Dutch Lane - Hollandse Laan – Hor Lan Geng – 荷蘭徑 [????- ] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Dutch Lane - Hollandse Laan – Hor Lan Geng – 荷蘭徑 [????- ]

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Submitted by Paul.Zimmerman on Thu, 2011-07-28 20:48

 

‘Hollandse Laan’ (Dutch Lane) is just above Bowen Road, and below Peak Road, connects Wanchai Gap and the Magazine Gap Water Reservoir. This unmarked path is regularly used by hikers and is commonly known as (荷蘭徑 or 荷蘭灣徑)(Hor Lan Geng or Hor Lan Wan Geng) because for many years Dutch people used to walk from residential properties owned by a Dutch shipping line at Peak Road along this path to Wanchai Gap and on to their offices.

 After World War II the ‘Java China Japan Lijn’ (JCJL) merged with the ‘Buiten Lijnen’ of KPM and formed the ‘K J C P L’, trading under the name ‘Royal Interocean Lines’ (RIL) in the southern hemisphere. The Chinese name was ‘Java’ and the road where RIL built its head office after the war is now named ‘Java Road’. After more mergers the company is now known as ‘Nedlloyd’.

The head office of JCJL had moved from Djakarta to Hong Kong after the war and the new RIL had to house many management and staff. Housing was at a premium already then and RIL acquired, among others, INTEROCEAN COURT at 26 Peak Road for senior Dutch staff and MOUNTAIN COURT for less senior staff late forties. Nedlloyd sold these properties in the late 80’s.

 Dutch Lane is for part in a good condition and includes a great number of waterfalls and dramatic rock streams, a spectacular view of Central, Wanchai and Victoria Harbour, and the natural hillsides are covered with beautifully dense vegetation. Part of the path will need some sensitive improvement works to enhance its safe use.

 A number of Dutch people in Hong Kong look forward to safeguarding this path as a nature trail treasure in the heart of Hong Kong and to having it recognized formally as ‘Dutch Lane’. If you do have more information, please email paul@designinghongkong.com

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Comments

Submitted by moddsey on Fri, 2011-07-29 03:33.

Interesting.  The path is the 700 ft contour line as mentioned in: http://gwulo.com/hong-kong-victoria-city-boundary

Submitted by 80sKid on Fri, 2011-07-29 08:06.

I've walked it a couple of times - starts off deceptively with a tarmac lane and soon gets much more interesting. There's an abandoned house along the way (you can see it on the map, just to the northwest of Oasis Blocks.) The fact the path helped delineate the borders of the city of Victoria should help your case - shame the boundary stone at the end of it was destroyed by a developer a few years ago. 

Submitted by David on Fri, 2011-07-29 14:34.

I wonder if that 'Q' is a mis-typed 'G' ?

Q doesn't appear in many transliterations of Cantonese into English. (It is used for Putonghua, but then it has a 'ch' sound as in 'chimney')

And Cantonese Sheik gives 'ging3' as the sound for this character.

If anyone knows of other streetnames in Hong Kong that include the 徑 character, how is their sound written in English?

Regards, David

PS I only walked this path for the first time this year. It's well worth a visit if you're walking around the area.

Submitted by tonyb on Wed, 2011-08-24 14:13.

I've walked it with my kids at least a dozen times.  The park at the end is always empty and kids and dogs love it (yes, I know dogs not allowed).

I'm curious about this "Part of the path will need some sensitive improvement works to enhance its safe use"  I really didnt see anything unsafe on that path.  Perhaps there is a section of it that I dont know about?

Submitted by CHM on Tue, 2011-08-30 17:46.

There are quite a few streets with the 徑 character in their names:

Chatham Path, Bowen Path, Brewin Path, Bluff Path, etc.

I think "ging" would be the closest english sound to the cantonese pronunciation.

Submitted by lolau on Thu, 2011-09-08 15:54.

How about Holland Street at Kennedy Town? What makes it such name?