Kowloon Tong

15 Aug. 2010 - Wow, I just found out that my neighborhood, Kowloon Tong, has its own entry on the Wikipedia website. Maybe that is not so surprising for an area with two Universities and a major shopping mall, but still ... I learned that Kowloon Tong was originally a village close to the Police Sports Association grounds on Boundary Street. Extensive cultivation was possible as waters flowed from Beacon Hill. In the 1920s the (British) Government decided to develop the land east of Kowloon Tong, on the other side of the Kowloon - Canton Railway, and change it into a British model residential area. Over the past years some HK friends have commented that Kowloon Tong is a "European-looking" area, which I always thought laughable, but now I understand their comments a bit better. And in all fairness, the broad tree-lined roads are unique in Hong Kong. Sadly, some trees are being chopped because nervous residents fear they may collapse.