Mid-Levels () is an affluent residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located between Victoria Peak and Central. Residents are predominantly more affluent Hong Kong locals and expatriate professionals.
It has a population of 49,320 people, with 62.4% being Chinese. The largest ethnic minority groups include Filipinos (15%) and white (10.1%) .
The Mid-Levels is further divided into four areas (From the below, Mid-Levels of Central District can be subdivided into two Mid-Levels. Included: Mid-Levels West and Mid-Levels Central): Mid-Levels West (near Central, Sheung Wan and Sai Wan including Bonham Road, Caine Road, and Conduit Road etc. Mid-Levels Central (near Central, Admiralty and Wan Chai, above the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens and Hong Kong Park. Including MacDonnell Road, Kennedy Road, Old Peak Road and Bowen Road) etc. Mid-Levels East (near Causeway Bay, including Jardine's Lookout, Stubbs Road and Mount Butler), Mid-Levels North (near North Point including Braemar Hill).
Aside from the panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and the rest of the city, it is also close to Central and Admiralty, which are both significant business areas, thus providing easy and convenient access for the business people living in Mid-Levels. An added attraction of the Mid-Levels is its close proximity to nature and comparatively better air quality than many parts of Hong Kong Island. Many wealthy people in Hong Kong are willing to pay higher residential property prices for a residence that is further away from pollution and yet remains close to the centre of the city.
Many streets are named after former governors of Hong Kong. Examples include Bonham Road (after George Bonham, 1848–1854) and Kennedy Road (after Arthur Edward Kennedy, 1872–1877). Many of the roads in this area are within walking distance of the Central Business District, which is accessible by the Mid-Levels escalator from Central.
Many choices for housing are available, from ultra-luxurious apartments to compact, near-luxury apartments. The costs of these apartments vary considerably according to the size, location, and age of the building. The cost ranges from the high ten million dollars to over five hundred million Hong Kong dollars for an apartment in a Frank Gehry-designed building.
Many prestigious colleges and schools are located in Mid-Levels, including the University of Hong Kong, St Francis' Canossian College, Island School, King's College, Ying Wa Girls' School, St. Paul's Co-educational College and St. Joseph's College, to name a few.
History The first houses in Mid-Levels were often large mansions, with gardens built out on terraces on the steep hillside, with names such as "Rose Hill" and "Cringleford", and "Idlewild".Public Records Office, Map series 1901 Sara Roosevelt, the mother of Franklin D. Roosevelt, lived with her family on Rose Hill from 1862 to 1865 during the American Civil War.R.J.C. Butow. A Notable Passage to China - Myth and Memory in FDR's Family History, Part 2
Central–Mid-Levels escalator
The Central–Mid-Levels escalator cuts through the Mid-Levels, from Central to Conduit Road. It allows people to travel quickly between these two places, compared with travelling by the winding roads up the mountain. At , it is the longest outdoor escalator in the world. It was opened on 15 October 1993. The escalator runs downhill from 6 am to 10 a.m. and uphill from 10:30 a.m. to midnight every day. Pedestrians travelling in the opposite direction make use of the adjacent stairs and footpaths. Apart from its transportation function, it is a tourist attraction. Sections of the escalator had been under renovation in 2018 and 2019, with some sections closed for maintenance.
Streets Streets in Mid-Levels include (but not limited to):
Arbuthnot Road Babington Path Bonham Road Bowen Road Breezy Path Caine Road Castle Road Conduit Road Cotton Tree Drive Kennedy Road Kotewall Road Lyttleton Road MacDonnell Road Magazine Gap Road May Road Mosque Junction Mosque Street, Hong Kong Park Road Rednaxela Terrace Robinson Road, Hong Kong Seymour Road
Recreation Hong Kong Park
Hong Kong Park, which is 80,000 m2 in area, is located next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central. There are modern facilities surrounded by a natural landscape.
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is one of the oldest Zoological and Botanical centres in the world. It is located on the northern slope of Victoria Peak and has been opened to the public since 1862. In 1871, it was officially renamed to Botanical Gardens, and in 1975, the name was changed again to Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. This venerable park was previously named Bing Tao Garden, meaning the Chief Commander's Garden. It was then linked to the garden of the Government House. In 1941, a bronze statue of King George VI was erected in the garden to mark the centenary year in which Hong Kong became a British Colony.The Film Services Office: Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Keeping wild animals in the garden can be traced as early as 1876. At that time, animals were kept merely for entertainment. From the 1970s, the emphasis changed to techniques in captive breeding and conservation breeding programmes for zoological collection. Today, the garden has a collection of over 600 birds, 70 mammals, and 40 reptiles which are housed in about 40 enclosures. The collection includes orangutans, gibbons and other primates; the American flamingo, jaguar and Burmese python can be found here as well. There is an active breeding programme for many of these species, notably the orangutans, gibbons, and lemurs which rarely breed in captivity.
