Ma Tau Chung

Ma Tau Chung (Chinese: 馬頭涌 or 碼頭涌[1]) is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, west of Ma Tau Kok and east of Ma Tau Wai. It was named after a creek (hence 涌, Chung, in the name) which originated in Quarry Hill emptying into Kowloon Bay. The village of Ma Tau Chung stood on its eastern bank near the river mouth next to the Sacred Hill.

Map of Kowloon in 1866, showing the location of Ma Tau Chung at that time
Sung Wong Toi on Sacred Hill before the Japanese Occupation.
A view of Ma Tau Chung Road.

Ma Tau Chung Road is named after the historical place name. It is the major surface road for traffic between Kowloon City and other areas to the east, onwards through Prince Edward Road West and Prince Edward Road East, and areas in southern Kowloon, through Ma Tau Wai Road.

History

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in the Second World War between 1941 and 1945, most of the Indian POWs captured in Hong Kong were interned at a POW camp here. The Japanese 'encouraged' these men to join the Indian National Army of the Indian Independence League, but met with little success. While hundreds of these POWs were not considered a threat by the Japanese, and were used as 'guards' at Gun Club Hill Barracks and other areas, 500-600 Indian soldiers considered anti-Japanese were held at Ma Tau Chung in very unpleasant circumstances. There were many deaths, and the men were buried just outside the camp near the vegetable gardens of the Argyle Street Camp immediately on the other side of Argyle Street.

Where Chun Seen Mei Chuen now stands was the Ma Tau Chung Cottage Area, which existed since 1938 and taken over and expanded by the Hong Kong Housing Society in 1955,[2] until demolition in 1962 to make way for the construction of Chun Seen Mei Chuen.[3][4][5]

Geography

Ma Tau Chung was a river stream. It was converted to an underground drainage . There was a village and land area that named after the stream.

In modern day the place name is not commonly used, or replaced with Ma Tau Wai, Ma Tau Kok or Kowloon City, the names of nearby neighbourhoods. For example, most news articles describe Sung Wong Toi Garden is located in Kowloon City,[6][7][8][9][10][11] while Ta Kung Pao once used Ma Tau Chung, Kowloon City district.[12] The official address of Hong Kong Aviation Club is Sung Wong Toi Road, Kowloon City[13] but secondary sources used Sung Wong Toi Road, Ma Tau Chung.[14][15] Chun Seen Mei Chuen, once credited as located in Ma Tau Chung, the current official address is Fu Ning Street, Kowloon City.[16] Argyle Street Playground, corner Argyle Street and Ma Tau Chung Road, was also credited as located in Ma Tau Chung in 1958,[17][18] but known as inside Kowloon City in recent years.[19][20]

Politics

Most of the area is covered by the western end of the Sung Wong Toi constituency in the Kowloon City District Council. This constituency was previously named Kai Tak until 2015. The seat has been held by Yeung Chun Yu since 2012, who was first elected as an ADPL candidate but now sits as an independent. The rest of the area are represented by the Ma Tau Wai and the Ma Hang Chung constituencies.

Transport

Apart from Ma Tau Chung Road, other major roads and streets in the area include Tam Kung Road.[21][22] Sung Wong Toi Road,[23] Ma Tau Kok Road[24] and Mok Cheong Street[25] connects the area with Ma Tau Kok.

Sung Wong Toi station which will soon be opened, on Tuen Ma line of the MTR, will serve the area[26] and will be connected through pedestrian subways to Kau Pui Shek, as well as nearby Kowloon City across the Boundary Street in New Kowloon.

