok East MTR Station and Grand Century Place of an extensive elevated walkway in the eastern Mong Kok....
in the north and one block past Waterloo Road in the south. The street is directly accessible by the Mong Kok
Mong Kok (MTR)
Mong Kok is a rapid transit station on the Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan Lines of the MTR system in Hong Kong. One of the first stations of the network to open, it is now used by more than 200,000 passengers daily...
and Yau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei (MTR)
Yau Ma Tei, formerly named Waterloo after Waterloo Road, is an MTR station located in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon. It is the western terminus of the Kwun Tong Line, and is also located on the Tsuen Wan Line....
stations of the MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
, Hong Kong's subway system.
Except for a few small parks, the entire two-lane street is highly urbanized with dense pedestrian and motor traffic thoroughout most of the day.
Character
A section of Portland Street, particularly between Argyle StreetArgyle Street, Hong Kong
Argyle Street is a four-lane dual-way thoroughfare in Hong Kong, connecting Mong Kok, Ma Tau Wai and Kowloon City. It runs on an east-west alignment starting at its intersection with Cherry Street, Ferry Street and Tong Mi Road in the west, and ending near the former Kai Tak Airport in the east.The...
and Dundas Street, hosts arguably Hong Kong's most famous red light district (serving mostly local Chinese clientele) and a popular scene in Hong Kong films. There, underneath a dizzying and chaotic array of neon sign
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
s, one can find prostitutes from around the world (although mostly from mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
) serving in hundreds of massage parlours, night clubs, karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
/hostess bars and brothels. Although prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
is legal in Hong Kong, law enforcement is often active in this area conducting raids for prostitutes who've entered Hong Kong illegally or have overstayed their visas or to search for underaged prostitutes, pimps, human traffickers
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
and triad activities.
Langham Place, a 167,000 square meter (1.8 million square foot) shopping centre, theatre, hotel and office tower complex opened on Portland Street near the Nelson Street intersection in July 2004. The complex has its own MTR station access (Mong Kok station exit C3). Outside one of the complex's east entrances is a large jumbotron broadcasting news and entertainment shows for pedestrians below. Since its opening, Langham Place and surrounding areas has become a popular night-time destination for both locals and tourists. Some had predicted the massive upscale development would gentrify
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
the area and drive away the Portland Street sex trade. However, after several years of operation, Langham Place's impact on the nearby sex industry remains minimal.
The Portland Street segment between Argyle Street
Argyle Street, Hong Kong
Argyle Street is a four-lane dual-way thoroughfare in Hong Kong, connecting Mong Kok, Ma Tau Wai and Kowloon City. It runs on an east-west alignment starting at its intersection with Cherry Street, Ferry Street and Tong Mi Road in the west, and ending near the former Kai Tak Airport in the east.The...
and Bute Street
Bute Street
Bute Street is a street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong.On one east end the street, it is the exit to Mong Kok East MTR Station and Grand Century Place of an extensive elevated walkway in the eastern Mong Kok....
is home to over 50 retailers selling home renovation materials and supplies such as toilet utensils, tiles, and wallpapers.
Other establishments along Portland Street includes fast-food restaurants, congee
Congee
Congee is a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten alone or served with a side dish. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation...
/noodle shops, convenience stores and working class residential highrises. Near the Soy Street
Soy Street
Soy Street is a street in Mong Kok of Kowloon, Hong Kong. It starts from Tak Cheong Street in the west crossing several major streets including Nathan Road, and ends in Waterloo Road. The section between Nathan Road and Sai Yeung Choi Street South is for pedestrians only...
intersection during the evenings, there are often unlicensed food stands and professional Chinese Chess players plying their trades. Further south, there is a small public playground at the Changsha Street intersection.
History
Portland Street was named after William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of PortlandWilliam Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, KG, PC was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister. He was known before 1762 by the courtesy title Marquess of Titchfield. He held a title of every degree of British nobility—Duke,...
, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
in 1783 and between 1807 and 1809. It is unclear why the street was bestowed in his honour although, as a former British colony, many of Hong Kong's streets and institutions were named in memory of prominent English historic and political figures. Surrounding streets with similarly naming scheme include Pitt Street, Bute Street
Bute Street
Bute Street is a street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong.On one east end the street, it is the exit to Mong Kok East MTR Station and Grand Century Place of an extensive elevated walkway in the eastern Mong Kok....
, Arran Street, Hamilton Street, Dundas Street and Waterloo Road.
There is a street in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
named Great Portland Street
Great Portland Street
Great Portland Street is a street in the West End of London. Linking Oxford Street with Albany Street and the busy A501 Marylebone Road and Euston Road, the road forms the boundary between Fitzrovia to the east and Marylebone to the west...
although it is unclear whether there is any relation or relevance to Portland Street in Hong Kong. There is also a street in Edinburgh named Portland Street which is not far from a Pitt Street and a Dundas Street - although again it is not clear if there is any relevance to the Hong Kong Portland Street.
See also
- List of streets and roads in Hong Kong
- Portland Street BluesPortland Street BluesPortland Street Blues is a 1998 Hong Kong film, directed by Yip Wai Man. The film is a spin-off of the Young and Dangerous series of films.-Synopsis:...
, a 1998 Hong Kong film - Prostitution in Hong KongProstitution in Hong KongProstitution in Hong Kong is itself legal, but organized prostitution is illegal, as there are laws against keeping a vice establishment , causing or procuring another to be a prostitute, living on the prostitution of others, or public solicitation....
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