Quarry Bay


Quarry Bay is an area beneath Mount Parker in the Eastern District of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. The western portion of the area was also formerly known as Lai Chi. Traditionally being an industrial and residential area, the number of commercial buildings in this district has increased over the past two decades.
Quarry Bay is bordered by Sai Wan Ho to the east, Mount Parker to the south, North Point to the west, and Victoria Harbour to the north. Administratively, it is part of Eastern District.
Quarry Bay is considered as an area surrounded by Kornhill Road to the east, Hong Shing Street and Mount Parker Road to the south, Junction of King's Road and Healthy Street West to the west, and Taikoo Wan Road to the north.

History

During Colonial Hong Kong times, the Hakka stonemasons settled in the area after the British arrival.
This area was a bay where rock from the hillsides were quarried and transported by ship for building construction or road building. The Chinese name Tsak Yue Chung reveals that it was a small stream where crucian carp could be found in the 19th century. The English name was Arrow Fish Creek. The original bay has disappeared since land reclamation has taken place, and was about 700m from the current coastline.

Taikoo

The eastern part of Quarry Bay, namely Quarry Point, was largely owned by Swire and therefore many places and facilities are named after the company's Chinese name, Taikoo. The river originally flowed into the bay, however it was shut off from the sea with the construction of the Tai Koo Reservoir to supply fresh water to the Taikoo Dockyard, the Taikoo Sugar factory at Tong Chong Street, and later the Swire Coca-Cola factory at Greig Road and Yau Man Street. The upper course of the river was converted into a cement-paved catchwater, and the lower course is the present-day Quarry Bay Street, with the original estuary near the Quarry Bay Street - King's Road junction.
In the mid-1980s, the hillside was converted into Kornhill apartment buildings, the reservoir into Mount Parker Lodge apartment buildings, and the Dockyard into Taikoo Shing. The Coca-Cola factory is now apartment Kornville, and Taikoo Sugar is now the Taikoo Place, a commercial hub.

Lai Chi

The western end of Quarry Bay was historically part of North Point; during the 1930s its beaches became one of the most popular places for holding swimming galas in Hong Kong. From this basis an upmarket entertainment complex, the Ritz Nightclub, was built in the area in 1947. The nightclub was demolished a few years later to make way for the construction of apartment buildings during the latter half of the 1950s. Nonetheless, for years afterwards, the western part of Quarry Bay continued to be known informally as Lai Chi, made more so by the name being homophone to Cantonese for "late as usual" - a reference to King's Road, until 1984 the only thoroughfare in the area and thus infamous for traffic congestion.
To this day, some buildings in the western part of Quarry Bay are named as "North Point something building", although they are across the modern-day limit of North Point at Man Hong Street / Healthy Street West.

Residential buildings

Nan Fung Sun Chuen, built in 1978, is a private apartment estate. Consisting of 12 buildings distributed along Greig Road and Greig Crescent with a car park at the centre of the development, it was developed by Nan Fung Development. Because of the relatively large size of the development, it serves as the benchmark for premises developed in the late 1970s in the property market. The tower blocks range in height from 28 to 33 floors. Blocks 1 to 5 are at 32 to 40 Greig Road while blocks 6 to 12 are at 27 to 15 Greig Crescent.

Taikoo Shing

Taikoo Shing is a private residential development in Quarry Bay, in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Consisting of 61 mansions distributed along Taikoo Wan Road & Taikoo Shing Road, it was developed by Swire.

Tourism

Fireboat ''Alexander Grantham'' Exhibition Gallery

The Alexander Grantham was a fireboat of Hong Kong's Fire Services Department. The fireboat was named after former Governor Sir Alexander Grantham. The boat has since retired from service and been replaced by other vessels.
On 10 March 2006, the fireboat was successfully hoisted into its new permanent home in the Central Concourse of Quarry Bay Park, Hong Kong, where it has been converted into the Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery and was opened to the public as a museum in 2007. In addition to the fireboat itself, the Gallery houses a number of multimedia exhibits on the vessel's history and on firefighting in Hong Kong.

"Monster Building" Complex

"Monster Building" is a condominium complex of five interconnected buildings. The complex consists of Fook Cheong Building, Montane Mansion, Oceanic Mansion, Yick Cheong Building, and Yick Fat Building.

Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre

Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre situated at Mount Parker Road, Quarry Bay. The centre comprises three themed exhibition galleries introducing Hong Kong's precious natural resources and biodiversity. The centre aims to foster public awareness, knowledge and understanding the inherent value of Hong Kong's biodiversity assets and to marshal public support and action for nature conservation.

Commercial buildings

A few industrial buildings exist in the areas of Shipyard Lane.

Parks and recreational facilities

Kindergartens & Nurseries
Primary schools
Secondary schools

Public transport