Central – Hollywood Road ca.1900
360-degree panoramic artwork developed from historical photos
Historical Hotspots:
The Alice Memorial Hospital and The Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese
The Alice Memorial Hospital, established in 1887, was funded by Sir Kai Ho’s donation in memory of his wife. The site was purchased by the London Missionary Society. In the same year, the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese was founded within the hospital, recruiting both local and overseas students, and later renamed as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1907. The college was integrated into The University of Hong Kong as its Faculty of Medicine in 1911.
The Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese was the first educational institution to provide western medical training to students locally. In 1887, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who devoted his life to promoting the political reforms with his comrades during his time in school, was one of its earliest alumni. He graduated with the best academic performance amongst his peers in 1892.
Photo courtesy of the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation
Daoji Mission House
Daoji Mission House was built by the Chinese Christians of the London Missionary Society in 1888. The church was constructed in the Italian Renaissance style, with an upper floor that had a capacity of up to 300 people, where a plaque inscription in “Tin Dao Ha Ji” (salvation from above) was hung on the wall. A new church, Hop Yat Church, was later built at the junction of Bonham Road and Seymour Road to cope with the growing congregation. The original site was then sold, and a commercial building was completed in its place.
Daoji Mission House and the Alice Memorial Hospital were both established by the London Missionary Society and served the Chinese community. Most of the employees at the hospital were church members at the Daoji Mission House. Dr. Sun Yat-sen studied and lodged at the hospital when he was a student at the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. Thus, he also actively attended the gatherings at Daoji Mission House from which he established the network for the development of his revolutionary movement afterwards.
Photo courtesy of the Church of Christ in China Hop Yat Church
Belilios Public School
Belilios Public School originated from the Central School for Girls established by the government in 1890. In 1892, funded by a donation from Emanuel Raphael Belilios, the school premise was built at the intersection of Gough Street and Hollywood Road. In 1893, the institution was officially named as “Belilios Public School”, which was the first government secondary school for girls in Hong Kong.
Despite Belilios Public School’s intention to admit girls only, the school accepted boys under the age of 10 in its early years. The mandated school subjects included English, Mathematics, Geography, History, Drawing and Sewing, while Chinese was an elective subject.
Photo courtesy of Moonchu Foundation and the Hong Kong Museum of History
Queen’s College
Queen’s College, the successor to Central School, established in 1862, was the first government school providing western education to the public in Hong Kong. Its former school premise was on Gough Street. In 1889, the school was renamed as Victoria College and relocated to a site between Hollywood Road and Aberdeen Street, where is the locale of today’s PMQ. Five years later, it was renamed as Queen’s College. The school premise was severely damaged during World War II and was reconstructed into the Police Married Quarters in 1951. In 2014, the quarters were revitalised as PMQ to support local creative industries.
On 26 April 1884, Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the Governor of Hong Kong presided over the foundation ceremony for the new premises of the Central School at the junction of Hollywood Road and Aberdeen Street. Dr. Sun Yat-sen had just enrolled at the school and it was likely that he attended the ceremony.
Photo courtesy of Moonchu Foundation and the Hong Kong Museum of History
Source: Queen’s College History Museum
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