Jordan Road, Hong Kong | |||||||||||
Chinese | 佐敦道 | ||||||||||
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Zuǒdūn Dào |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Jyutping | zo2 deun1 dou6 |
Jordan Road is a road in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It spans from the West Kowloon Highway in West Kowloon, through Ferry Point to Gascoigne Road, and is a major east-west road in southern Kowloon.
An English language source states that Jordan Road was named for John Newell Jordan, British minister to China. Some Chinese language sources state that the road, which was constructed in 1887, was renamed from Sixth Street in 1909 to commemorate British pathologist G. P. Jordan, who served as Health Officer in Hong Kong for nearly thirty years. In 1908, a stone obelisk was erected as a memorial to French sailors of the "Fronde" who had drowned in the 1906 typhoon. Originally located at the corner with Gascoigne Road, the monument has since been relocated to the Colonial Cemetery at Happy Valley. Prior to the opening of the Cross-Harbor Tunnel in 1972, ferries such as the ones departing from Jordan Road were the only way to transport automobiles from Kowloon to Hong Kong. Once a quiet, suburban street, since the 1950s Jordan Road and its surrounding area have become one of the most overcrowded areas in Kowloon.
At the end of the road, there was the Jordan Road Ferry Pier in Ferry Point, with ferries carrying passengers and vehicles to Central of Hong Kong Island. Until the completion of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, it was a major transport hub to and from the Hong Kong Island. There was also an important bus terminus, Jordan Road Ferry Pier Bus Terminus, near the pier. The bus terminus hosted many routes to the New Territories. After the completion of major part of reclamation in West Kowloon, the bus terminus was moved to Jordan (Wui Cheung Road) Bus Terminus in the new reclamation nearby. In 2011-2012, the bus terminus was closed and most routes were rerouted to Jordan (To Wah Road). Some go to Kowloon Railway Station bus terminus, near Kowloon Station of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Airport Express. These factors make Jordan Road an important transportation access point.