Wikipedia

Happy Valley, Hong Kong

For other uses, seeHappy Valley (disambiguation).
Not to be confused withHappy Garden.

Happy Valley(Chinese:Phi ngựa mà) is an upper-income residentialareainHong Kong,located onHong Kong Island.The area is bordered by Caroline Hill to the east,Jardine's Lookoutto the south,Morrison Hillto the west, andCauseway Bayto the north. Administratively, it is part ofWan Chai District.

Happy Valley
Traditional ChinesePhi ngựa mà
Simplified ChinesePhi ngựa mà
Literal meaninghorse-racing ground
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinPǎomǎdì
Yale RomanizationPǎumǎdì
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationPaaú màh deí
JyutpingPaau2maa5dei2
IPA[pʰǎːuma̬ːtěi]
Alternative Chinese name
ChineseSung sướng cốc
Literal meaningHappy valley
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinKuàihuogǔ
Yale RomanizationKwàihwogǔ
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationFaai wuht gùk
JyutpingFaai3wut6guk1
IPA[fāːiwʊ̀tkʊ̂k]

Happy Valley is considered as an area surrounded by Caroline Hill Road to the east,Tai Hang RoadandStubbs Roadto the south,Canal Road Flyoverand westbound section ofWong Nai Chung Roadto the west, andLeighton Roadto the north.

The area is home to theHappy Valley Racecourse,Hong Kong Racing Museum,Hong Kong Jockey Club Happy Valley Clubhouse,Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital,Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road,home to a number of sports clubs includingValley RFCrugby club, Craigengower Cricket Club,Hong Kong FCfootball club, and a number of cemeteries including theHong Kong Cemetery.

It has a population of 32,202 people, 70.7% of them being Chinese. Other ethnic minority groups include Filipinos (12.8%) and whites (6.3%).[when?]

History

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Happy Valley in 1873
Happy Valley in 1920
Happy Valley in 1971

The area now known as Happy Valley was formerly known as Wong Nai Chung Valley, sometimes known asWong Nai Chung Kuk(Đất đỏ dũng cốc) orWong Nai Chung Valleybecause of theWong Nai Chung[yue](Đất đỏ dũng,lit.yellow mud stream) that leads into the area, where the Wong Nai Chung referred to is a mud-filled river collecting waters from theWong Nai Chung Gapand surrounding area. The river nourished therice paddiesuntil the construction ofHappy Valley Racecoursein 1846.

In early 1840, theBritish Armyset a military camp in the area. However, the camp was later closed due to the increasing number of soldiers succumbing tomalaria.The cause of malaria was unknown at the time and the soldiers apparently suffered a then-unknown fever. Early settlers had suggested the area to be used as a business centre, but the idea was shelved due to the valley's marshy environment, which was believed to be causing fatal diseases. The death rate in the area andVictoria Citywas high in the early colonial days, and the valley became a burial ground for the dead. As a result, the valley was renamedHappy Valley,a common euphemism for cemeteries. In 1846, the British felt that the valley terrain was ideal for horse-racing, and thus cleared the paddy fields and developed the Happy Valley Racecourse. For this, the Wong Nai Chung river was redirected to the Bowrington Canal, known as Ngo Keng Kan (Ngỗng cổ khe) locally, concurrent with the reclamation ofWan Chai.The canal is now covered byCanal Road.

On 26 February 1918, there was a fire in the racecourse that claimed at least 590 lives. By the next day, as many as 576 confirmed deaths were reported by the Hong Kong Telegraph. It was caused by the collapse of a temporary grandstand, which knocked over food stalls and set bamboo matting ablaze. Most of the dead bodies became unrecognisable and assumed to be "Chinese". They were buried in the nearbySo Kon Poarea (now the site ofHong Kong Stadium). A Chinese-styled memorial site known as "Race Course Fire Memorial" was built in the Chinese cemetery (now behind the east stand of the stadium).

In 1922, the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital located in Happy Valley started operation.

