Wanchai

Wanchai is found on the north side of Hong Kong Island, between Central and Causeway Bay. It's definitely part of the heart of the city, yet it's rather difficult to capture in words as it has a little of everything. With a central location and some very solid hotels, this could be a nice place to find accomodation.

On the one hand, it has some of the oldest history from when the city started to expand eastwards. On the other hand, much of the area has been created much later through several major rounds of land reclamation. There is definitely some shopping, but not with the intensity of Causeway Bay to the east. There is also some good nightlife, but not as much as in Central to the west.

Convention Centre and the Golden Bauhinia Square

Down by the waterfront is the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The building is meant to look like a bird, but some of us prefer to liken it to a turtle. This was the staging grounds for one of the most important points in Hong Kong history the handover of Hong Kong from the British to the Chinese in 1997, and has become a popular tourist stop as a symbol of the reunification with China.

Happy Valley Racecourse

The Chinese love to gamble, but casinos are forbidden in Hong Kong. Across the Pearl River delta there is Macau, the world gambling capital, but on this side one of only a few legal outlets for the gambling urge is horse racing. And one of only two race tracks of the institutional Hong Kong Jockey Club is the historical Happy Valley Racecourse in Wanchai, where they have been racing ever since 1845. Hong Kong also got to use its race tracks to host the equestrian competitions of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Nightlife

As many ships used to dock on this bit of shoreline in the past, the generous supply of sailors looking for a good time gave rise to an industry of adult entertainment, and Wanchai became known as Hong Kong's red light district. Although some guides to the city may still describe it that way, it is not really true anymore as modern day Wanchai has obviously gentrified with a lot of office buildings and so on.

For those who are interested in that sort of thing, there is still a smattering of such bars, easily recognisable by their signs, although you might find more in some streets of Mong Kok. Either way, keep in mind that while prostitution is legal in Hong Kong, brothels are not and tend to be run by the local crime syndicates, known as Triads. Like other cities around the world, tourists tend to be prime candidates for scams, outright robberies, and similar nastiness.

In summary, I would definitely say that it's unfair to call this place seedy. Nor is it dangerous as long as you do not seek out such situations. There are also a number of nice places to have a drink completely free from sex workers, mostly along the main drag on Lockhart Road and Jaffe Road. This area offers a lot of restaurants as well, with cuisines from all over the world.

China Visa

If you would like to go to visit mainland China, you can get the visa at the China Resources Building on Harbour Drive.

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Return from Wanchai to Destination Hong Kong travel guide

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