Happy Retreat / Happy Valley Playground (愉園遊樂場) [c.1898-c.1921]
Primary tabs
Submitted by tngan on Thu, 2016-12-01 14:30
Current condition:
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed:
c.1898-01-01 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)
Date Place demolished:
c.1921-12-31 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)
Found this photo link about the Happy Valley Playground (愉園遊樂場). Not quite fitting the modern day amusement park per se, but still it was an entertainment establishment of the time.
The time frame was obtained from the photo description.
Tags:
Photos that show this place
 1898 |
 1900 |
 1905 |
Comments
1918?
Hi T,
The link you gave has a caption which mentions this place ceasing operations after the great fire at the racecourse. So may be the date demolished is 1918?
Also, that photo shows a large advertisement on the wall saying 人造自來血 (literally "man-made self-perpetuating blood"?). Now what on earth was that? It is at once spooky and gross. Fashions and methods in advertising really do change lots down the years.
breskvar
Re: Corrected
Hi there,
Thanks. That was a typo.
T
Re: Happy Valley Playground
It was called the 'Happy Retreat' or 'Yue Yuen'. It was located at 1 Wong Nei Chong Road.
We can push the completion
We can push the completion date back to 1899. That's the first mention of 'The Happy Retreat' I found in the newspapers, when their application for a publican's license was refused in the 1899 licensing sessions.
Re: 1899
Hi David,
Amended for now. Correction welcome.
BTW, the clip stated a Mr Peter Hayse who tried to apply the license. I have an impression that the site was run by local Chinese of sort. Might take a while to dig deeper for who was running it and how many time it changed hands before closure.
T
Re: Happy Retreat
The 'Happy Retreat' in Happy Valley was still in business in late 1921. The Hong Kong Sanatorium's website mentions that the 'Happy Retreat', once a popular amusement resort was acquired for the location of a new hospital. After renovation of the 2 existing buildings, the Yeung Wo Nursing Home was inaugurated in September 1922.
The commencement of the establishment can be nudged back to 1898.