See also

References
  1. 九龍碼頭涌道聖三一堂小學新校舍今奠基. 華僑日報 [Wah Kiu Yat Po] (in Chinese). Hong Kong. 19 July 1952. p. 9 – via HK Public Libraries MMIS.
  2. 香港屋宇協會在馬頭湧建單層屋一百廿八間專供二百元以下低薪階級市民居住月租不超過卅元七月中可完成遷入. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese). 31 May 1955. p. 6. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. https://lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/G1938/576947.pdf
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=T0cHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=%22Ma+Tau+Chung+Cottage+Area%22&source=bl&ots=TWimoSAD_X&sig=&hl=en&sa=X&ved=
  5. https://news.now.com/mobile/local/player?newsId=330401
  6. 鏟平宋王台工程進行中. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese). 9 January 1952.
  7. 宋王台新公園工程積極大門豎四石柱分三入口. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese). 15 January 1956. p. 5.
  8. 宋王台公園夏間可完成. Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese). 10 March 1956. p. 5.
  9. 宋王台古石　移置公園內工程將完成. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese). 2 August 1956. p. 4.
  10. "小畫家宋王台揮毫". Wah Kiu Yat Po (in Chinese). 4 April 1979. p. 13.
  11. 宋王台公園　離奇命案. The Kung Sheung Daily News (in Chinese). 13 September 1979. p. 7.
  12. 九龍城區名勝地宋王台闢作公園樂善堂及街坊會負責人曾向當局請求保存古蹟. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese). 16 December 1955. p. 6.
  13. "Contact". Hong Kong Aviation Club. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. "Hong Kong Aviation Club - offers Private Pilot License course". aviationfly.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021. Hong Kong Aviation Club, Sung Wong Toi Road, Ma Tau Chung, Hong Kong
  15. 會址涉沙中線工程　區會商終止飛行總會租約. on.cc 東網 (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Oriental Press Group. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  16. "Chun Seen Mei Chuen". Hong Kong Housing Society. 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  17. 馬頭涌道建運動場. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese). 3 May 1958. p. 4.
  18. 九龍城馬頭涌興建運動塲. The Kung Sheung Evening News (in Chinese). 2 May 1958. p. 10.
  19. 亞皆老街遊樂場紅耳鵯屍體對H5病毒呈陽性反應. RTHK. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via Yahoo!.
  20. 南亞雙賊騎單車搶劫　擸夜歸男財物被窮追棄贓逃. on.cc 東網 (in Chinese). 12 October 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  21. https://lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/G1930/614512.pdf
  22. https://etw.nextdigital.com.hk/article/3_59148549/%E4%BA%BA%E7%89%A9%E5%B0%88%E8%A8%AA/-%E8%9D%A6%E5%AD%90%E9%BA%B5%E8%80%81%E5%AD%97%E8%99%9F-%E8%89%AF%E5%BF%83%E6%A5%AD%E4%B8%BB%E6%B8%9B%E7%A7%9F-%E8%80%81%E5%B8%AB%E5%82%85%E4%B8%8D%E9%9B%A2%E6%A3%84-%E5%9C%9F%E7%93%9C%E7%81%A3%E8%80%81%E9%BA%B5%E5%BB%A0%E9%9D%A0%E7%9C%9F%E6%9D%90%E5%AF%A6%E6%96%99%E5%B1%B9%E7%AB%8B50%E5%B9%B4
  23. https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20170518/mobile/bkn-20170518161750524-0518_00822_001.html
  24. https://m.mingpao.com/ins/%E6%B8%AF%E8%81%9E/article/20200509/s00001/1588987042646/%E7%8D%A8%E8%A1%8C%E8%B3%8A%E4%BD%AF%E8%A3%9D%E4%B9%98%E5%AE%A2-%E5%8B%92%E9%A0%B8%E5%8A%AB%E7%9A%84%E5%A3%AB%E5%8F%B8%E6%A9%9F%E5%85%BC%E6%90%B6%E8%BB%8A
  25. https://lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/G1941/310234.pdf?source=https://lib.hku.hk/hkgro/result.jsp%3f=total=32%26first=1%26no=50
  26. https://www.hk01.com/%E7%A4%BE%E5%8D%80%E5%B0%88%E9%A1%8C/117735/%E5%AA%BD%E6%88%91%E5%A5%BD%E4%BA%82-%E9%A6%AC%E9%A0%AD%E5%9C%8D%E7%AB%99%E5%94%94%E5%96%BA%E9%A6%AC%E9%A0%AD%E5%9C%8D-%E5%B0%88%E5%AE%B6-%E5%AE%8C%E5%85%A8%E5%94%94%E6%98%8E%E6%B8%AF%E9%90%B5%E6%94%B9%E5%90%8D%E9%82%8F%E8%BC%AF

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