Wonkok District

According to some evidence, the first settlements on the site of the modern district already existed in the era of the Jin dynasty ^{[3] [4]} . At the beginning of the XIX century there was a large village inhabited by Hakka . In the British period, the red light district was located along Portland Street. In the 1920s, peasant fields began to be replaced by residential buildings, and women washed clothes for clients along irrigation canals (later, canals and streams were transformed into underground collectors).

When Wonkok was still a seaside district, it was famous for the supply of ferns. English transliteration Mong Kok went from the old Chinese names 望 角 or 芒角 (modern Chinese call terrain 旺角 or Wonkok, which means “Flourishing corner” or “Crowded corner”). Until 1930, the district was known as Mon Koktsui (Mong Kok Tsui, 芒角 咀).

In the 1980s – 1990s, Woncock was known as a center for selling pornography, erotic magazines, counterfeit music, video games, and computer programs. In 1994, the Wonkok district merged with the district of Yauchim, forming the new district of Yauchymwon . In 2014, Wonkok became the scene of mass protests by the democratic opposition ^[5] .

In the south, Wonkok is bordered by the Yaumatei district, in the east by the Homanthan district , in the west by the Taikokchy region, in the north by Samsoypo district . The northern part of Wonkok is known as Prince Edward (located around the metro station of the same name), and the western part is known as Wonkoktsui (located near Shantong Street, Nelson Street and Wonkok Street).

In the southwestern part of Wonkok, there is land conquered by the sea, on which high-rise residential complexes, a park zone and an educational cluster were built in the 1990s.

Cherry Street, Olympic Park, Bird Garden ^[6] , Sayy Street Garden, Bunderi Street Playgrounds, Woncock Road, Ferry Street, MacPherson and Tunmi Road are located in Wonkok.

Wonkok is one of the most densely populated areas of Hong Kong. It is dominated by ethnic Chinese, mainly Buddhists, Confucians and Christians.

The district houses the Shuyuetkun (or Kvunyum) temple, built in 1927 ^[7] , the All Saints Anglican Church, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Tinchuan Church, the Church of the Magnificent Kingdom on the Rock, the Temple of the Chinese Church of Christ , the Wonkoka Evangelical Center.

The main sectors of the economy Vonkoka are retail, catering (including fast food ), hospitality and entertainment industry. Much of the bars, nightclubs and massage parlors are controlled by local triads ^[8] . Unlike other areas of Hong Kong, Woncock still retains traditional street markets, small shops and taverns, however, there is also an onslaught of modern office and shopping centers that crowd out small and medium-sized catering and retail businesses.

The so-called Ladies' Market is located at the intersection of Tunchoy Street and Shantong Street, selling clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, seafood, and homemade noodles ^[9] . In the area where Tunchoi Street and Bute Street meet, there is a street market where they sell goldfish , aquariums, domestic animals and various food ^[10] . There are many shops selling consumer electronics, watches, cosmetics and books on parallel Sayyunchoy Street (on its southern part).

Fayuen Street, also parallel to Tunchoy Street, is known for its small specialized stores of sports equipment and footwear (besides, there is a street fruit and vegetable market here) ^[11] . On Portland Street (between Ergayl Street and Butte Street) are concentrated stores of goods for construction and repair (tiles, plumbing, bathtubs, wallpaper, window frames, etc.). The southern part of Portland Street (between Ergail Street and Dundas Street) is known for its massage parlors, brothels, nightclubs, karaoke, bars and restaurants. At the intersection of Impofun Street and Soi Street there are concentrated copy shops and stalls.

Kwonwa Street is known for selling radio-controlled and other models, toys, airsoft equipment and other leisure accessories. In Yinchun Street operates a night grocery market. There are several shopping centers on nearby Dundas Street, as well as many food shops, video game stores and cafes. Near the Wonkok Stadium, on Yuenpo Street, is the “Bird Garden” (Yuen Po Street Bird Garden), where since 1997 they have sold songbirds, parrots, bamboo cages and porcelain drinkers ^[12] . Adjacent to the garden is the Flower Market Road, where flowers and various indoor plants are sold at the Flower Market ^[13] .

The main universal shopping street is Nathan Road, along which are located shopping centers Trendy Zone, Sino Center, Chong Hing Square, Hollywood Plaza, King Wah Center, Bank Center Mall, Grand Plaza, Wai Fung Plaza Shopping Arcade, Argyle Center Shopping Arcade, Pioneer Center, Allied Plaza, Cosmopolitan Center. In 1997, the Grand Century Place complex was opened near the Wonkok East metro station, including the MOKO shopping center and the Royal Plaza Hotel. In the center of the district there is a high-rise office, hotel and shopping complex Lanham Place , which opened in 2004 near the Woncock metro station (includes the multi-storey Langham Place Shopping Mall and the Cordis hotel).

Also in the area are the Wonkok Food Market on Nelson Street, Olympian City, Hoi Fu Shopping Center, Ho King Shopping Center, Mong Kok Computer Center, Ginza Plaza, Mongkok Plaza, Richmond Shopping Arcade, Metropark Hotels, Hotel MK and Stanford.

Wonkok is famous for its Chinese restaurants, where fish balls , fried tofu and dim sum are cooked . There are also a lot of street eateries and stalls that serve fast food, there are restaurants at shopping centers and hotels, as well as restaurants of Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Italian cuisine.

Park Avenue, Hoi Fu Court, Charming Garden, CITÉ 33, Bijou Court, MacPherson Place are among the largest residential complexes in the area, Golden Era Plaza, Grand Century Place and Argyle Center are among the largest office complexes.

The main passenger hubs of the area are the Woncock Metro Station (opened in 1979) and the Prince-Edward Metro Station (opened in 1982) on the Kunkhon and Chyyunvan lines, as well as the Wonkok-East Metro Station (opened in 1982) on the Eastern Line.

The main transportation arteries of the area are the West Kowloon Corridor, Nathan Road, Prince Edward Road, Laychik Road, Ergile Street, Canton Road and Shanghai Street.

A wide network of bus routes (including minibuses) passes through the area. There is a bus terminal at Woncock East station, several taxi ranks and an extensive system of pedestrian crossings and bridges.

The district has the headquarters of the Department of Industry and Commerce of Hong Kong, the Woncock District Police and the Hong Kong Child Protection Society.

China’s Hong Kong University Campus, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Campus, a private Hong Kong College of Engineering founded in 1992, the Queen Elizabeth Public School founded in 1954, a public library on Fayuen Street, as well as several prestigious private schools and colleges (including those belonging to different Christian denominations).

Khuonwa Hospital, founded in 1911 ^[15] , is located in the southeastern part of the district, and the Red Cross donor center and the Green Cross Veterinary Clinic are not far from it.

In the area there is a modern Wonkok stadium, opened in 1961 as an army stadium and completely reconstructed in 2011 (accommodates 6.6 thousand spectators, serves as the home arena of the Kitschy and Vostochny Hong Kong football clubs).

In place of the old MacPherson Indoor Stadium, the high-rise MacPherson Place residential complex was built, incorporating a new open-air stadium. Also located in the area is the Bunderi Street Sports Center. In private residential complexes there are swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, fitness centers.

Wonkok served as a scene or was featured in the films As Tears Go By (1988), Mongkok Story (1996), One Nite in Mongkok (2004), To Live and Die in Mongkok (2009).

In addition, in Hong Kong, the area is known for the youth subculture of Wonkok (schoolchildren and students are attracted by the abundance of fashionable stores of clothing, shoes, music CDs, computer games, electronics, toys and comics, as well as cinemas, theaters, bars, karaoke and nightclubs).

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