Central Mid Levels Escalator 中環至半山 It is one of the strangest attractions in Hong Kong.
Every day, he helps 60000 Hong Kongers go to work in the city center and return home. Why waste time on incomprehensible traffic jams or crossing many streets when you can just walk “over” the city? Fast and efficient. Many people think that’s the whole point of Hong Kong.
From 6 to 10 a.m., the escalator moves in the “downward” direction, that is, towards the city center. And from 10:30 a.m. until 12 a.m., it changes direction and moves “up”, that is, from the center to the residential areas.
What is this escalator, and why are tourists so interested in it?
Firstly, it is the longest escalator in the world. Its length is 800 meters, and it rises to a height of 135 meters. Calling it just an “escalator” is also not true, because it is a whole system of above-ground crossings, along which you can stop in several places and take impressive pictures of what is below you.
The upward movement begins on Des Voeux Road (Central) and reaches Conduit Road (Mid Levels). Almost every street it crosses has entrances and exits, often on both sides. It takes about 25 minutes to walk one way (if you just stand there). By the way, stand on the right, walk on the left, or they might push you, Hong Kongers are always in a hurry.
Secondly, it is free.
History of origin
In order to understand the need for such a transportation system, you need to imagine what Hong Kong looks like, what kind of place it is. Of course, you might think that Hong Kongers are terribly lazy, which is why they built themselves a “gurney,” but this is not the case. Hong Kong is a multitude of heights, peaks, mountains, depressions, and so on, and the city was built on this natural splendor. Of course, people had to adapt and adjust the transport system to the needs of the population.
In 1987, the Hong Kong government faced increased car traffic in Mid-Levels district 半山區.
This project was proposed by P&T Architects, and it began to be built. The construction cost Hong Kong $ 30 million, although at the beginning the budget was at the level of 12 million.
It was opened to the public on October 15, 1993, that is, even before the transfer of Hong Kong to China. It consists of 20 escalators and 3 escalator tracks (sloping). In 1996, this project was sharply criticized by the city’s financiers, who stated that the project had not achieved the main goal of reducing car traffic between the Mid-Levels and Central districts, and moreover exceeded the planned budget by 150%.
An interesting fact is that before the construction of the escalator, many people gathered on the streets to walk along the same route, through pedestrian crossings, along ordinary streets. With the introduction of the escalator, people moved upstairs, and this became a kind of catalyst for the opening of many establishments on the first and second floor levels, restaurants, bars, and others.
The streets he crosses
- Queen’s Road Central (皇后大道中)
- Stanley Street (士丹利街)
- Wellington Street (威靈頓街)
- Gage Street (結志街)
- Lyndhurst Terrace (擺花街)
- Hollywood Road (荷里活道)
- Staunton Street (士丹頓街) – район Сохо
- Elgin Street (伊利近街)
- Caine Road (堅道)
- Mosque Street (摩羅廟街)
- Mosque Junction (摩羅廟交加街)
- Robinson Road (羅便臣道)
- Conduit Road (干德道)
By the way, the street escalator became the hero of several films: in 1994, Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” was shot there (he was the first of all to make a film there), in 1997, “Chinese box” was shot there (just a few months before Hong Kong was transferred to China), and in November 2007, “Batman. The Dark Knight also managed to light up in this place.
When you will be in Hong Kong, i recommend you to visit!
Well, on my sightseeing tour in Hong Kong, you will definitely get to it!
Alex iurlov tour guide in Hong Kong, Macau and China
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