The garden keeps for more than 1000 species of inland plant such as conifer, fig, palm, gum trees, and magnolia. Besides, a greenhouse at the eastern boundary of the garden houses over 150 native and exotic species including orchids, ferns, bromeliads, climbers and house plants.
Lung Fu Shan Country Park
Lung Fu Shan Country Park covers the densely vegetated slopes of Lung Fu Shan, including the disused Pinewood Battery and the Pinewood Garden picnic area, providing a scenic backdrop to the residential and commercial districts of Hong Kong Island. It is situated at the north of Pok Fu Lam Country Park. Towards the east of Lung Fu Shan Country Park is Hatton Road, to the south is Harlech Road whereas to the north and west is a covered conduit constructed by the Water Supplies Department. This country park covers an area of about 470,000 m2 and also commands an excellent vista of the western part of the territory and the Victoria Harbour.
Wan Chai Nature Trail Wan Chai Nature Trail is a short footpath and it only takes about 2 hours to complete. Along the way, one can gain knowledge about nature, mainly concerning biological, geological and geographical aspects.
Art and culture
Flagstaff House Museum
Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware (), a branch museum of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, is located at the Hong Kong Park. The building was built in the 1840s, and originally served as the office and residence of the Commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong. It was converted to the Museum of Tea Ware in 1984, with a new wing, the K.S. Lo Gallery, constructed in 1995.
Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware specialises in the collection, study, and display of teaware. The museum promotes Chinese tea drinking culture through many exhibitions. There are video programmes and audio guides conducted in Cantonese and Japanese, regular presentations and lecture programmes, and free guided tours for the visiting tourists.
The Chinese Teahouse, which is a part of the museum, holds serving tea demonstrations regularly.
Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre
The Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre is located at Kennedy Road in Central, with the main aim of supporting local art creation. The centre was restructured from an early 20th-century building (Cassels Block, former barracks for married British officers) to provide an arena and facilities for local artists.
University Museum and Art Gallery
The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) is located inside the University of Hong Kong, with an aim to promote Chinese art and culture to college students and the entire community. The UMAG usually holds some exhibitions and art educational activities to promote the art education in Hong Kong. The museum is located in the Fung Ping Shan Building, which is situated next to the main entrance of the university. In addition, the Art Gallery is located in the three lower stories of the T T Tsui Building.
Kom Tong Hall The Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum is located in the Kom Tong Hall, an old mansion in Castle Road. It contains exhibitions on the life of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and history of the building.
Previously, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owned the Kom Tong Hall. The building was converted to a church building on the lower floors and served as an office for the Asia Area on the upper floors. It was then donated back to the government of Hong Kong. The building was replaced by the church in June 2005 with the newly constructed Wan Chi Church Building on Gloucester Road in Wan Chai.
During World War II this building was supposedly used as the Japanese Headquarters in Hong Kong.
Education Many schools and colleges can be found in the Mid-Levels. The most famous is the University of Hong Kong. Many famous secondary schools such as St. Joseph's College, St. Paul's College, St. Paul's Co-Educational College, King's College, St. Stephen's Girls' College and Raimondi College are also located here.
University of Hong Kong The Main Building of the University of Hong Kong is the oldest of all the university's structures. Donated by Sir H.N. Mody, this building's construction began in 1910 and was completed in 1912 at Pok Fu Lam Road. It is made of red bricks and granite and has four turrets with a central clock tower. The clock tower was donated by Sir Paul Chater.
The central Great Hall of Main Building is named after the wealthy businessman Lok Yew. During the Second World War, the entire building was damaged but was later repaired. In 1952, two more courtyards were built south of the building and an additional one was completed in 1958. At present, the building houses various departments of the Arts Faculty.
In 1919, Sir Paul Chater and Professor G P Jordan donated money for the construction of the Hung Hing Ying Building, located near the Main Building. This building was designed to house the student union. After the Second World War, it became the Administrative Building. In 1960, the east wing was added and it was made to the Senior Common Room for Staff in 1974. The name of the building remains unchanged until today and it houses the Department of Music at the present.
Old Hall is used to be a residence hall for students. It is divided into three blocks: Lugard Hall, Eliot Hall, and May Hall, which were built in 1913, 1914 and 1915 respectively. All buildings were made of red bricks, three storeys high, with interconnecting stairs and corridors. The university combined the three halls and renamed it Old Hall in 1969. The Lugard Hall was demolished in 1991, the Eliot Hall became the Administrative Building and the May Hall is used for the Office for General Education Unit.
Primary and secondary schools
St. Paul's College is the oldest school in Hong Kong. It was established in 1851 and celebrated its 155th anniversary in 2006. It was merged with St. Paul's Girls' School and formed St. Paul's Co-educational College, and later returned to being a boys-only college.
Ying Wa Girls' School is a girls' secondary school under the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China and located at 76 Robinson Road. It was founded by the London Missionary Society in 1900.