On 19 December 1941, theJapanese Imperial Armyentered the hill east of the valley and fought their way to Blue Pool Road. On (nowBlue Pool Road) a number of large massacres occurred, most notably the Blue Pool Road Massacre, where civilians were bayoneted. Civilians and Soldiers captured were kept in the appalling conditions of 'the black hole of Hong Kong' (a house on Blue Pool Road). The Japanese later advanced up to Wong Nai Chung Gap, where the battle ofWong Nai Chung Gapoccurred, resulting in Japanese control of the gap. Although the low-areas of Happy Valley were captured, areas surroundingLeighton Hilland Morrison Hill were still contested until later inthe Battle of Hong Kong.

Characteristics

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Happy Valley in 2008

Happy Valley is made up of upper-income residential areas. Residents are relatively diverse as to Hong Kong natives and foreigners. Two of the territory's tallest residential buildings,HighcliffandThe Summitare specifically inStubbs Road,facingMount Nicholson.

Happy Valley hosts six cemeteries, from south to north, theHappy Valley Jewish Cemetery,the Hindu Cemetery, the Parsee Cemetery,Hong Kong Cemetery,St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery,and the Muslim Cemetery.[1]

TheHong Kong Racing Museumand the associated Happy Valley Racecourse, one of the two tracks of theHong Kong Jockey Club,is in Happy Valley. Whenever a race runs, surrounding traffic patterns have to be changed: cars have to enter Happy Valley and the racecourse viaWong Nai Chung Roadin a clockwise fashion, and the road may be heavily congested. The stadium lights in the racecourse illuminate nearby buildings even when the buildings themselves are unlit.

Many other sports are participated and competed in byHong Kong First Division'sHappy Valley Athletic Association.

Climate

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Happy Valley is often a hot spot in Hong Kong. On 8 August 2015, Happy Valley recorded a temperature of 37.9 °C (100.2 °F).[2]

Residential developments

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Housing estates

Happy Valley is primarily an upscale residential area.

  • Blue Pool Lodge (No. 2, 6 & 10Blue Pool Road)
  • Friendship Court (No. 12-22Blue Pool Road)
  • 23-39 Blue Pool Road (No. 23-39Blue Pool Road)
  • Valley View Terrace (No. 68Blue Pool Road)
  • The Leighton Hill (No. 2A Broadwood Road)
  • Broadville (No. 4 Broadwood Road)
  • Beverly Hill(No. 6 Broadwood Road)
  • Villa Rocha (No. 10 Broadwood Road)
  • Villa Lotto (No. 18 Broadwood Road)
  • Broadview Villa (No. 20 Broadwood Road)
  • Broadwood Park (No. 38 Broadwood Road)
  • Caroline Garden (No. 101 Caroline Hill Road)
  • Silverwood (No. 109 Caroline Hill Road)
  • Celeste Court (No. 10-12 Fung Fai Terrace)
  • Felix Villa (No. 10-12A Happy View Terrace)
  • Caroline Height (No. 1 Link Road)
  • Jade Terrace (No. 3 Link Road)
  • Greenway Terrace (No. 5-7 Link Road)
  • The Altitude (No. 20 Shan Kwong Road)
  • Highcliff(No. 41Stubbs Road)
  • The Summit(No. 41CStubbs Road)
  • The Colonnade (No. 152Tai Hang Road)
  • Winfield Building (No. 1-5 Ventris Road)
  • Pioneer Court (No. 17 Ventris Road)
  • Ventris Place (No. 19-23B Ventris Road)
  • San Francisco Towers (No. 29-35 Ventris Road)
  • Panny Court (No. 5 Village Road)
  • Village Terrace (No. 35-41 Village Terrace)
  • Splendour Court (No. 53Wong Nai Chung Road)

Several serviced apartments can be found here:

  • Eaton Residences (No. 4H Village Road)
  • Happy Valley 88 (42Blue Pool Road)
  • The Ellipsis (No. 5-7Blue Pool Road)
  • The Ventris (No. 20 Ventris Road)
  • Treasure View (No. 22 Sing Woo Road)
  • V Happy Valley (No. 68 Sing Wood Road)
  • Eight Kwai Fong (No. 8 Kwai Fong Street)

Education

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Lycée Français International Victor SegalenBlue Pool Road Campus

Happy Valley is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 12. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and the following government schools: Hennessy Road Government Primary School and Sir Ellis Kadoorie (Sookunpo) Primary School.[3]

Happy Valley is home to a number of prestigious institutions, international schools, and special education.

