1960s Nathan Road

Hi there,

The sign of the then Po Hing Theatre is visible in the photo, at the lower part of the Royal Hotel.

In the backround the ARP portal on Gascoigne Road is also visible.

Best Regards,

T

Hi T, looking through Raymond Lo's notes, it would have been the Astor Theatre in the 1960s, though to confuse things it had the same Chinese name as the  Po Hing Theatre that used to be at this site.

And how could I miss an ARP tunnel!!

Thanks for the comments, I've added in the places.

Regards, David

Hi there,

For us locals the theatre is always Po Hing no matter what its English name is.  It was also one of the multi-purpose movie theatres with a big enought stage for other activities like Cantonese Opera or other ceremonies.

Best Regards,

T

The view from the other direction.

Hi, this is another view (a movie still by The Shaw Brothers Studio) showing that stretch of Nathan Rd near the Po Hing Theatre. Think it's looking NW from Gascoigne Rd? And I suppose the Theatre would be to the left hand side of the guy reading newspaper? By the way, the guy in trench coat is Paul Chang (張沖), HK's equivalent of James Bond in The Shaw Brothers Studio. Sadly, he passed away just recently.

Nice film shot. The view from the other direction can be seen here:

http://gwulo.com/node/2553

One of the store was the Siberia Furs Products. They were selling snow boots, gloves and furs clothings.

Anyone remembers this?

Tung

Greetings.  My views from the bus and sidewalk were limited to 1950s and early 60s so they coincided with the old Po Hing, its successor Astor, and Alhambra - all popular theatres.  Astor's facade facing the park caught people's attendion the most, as it had a large colourful  painting of the movie it was showing.  Other photos have refreshed my memories  that I also saw the once gasoline station and water reservoir.  One more place that impressed me was Pubic Square Street for its exceptional quietness and short length in the midst of a busy place.

One place I am interested when seeing this photo, is the gap between the CocaCola building (now Nathan Commercial Building) and the high ground next to it.  There must be a retaining wall in those days so is it still there?.  Now, I see in Google ground view there are caisson-type retaining walls along the front.  Regards, Peter

The petrol station in the garden south of Astor theater was removed in 1965. So it was after 1965.

https://gwulo.com/node/59419#17~22.30875~114.17157~Map_by_GovHK-Markers…

The Royal hotel opened on 1969-04-14 according to this news report. (previously called Clover hotel possibly under a different management). Therefore it should be 1969 or after.

https://gwulo.com/media/46401