Repulse Bay
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- For the city in Northern Canada see Repulse Bay, Nunavut
Image:Repulsebaytinhau.jpg Repulse Bay (淺水灣, lit. Shallow Water Bay) is an area in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, located in the Southern District, Hong Kong.
The well-known Repulse Bay Beach is located on a beautiful bay with a long line of coast and smooth sands. It is a Grade 1 beach, for its good water quality. Also there are seldom huge waves chasing on to the beach. As a result, Repulse Bay is an ideal place for swimming.
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History
In 1841 the bay was used as a base by pirates and caused serious concern to foreign merchant ships trading with China. The pirates were subsequently repulsed by the British Fleet and hence the name. Another theory is that the bay was named after the HMS Repulse parked at the bay at one point.
In the 1910s, Repulse Bay was developed into a beach, and the Repulse Bay Hotel was built in 1920. To attract swimmers, a bus route from Central to Repulse Bay was created, becoming one of Hong Kong's oldest bus routes. During the Battle of Hong Kong in World War II, Repulse Bay was an important strategic point.
Present
Image:Repulse bay.JPG The former Repulse Bay Hotel was refurnished to become a shopping mall in 1982, providing fast food, shops and restaurants for people to have their meals. The colonial architecture of the hotel was kept though. Beside the beach, Repulse Bay is also a good place for family or friends gathering because of its barbecue sites. There is also a supermarket for people to buy what they want. People need not worry about being hungry after playing for a long time on the Bay and they need not bring too many things when travelling to the Bay.
There are large statues of two goddesses, Kwun Yum and Tin Hau.
With the above merits of Repulse Bay, many tourists and local people are attracted to it.
Transport
Repulse Bay is served by Repulse Bay Road, which connects Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and Tai Tam Road. It is very convenient for people to travel to Repulse Bay as many vehicles can reach the Bay such as bus no. 6, 6A, 6X, 260 from Central.