Hong Kong 1930s, Zoological & Botanical Garden

Sun, 02/10/2019 - 17:08

Photo made by Charles Gesner van der Voort's (1916-1991) employer, Willem Kien, director of Holland-China Trading Company (HCHC) with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tientsin (Tianjin).

Gwulo member tngan commented: That would be the Zoological & Botanical Garden. The big house at the back was the Governer's. Botjhthe house and the park are still there.

Wikipedia.org:
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens (Chinese: 香港動植物公園) is one of the oldest zoological and botanical centres in the world. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares at Mid-levels, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. Founded in 1864, its first stage had been opened to the public in 1871. It is the oldest park in Hong Kong.

Similar to Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere in Central District. It is bigger than Hong Kong Park and contains more plants, birds and facilities.

Courtesy Kien family archives

Source: This image came from Flickr, see https://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=44673380455

Date picture taken

1930s

Comments

Re Zoological & Botanical Garden

Hi there,

That would be the Zoological & Botanical Garden. The big house at the back was the Governer's. Botjhthe house and the park are still there.

Zoological & Botanical Garden

Greetings. I hope they preserve the two observation towers, a part of the early era if not original features. A unique memory that can last is the panoramic view they offer. Regards, Peter

Re: Zoological & Botanical Gardens

Hi There,

They are still there, but may have been refurbished.

If I'm not mistaken, the part under the fountain square was, and still is, a service reservoir for the water services.

ps A little update. Walked by earlier this week.

Zoological & Botanical Gardens

Thank you Tom for the response. In 2014, after 50 years absence, I returned to Hong Kong for a visit. Like everywhere in HK, new buildings are constantly replacing old ones. Walking up the steps again was one of those nostalgic moments. I also visited the Maple Street Playgroound. The garden was built in the late 1950s so the trees then were young and short, had a simple walkway with grass on both sides, and no structures or buildings. Weather permitting, seniors brought along their favourite birds to meet and chat. I wonder if we can still find such garden scene today. Regards, Peter

Zoological & Botanical Gardens

Many thanks for your comments, I appreciate it!