Sam Pan Street has attractions nearby, but no sampan boat ride

Travelers cannot take sampan boat ride at Sam Pan Street in Wan Chai now.

 

When the street was the bank of the artificial lake in the beautiful Spring Garden in the 1940s, its owner Mr. Dent did enjoy boat ride there.

Frank the tour guide is going to introduce Mr. Lancelot Dent’s Spring Garden in this post.

Boat ride in the past
Mr. Dent took boat ride at his Spring Garden

 

Frank will also show the attractions near the short Sam Pan Street for the travelers to TIY (tour it yourselves).

 

It is easy for the travelers, who stay in the hotels at Wan Chai and Admiralty, to reach them.

Attractions near Sam Pan Street
Hopewell Center Observation Lift
Historical sites… Hung Shing Temple Pak Tai Temple Blue House The Pawn
Local Markets
Lee Tung Avenue

 

For taking sampan ride now, travelers may book Frank’s Hong Kong Island private tour.

 

The tour programme includes sampan tour at Aberdeen Fishing Village to show clients the interesting fishing village culture.

 

Mr. Dent took boat ride at his Spring Garden

Mr. Lancelot Dent was a big opium trafficker in Canton China.

 

Dent lobbied hard for the war against China as China suppressed opium smuggling and Dent’s and others’ opium was confiscated.

When Hong Kong Island became British colony in 1842 after British victory in Opium War, Dent moved his company’s headquarters to Hong Kong.

 

Dent built piers and warehouses for his new tea and cotton business at today’s Wan Chai, which had the fresh water source from the hill and was close to the main office of Dent & Co. at Central.

 

Dent also built his luxurious house Spring Garden at Wan Chai so he could oversee his business easily.

Dent channeled the stream water from the hill to build the artificial lake in his house.

 

Dent took boat ride there for fun.

People later named the short lane at the lake’s original location as the Sam Pan Street to remember the history.

 

Sampan is a flat-bottomed small boat.

Fishermen use sampan for transportation and even residence.

 

Although there is no more sampan ride, travelers can still visit other attractions near the Sam Pan Street.

Hopewell Center Observation Lift

Hopewell Center is on Queen’s Road East.

 

It was the tallest building in Hong Kong and the second tallest skyscraper in Asia in the early 1980s.

Travelers can take its observation lift to enjoy good view and see the old meets new Wan Chai.

 

Historical sites

Hung Shing Temple

After enjoy the bird’s eyes view of Wan Chai from the observation lift, travelers can visit the historical sites.

Next to the Hopewell Center, there is the Hung Shing Temple.

 

Hung Shing is the sea god for fishermen and sailors.

There are big boulders at the foundation of the temple.

 

The temple was at the original coastline of Wan Chai when it was first built in 1847.

Pak Tai Temple

The Pak Tai (North God) Temple at the end of Stone Nullah Lane is the largest temple on Hong Kong Island.

 

The temple was built in 1862 with two Pak Tai Statues.

Its 3-meter tall Pak Tai Statue was made in Canton in 1603.

 

The statue was in a temple in Kowloon City before WWII.

When Japanese Army demolished the temple for the airport expansion, the temple keepers saved the statue and enshrined it at Wan Chai Pak Tai Temple.

Blue House

Blue House is the restored balcony-type tenement building on Stone Nullah Lane close to the Pak Tai Temple.

 

After the revitalization, the original residents can still stay in this Grade I historic building, which was built in 1922.

There is the Hong Kong House of Stories on the ground floor to show people’s life in the past.

 

The Pawn

Different from Blue House, The Pawn is revitalized under the adaptive reuse strategy.

 

The four-story balcony-style tenement building, which was built in about the 1890s for residential plus business use and once housed the Wo Cheong Pawn Shop, was emptied and restored.

Travelers may have nice meal at its new English-style bar and restaurant.

Travelers can also use the staircase or lift to go to the rooftop to see the streetscape of Johnston Road.

Local Markets

Local markets are close to the Sam Pan Street.

Travelers can bring children to the Toy Street, Tai Yuen Street.

 

The Cross Street Market is similar to its counterpart Fa Yuen Street Market in Kowloon.

 

Travelers can buy the useful souvenirs, towels, underwear, slippers, stockings, socks, hairclips etc.

Travelers can also try the local snacks in the market.

 

Travelers can see Hong Kong citizens’ dining habits at the outdoor Wan Chai Road wet market and the public indoor Wan Chai Market.

Lee Tung Avenue

Lee Tung Avenue is the urban renewal project.

 

In the past, it was the Lee Tung Street and was nicknamed “wedding invitation card street” with a lot of related printing houses.

The street has been fully redeveloped to be an outdoor shopping area, which looks like the Grand Canal Shoppes in Macau’s Venetian Resort.

Some Chinese wedding ceremony elements, wedding cake shops and wedding card shops etc., are kept in the shopping street and underground shopping area.

 

Its basement shopping area connects to Wan Chai MTR Station Exit D.

 

Take sampan ride at Aberdeen during Frank’s Hong Kong Island private tour

Although Sam Pan Street has no more lake, pier and boat ride, travelers can still take the sampan boat ride at Aberdeen Fishing Village on Hong Kong Island.

Frank the tour guide’s Hong Kong Island private tour programme includes the sampan boat tour for clients.

 

Clients can see the interesting fishing village culture, grand Jumbo Floating Restaurant, luxurious yacht club etc. during the interesting ride.

 

Besides Aberdeen sampan ride, the private car tour itinerary covers other highlights and hidden gems of Hong Kong.

Clients can do more and see more in Hong Kong easily by Frank’s private car tour.

Frank hopes he can serve you in Hong Kong after the pandemic!

For further questions, please contact Frank