The death of Queen Elizabeth II shocked the people of Hong Kong and some of the buildings bearing their name still stand today, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Secondary School and Queen Elizabeth Stadium. Looking at the information, funds raised from the Queen’s visit to Hong Kong are often used in Hong Kong, for example by 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 after 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 following year the Queen Elizabeth II Youth Playground (commonly known as Jiuyi or Old Iraq) was completed, presided over by then Governor Grantham. The construction cost of this location was 800,000 yuan in that year. It is the first indoor gym in Kowloon and the most advanced in Asia. There are 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 is still standing. Looking at old reports from the “Overseas Chinese Daily”, Yi Pavilion was originally supposed to be called “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 gold coin commemorating the Queen’s visit to Hong Kong, 10 million yuan from the royal family’s visit to Hong Kong. Kong Memorial Fund and the rest from the Urban Council and the Hong Kong government. According to previous reports from the South China Morning Post, the final construction cost of the Yi Pavilion was 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. Kong at that time.
In 1977, on the 25th anniversary of the queen’s accession to the throne, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Appeal Fund (The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Appeal Fund), established that year, used 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 Hong Kong Sports Institute in 1991.
Other buildings that have been approved to be named after the Queen include the Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, which cost more than 2 million yuan to build and was opened in 1956 by Hong Kong Governor Ms. Sir Grantham; the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is familiar to the people of Hong Kong, was built in the 1950s. Originally called “New Kowloon Hospital”, it was renamed in honor of the Queen of England in November 1958. It 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 the buildings for multiple attributes and functionality
“Hong Kong Anecdote” Dr. Zhang Chaodun pointed out that since the opening of the port, many places in Hong Kong have been named after queens and kings (see the table at the end of the article). More than 50 years after Queen Victoria’s death, there is still a “Victoria Park” associated with her name. Edward VII, who later ascended the throne, reigned for only nine years, so not many Hong Kong monuments bore his name. Later, George V reigned for 25 years, leaving many traces of monuments.
The subsequent reign of Edward VIII was very short, and there is still a main road named after him, namely the current Prince Edward Road; George VI was on the throne before and after WWII, and there was no landmark named him in Hong Kong, just in the middle of the Zoological and Botanical Park, bronze statue as a memorial. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the landmarks named after her were mostly functional buildings, such as gyms and schools.
Chinese translation of the difference between the name regina 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 the English one. For example, Queen’s Road commemorates Queen Victoria, but is translated as Queen’s Road; Queen Victoria Street is also translated as Queen Victoria Street.
Wu Hao, a historical historian, mentioned in his book “Old Hong Kong Mirror Painting Floating Life” that before 1954, street naming was just a trivial matter in the eyes of the government. Dumbfounded, so there are several street names. After 1954, the Urban Affairs Office and the New Territories Limin Office were tasked with changing the street name. The method was more scientific. The post office, the Land and Land Office, and the Roads Department were notified before the name was final.
* The reign of George VI was around the time of World War II. There was no landmark named after him in Hong Kong, only the bronze statue in the center of the Zoological and Botanical Gardens commemorates him.
Source: Compiled by Dr. Zhang Chaodun and Yahoo News reporters
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