Stanley Hong Kong

photo by das farbamt

Stanley is a town and a tourist attraction in Hong Kong Island South. It is a peninsula on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. It is east of Repulse Bay and west of Shek O, adjacent to Chung Hom Kok. Administratively, it is part of the Southern District.

The proper Chek Chue refers to the village town but Stanley generally refers to all the surrounding areas of the peninsula after the beginning of British rule and native Cantonese name Chek Chue became synonym to Stanley.

Stanley is renowned for its many bars and restaurants on its waterfront along Stanley Main Street where visitors can enjoy a variety of different foods (including French, Italian, American, Indian and Thai) or relax with a beer and soak up the friendly atmosphere in one of its bars, such as the Smugglers Inn - an English styled pub that's very popular with both tourists and expats.

To the west of Stanley Main Street, past the amphitheatre in Stanley Plaza is the Tin Hau Temple (Temple of the Queen of Heaven). Built by Cheung Po Tsai in 1767, it is one of the oldest temples in Hong Kong.

Stanley Market

Stanley Market, a large open-air marketplace, has become well known for its bargains in clothing - particularly silk garments and traditional Chinese dress - as well as toys, ornaments, luggage, souvenirs, and Chinese arts and crafts. It is a popular destination for both tourists and locals alike.

People are drawn here by the cheap goods that would usually fetch a much higher price elsewhere. In addition to several Chinese restaurants and a Dai pai dong, Stanley Market now also boasts its own small Häagen-Dazs shop and most recently a branch of the Dymocks Booksellers.

Murray House / Hong Kong Maritime Museum

Once a government building in Central, it was dismantled in 1982 to make way for new buildings. The facade was stored in a warehouse after the building was dismantled, and the facade was rebuilt in Stanley in 1998. It was open to the public in 1999. It houses several restaurants and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

When it was rebuilt, the ink used to label the pieces had washed off, and when they had finished constructing the building, they had six columns left over. These columns now stand outside the building.

Currently the bottom floor of Murray House is home to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. The museum has over 500 exhibits from ancient pottery and shipping goods to interactive games for all ages. It celebrates all of Hong Kong seafaring history for the ancient Hakka people to the Royal Navy to the giant container ships which grace the waters of Hong Kong today.

Stanley Beaches

Stanley is famous for its two beaches: Stanley Main Beach, located on the eastern side of the peninsular, and St. Stephen's Beach, on the western side. Both beaches are sandy and have areas designed for barbecues. Like many beaches in Hong Kong, they also have netted perimeters to protect swimmers from sharks.

The larger of the two beaches - Stanley Main Beach, which is also popular with windsurfers, hosts the Stanley Dragon Boat Championships each year in June to celebrate the Tuen Ng Festival.

Stanley Hong Kong Plaza

Adjacent to Murray House, opened in 2001, it includes a shopping arcade and a community theatre. It is owned by The Link REIT. Every Christmas Stanley Plaza hosts a free concert in the amphitheatre put on by the Hong Kong International School band.

Situated beside Murray House is Blake Pier at Stanley.

Originally located in Central, Blake Pier was first dismantled in 1965 and later relocated to Morse Park to form the roof of the Morse Park pavilion.

Now it has returned to its role as a public pier in Stanley, complementing the colonial architectural style of Murray House.

 

St. Stephens

St. Stephens is a secondary school that has long been located in Stanley. The mission of the College is: to provide quality education for the whole person, with a balanced emphasis on physical, intellectual and spiritual development, in a caring and supportive Christian environment. While the school is not open to the public or tourists, it is just a short walk from Stanley Main Street.

Stanley Hong Kong Prison

Stanley Prison is still operational and houses the most hardened of criminals from the Hong Kong Justice System. There is a Correctional Services Museum at the entrance to the prison.

Stanley Hong Kong History

After the annexation of Hong Kong in 1842, the British made Stanley the temporary administrative centre, before moving it to the newly founded Victoria City (present day Central) on the north shore of Hong Kong Island.

Stanley was the location where British and Canadian troops made their last stand before surrendering to Japanese troops during the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. Stanley Fort, the former British barracks in Stanley, is now occupied by the People's Liberation Army. This change followed the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997.

There are two possible origins of the name "Chek Chue".

Legend has it that the notorious pirate Cheung Po Tsai was active in Stanley. That is why the district became known in Cantonese dialect as Chek Chue (賊柱 for Bandit's Post). There was once a Cheung Po Tsai Cave near the Tin Hau Temple west of Stanley, but the cave was filled in the early 1950s.

The original Cantonese dialect name of the village was believed to be based on a big tall cotton tree (Bombax malabaricum, Bombax ceiba 木棉樹) often covered with bright red blossoms at the time, hence red pillar (赤柱) in Hakka language.

It was given an English name after Lord Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, 19th-century British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.

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