Astor Theatre / 普慶戲院, Nathan Road [1957-1987]

Captured from a 1960 Cantonese movie with 2 overaged students. The building on the right is the Methodist College. The college was opened in 1958.

The building downhill on the left is the Gascoigne road side of the Astor theater. Of course those buildings behind the theater are on Nathan road. Note that the 2019 picture has a new building next to the college which formed the new wing of the school. It was not in the 1960 picture.  It is the "south wing" built in 2005.  The building in the 1960 picture is the main building. There is a "north wing" next to the basketball court built in 1963 (not in picture). The Methodist church and the Methodist primary school were on the opposite side of the inclined road. After the primary school moved to Wylie road, the college took over the building which became the "east wing" in 2011.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodist_College_(Kowloon)

This Astor theater also hosted Cantonese opera performance. In the 1960s, the theater started to turn "left" as groups connected to mainland China began to buy up cinemas in Hong Kong. The 8 American film producers terminated their relation with the theater. After that, the theater mostly hosted Cantonese opera and Peking opera.

https://www.wetoasthk.com/普慶戲院/

Remember watching the cartoon version of "Snow white and 7 dwarfs" here at Po Hing (hay yuen=theater/cinema). Before the cartoon came on, there were these black and white documentary of news reals of British soldiers fighting in the "Pacific Theater"...Bartons death march etc. not suitable for kids but that's the way it was back in the late 1950s if not early 1960s British Crowned Colony of Hong Kong! It's educational for me for there were no television at home to watch after school or whenever there were nothing else to do except playing/chanting and singing, going around in circle: "London bridges falling down, falling down, falling down. London brideges falling down, my fair lady." and down goes the arms to capture/trap whomever who happened to walk underneath the pair of palms to palms-fingers locked-raised arms to form the "bridge". Any way, I think that famous Biblical movie played by Charleston Houtson as Moses on Ten Commanments, were also shown there in the 1950s-1960s Po Hing movie theater. It was kind of scary for us kids but that was a real treat for we get popcorns and an outing besides school and church and music lessons etc. Unless it's dark. We walked to the theater. It was a real treat because not everybody could afford to go to a movie!!! Less than 10 years after the Japanese surrendered to end WWII in Asia with Korean conflicts which might still going on nearby. Too young to understand all these current events but still remember the very scary loud "air raid" sirens or whatever warnings alarms that came on once a big while with no adults explained to me what that's all about. Hence I am glad that this web side on Old Hong Kong popped up one day to draw me into playing the game of "Roots" to China-Hong Kong B.C.C. and not yet Africa...Yes, the theater turned "left" so family swith to "Lie Dough hey yuen" for PG movies or class assignements movies such as the "Sound of Music"; "Tora! Tora ! Tora!" to get credits for the English class at school! Don't think that we need to write a report or something, because not all classmates could afford to go to a movie. There were no slides show; no 8mm movies nor VHS tapes etc. at school to watch. We were fortunate enough to have the bi-tri-lingual Sister Lucillia, the singing nun to push the foot-pump organ to our classroom to teach us read the notes; sing simple folk songs in French if not the Children Nursery Ryhms and those monotone Catholic chants for Fridays Mass at the St. Teresa Church a block away for special events...such as the preperation mass in welcoming the arrival Pope John Paul II( I think, cannot remember) before he actually arrive, months later to Hong Kong Jockey Club Horse racing tracks area so we had to go over there to serve the worshipers by senting up folding chairs and wiped them dry in the drizzels as a show of respects to the elderly worshipers.....and that was my first ever "outdoor theater" experience back in 196(7?) or so and of course, there were no giant big screen TV nor PopeMobile but an open British jeep with the Pope standing in the back, waving to and rouse up the worshipers to the point that we were told to form a locked arms human chain behind the police if not British Army human chain to stop the enthusiests to push us down in order to get a touch blessing from the passing by Pope on his way to the Holy Stage to lead a Mass service. Wondering if I can find that event on Gwulo.com!

The English name for "Chuen Dough Chung Hawk", "Chuen Dough" Secondary School's name in English is Methodist "College/Primary" and not "Secondary School"? Anyway, that school was my 2nd choice on the Secondary School Entrance Exam 3 choices... I think. But my grades on Chinese-English-Math on the Secondary School entrance exam was good enough to put me back into St. Rose of Lima's campus on Embarkment Rd. between Price Edward and Boundary Road with truck entrance gate on Duke Street to drive onto the basketball and captain ball courts. I still have a strong feeling that these ball courts on the 1960s St. Rose of Lima's Girls school, was once the church site that some member on Gwulo.com was looking for before I came across Gwulo.com via my aging home computer/laptop.( St. Paul Episcapalian Church?) on Duke Street,was what one member was looking for?

The English names of schools for 12 to 17 year olds in HK can be college, middle school or secondary school. This is a list of their official names.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_secondary_schools_in_Hong_Kong

The post-secondary schools in Hong Kong  are usually called colleges or universities. This is a list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_higher_education_institutions_in_…

Therefore college can be a secondary school or post-secondary school. Kind of confusing.

The two "students" in the above movie walked up the steps and turned left to enter the Methodist College which is actually a high school. They looked more like post-secondary students of the Grantham College of education on the opposite side of road which was a real post-secondary institution. As far as I know, all students of Methodist College have to wear school uniforms. No way these two guys could be students of that school.

This sign at the foot of that inclined Gascoigne road contains both English and Chinese names. The school does call itself Methodist College.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Methodist+College/@22.3083773,114.172…

This photo was captured from a 1958 Cantonese movie when the theater had just opened. Some scaffolding still remained. The movie "CAMPBELL’S KINGDOM" starring Dirk Bogarde was showing.

https://playitagain.info/site/1958/campbells-kingdom/

In answering JC''s question, the word "college" has two different meanings. In American English, "college" essentially is a university. You hear Americans saying "going to college" which means going to university after graduating high school. They seldom say "going to university". In British or real English, "college" can either mean secondary school or university.  Methodist college is a secondary school or high school but New Asia College is is member of the Chinese University, just like Jesus College is a member of Cambridge University.