Happy Valley, Hong Kong
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Image:HKHappyValleyfootpath.jpg Happy Valley (快活谷; more popular form: 跑馬地, lit. horse racing ground) is a mostly residential suburb of Hong Kong, located in the north of Hong Kong Island. It is one of the early communities of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of Wan Chai District.
The valley is also known indigenously as Wong Nai Chung (黃泥涌, lit. yellow mud stream), named after the stream of the same name. The two names are used interchangably. For indicating the landscape, Wong Nai Chung Kuk (黃泥涌谷) or Wong Nai Chung Valley is used occasionally.
Happy Valley Racecourse, one of the two race tracks of the Hong Kong Jockey Club is located in Happy Valley.
The Hong Kong Racing Museum, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, and a number of cemeteries are also located in Happy Valley.
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History
Image:Happyvalley 1873.jpg In early 1840, the British Army had set a military camp in Happy Valley. The camp is later closed due to the increasing number of soldiers succumbing to malaria (the cause of malaria was unknown at the time). In 1846, the British felt that the valleyed terrain is ideal for horse-racing, and developed the Happy Valley Racecourse.
Happy Valley is now one of Hong Kong's higher class residential areas, with quite a number of foreigners present. Happy Valley's real estate prices usually influence the rest of Hong Kong's. Happy Valley also provides a number of high end restarurants and hotels, and is one rendezvous for many Hong Kong celebrities. Because of this, many paparazzi hound the area. Many Hong Kong television series are filmed in Happy Valley, too.
The Happy Valley Racecourse is still operational today. Whenever a race runs, surrounding traffic patterns have to be changed: Cars will have to enter Happy Valley and the racecourse via Wong Nai Chung Road in a clockwise fashion, and the road will be heavily congested. The stadium lights in the racecourse illuminates nearby buildings even when the buildings themselves are unlit.
Transport
Image:HappyValleyTramTerminus.jpg The Hong Kong Tramways extended into Happy Valley in 1922[1], and the community is served by the trams ever since. The extension has one terminus.
Currently, residents can access the Causeway Bay MTR station via minibuses. The proposed MTR South Island Line will have one station named after the place.
Aberdeen Tunnel, Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road Flyover also serve Happy Valley.
Happy Valley has two bus terminals, one on the hill and one on the bottom. The upper terminus serves one of Hong Kong's oldest bus routes (No. 1) which went from Green Lane of Happy Valley to Central; it now terminates at Kennedy Town.
Residential Developments
- Beverly Hill
- Broad View Villa
- Broadville
- Broadwood Park
- Celeste Court
- Colonnade
- Gracedale
- Hooley Mansion
- Leighton Hill
- San Francisco Towers
- Valley View Terrace
- Ventris Court
- Ventris Place
- Villa Lotto
- Villa Rocha
- Village Terrace
- Winfield Building
Major Roads & Streets
- Wong Nai Chung Road
- Sing Woo Road
- Blue Pool Road
- Ventris Road
- Shan Kwong Road
- Village Road
- Broadwood Road
- King Kwong Street
- Yik Yam Street
- Yuk Sau Street
See also
Template:Wan Chai District
Template:Hong Kong-geo-stubzh:跑馬地