What to Do and See in Kowloon Park - The Garden of Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon Park sits in the beating heart of Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), a welcome and peaceful entrance to the frenetic and crazy area of south Kowloon.
A former site of the Whitfield military Barracks of the British Army during colonial British occupation, with the former Kowloon West II|| Battery still sitting in the northwestern part of the Park, the site was redeveloped by government officials into the Kowloon Park in 1970.
Former Governor of Hong Kong, Sir David Trench, opened the park to the public on Jun. 24, 1970, as a green space for relaxation in the busy shopping district of TST.
Unsure about what to do and see in Kowloon Park? Follow our guide to the ins and outs of the 33-acre metro park.
Visit the Old Colonial Past at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre
Located inside the historic Blocks S61 and S62 of the former Whitfield Barracks at Kowloon Park, the Heritage Discovery Centre shares a story of ancient Chinese Hong Kong within a colonial Hong Kong space.
The site of the barracks was originally designated a military area in 1864, with British Indian garrisons building what stands today as the current remaining two barracks. By 1906, 25 barrack blocks were built, to house ammunition and military staff.
Once belonging to the British Military Force prior to the 1997 handover, the Centre today teaches visitors about Hong Kong’s rich architectural heritage across its territory in a permanent exhibition that envelopes the history of Hong Kong from the Qing dynasty to colonial rule.
Meander and Breathe Fresh Air at the Colour Garden
Located in the Park’s south-west corner off Kowloon Park Drive lays the Colour Garden, a kept and colourful green reserve maintained by a team of botanists and florists.
The 51-year-old garden is lined by towering Paper-bark trees, offering a respite from the blistering heat raining down on Kowloon Park.
Pristine red and pink chrysanthemums are dotted around the shrubs that form circles in the Colour Garden.
Elderly TST residents can be seen mornings in the garden listening to Chinese radio and practising Tai chi.
Birdwatch and Stare at the Bird Lake and Aviary
Kowloon Park is a birdwatchers’ wet dream for spotting and sketching some of South America’s, Asia’s, and Africa’s most colourful and bright birds.
The Aviary holds an enclosed space for the Park’s rarest species of rainforest and savannah birds, including the bright red and yellow-nosed Rhinoceros Hornbill, found in the forest of Thailand, Borneo, and Indonesia, the Galah Cockatoo, a woodlands bird of Australia, and the Greater Necklaced Laughing Trush, a tiny bird native to Hong Kong and South China.
Apart from the birds in the Bird Lake and the Aviary, about 100 different wild bird species can be found in the Park, including hot spots at The Conservation Corner, Colour Garden, Chinese Garden, Bird Lake, and Fitness Trail.
Learn About Hong Kong’s Wars at the Kowloon West Battery
Perched on a small hill overlooking the Kowloon Park Sports Centre, three black and large gun emplacements stand known as the Kowloon West Battery, once an active standpoint for protecting the Victoria Harbour against foreign forces during colonial British times.
The battery was built between 1878 and 1880 and each emplacement mounted a seven-inch Rifled Breech Loading Guns, soon replaced by 12-Pounder Guns in 1911, a piece of artillery that could fire a 12-pound projectile, damaging soldiers and transportation.
Today’s guns, replaced with five-inch Breech Loading Mark III from a neighbouring British Naval dockyard, lay testament to the Park’s history as a military compound.
Nerd Out at the Avenue of Comic Stars
Located near the Park Lane Shopper's Boulevard entrance, the Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars opened in 2012, featuring 24 figurines of local comic characters and 10 bronze handprints of local comic artists along a 100-metre path.
The Avenue includes sculptures of 32 Hong Kong classic comic characters displayed as you walk through the hall of fame of Hong Kong’s most beloved and cherished comics.
A pavilion beside the comic avenue on Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard is erected to illustrate the importance and history of Hong Kong’s comics, and the process of creating them.
A colourful bronze statue of famous anamorphic cartoon pig, McDull, stands at the beginning of the Avenue of Comic Stars, a favourite for children in Hong Kong created by cartoonist Alice Mak and Brian Tse.
Marvel at Detailed Metal Sculptures at the Sculpture Garden
The Kowloon Park Sculpture Garden, east of the Avenue of Comic Stars, is an idyllic space featuring a selection of permanent or temporary displays of sculptures made by local and overseas artists.
The area is divided into two parts: part one with 12 sculptures created by local and overseas young artists lined up in two rows for permanent display; another with eight alcoves featuring sculptures by renowned artists on a rotation/ temporary basis.
One of the major sculptures, “Concept of Newton," is created by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.
Take a Dip at Kowloon Park’s Swimming Pool
The Kowloon Park Swimming Pool complex is the most heavily used in Hong Kong, serving over 2,000 local swimmers daily from Kowloon.
The complex includes four indoor heated pools, including an Olympic-sized 50-metre main pool, two 25-metre training pools, and a 20-metre diving pool. Outdoors, there are leisure pools of irregular shapes linked together by waterfalls, a circular paddling pool, and sunbathing areas.
The swimming complex opened on Sept. 12 1989, and has an annual attendance of more than 1 million visitors.
One of Hong Kong’s best-equipped swimming pools, it is the only venue on Kowloon suitable for staging city-wide or international swimming events, including the triennial Hong Kong Games.