Located onBlue Pool Road,Marymount Secondary Schoolis a prestigious all-girls Roman Catholic Secondary School. The school is academically rigorous and students are known for excellence in open examinations, especially for the English Language. Its affiliated primary schoolMarymount Primary Schoolis adjacent to the secondary school.

Located on Ventris Road,St. Paul's Secondary Schoolis a prestigious Anglo-Chinese all-girls Roman Catholic secondary school. The school is renowned for its outstanding basketball team. Its affiliated primary school St. Paul's Primary Catholic School is adjacent to the secondary school.

Located onBlue Pool Road,theLycée Français International Victor Segalen,the French international school, maintains its Blue Pool Road campus, housing the administration and secondary school section, in Happy Valley.[4]

Located onBlue Pool Road,theHong Kong Japanese School's Happy Valley Campus is in the community.[5]The Happy Valley campus houses the primary education section, and in April 2018 the junior high school section moved there too.[6]

Located onBlue Pool Road,Hong Chi Lions Morninghill School[zh]offers special education for children with mild intellectual disability.

Transport

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Trams in Happy Valley

Hong Kong Tramwaysextended their network into Happy Valley in 1922,[7]and the community has been served by the trams ever since. The extension has one terminus.

Residents can access theCauseway BayMTRstation via minibuses or trams.

Aberdeen Tunnel,Wong Nai Chung RoadandCanal Road Flyoveralso serve as the major thoroughfares in Happy Valley.

Happy Valley has three bus terminals, of which two are located above Happy Valley onTai Hang RoadandStubbs Roadand one onWong Nai Chung Road.The terminus furthest up the hill serves bus route No. 8X that goes toIsland Resort,Siu Sai Wan.

The upper terminus (also on the hill) serves one of Hong Kong's oldest bus routes (No. 1) which spans from Green Lane of Happy Valley toCentral;it now terminates atFelix VillasinMount Davis, Hong Kong.

The lower bus terminus serves bus route No. 117, going toSham Shui Po.

Major thoroughfares, roads and streets

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Broadwood Road
Wong Nai Chung Road outsideAmigo Restaurant

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toHappy Valley.

References

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  1. ^Nicolson, Ken (2010).The Happy Valley: A History and Tour of the Hong Kong Cemetery.Hong Kong University Press.ISBN978-988-8028-10-8.JSTORj.ctt1xwfhb.
  2. ^"Daily Extract of Meteorological Observations, August 2015 - Happy Valley".hko.gov.hk.Retrieved3 October2021.
  3. ^"POA School Net 12"(PDF).Education Bureau.Retrieved12 September2022.
  4. ^"Campuses - Blue Pool RoadArchived24 September 2015 at theWayback Machine."Lycée Français International Victor Segalen. Retrieved on 25 January 2015." 165 Blue Pool Road, Happy Valley "
  5. ^"About JIS"(Archive).Hong Kong Japanese School.Retrieved on 12 January 2015.
  6. ^"Home".Hong Kong Japanese School Junior High School Section. 29 January 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2018.Retrieved17 February2022.Trung học bộ は, 2018 năm 4 nguyệt の tân niên độ より, dưới の sở tại に di 転します. No.157 Blue Pool Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. ( Hong Kong giáo と cùng じ nơi です)
  7. ^hktramways
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22°16′N114°11′E/ 22.267°N 114.183°E/22.267; 114.183

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