For our next walk, let's look at Happy Valley to learn more about its important role in Hong Kong's history.

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First and foremost, where does the name 'Happy Valley' come from? There seem to be two theories and the more obvious one is that the term Happy Valley is a euphemism for Cemetery and as we will see later, Happy Valley is home to several cemeteries, each established from 1845 onwards. The other theory is that the area itself was named Happy Valley before the cemeteries were founded. Personally, I like the second theory that in those very early days of the Colony, amongst the barren rocky island of Hong Kong, the Wong Nai Chung Valley was the only flat area with any natural beauty and was thus named Happy Valley. So much so, it was originally designated as the centre of business, alongside Victoria (Central) which was designated for Government use. Therein lies the reason why they needed the cemeteries - the previously farmed rice paddies were destroyed and the build up of water flowing down the valley formed marshland with malaria following close behind. The whole area was soon abandoned and designated as a burial ground while the flat land was deemed the perfect place for horse racing and was completely drained. Happy Valley Racecourse was established in 1845 and the first races took pace in late-1846.

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Let's start our walk at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen’s Road East and we first walk past the aforementioned collection of cemeteries - the Muslim Cemetery from 1870; the Catholic Cemetery from 1848; the Protestant (Colonial) Cemetery from 1845; the Parsee Cemetery from 1852 and the Hindu Temple from 1952. The largest of all the cemeteries - the now named Hong Kong (Protestant) Cemetery - contains one of Hong Kong’s oldest colonial buildings – its chapel from 1845. The Cemeteries are a whole other walk unto themselves - from the Muslim Cemetery where Bruce Lee filmed a scene in Enter the Dragon in 1973 (and I took a photo 50 years later), through the Catholic Cemetery to the old Colonial Cemetery with it's myriad of graves and stories within. Next to that is the pristine Parsee Cemetery, the Hindi Temple and finally the Jewish Cemetery in Happy Valley village itself.

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Continuing along the road, we see the Sanatorium Hospital, founded in 1922 - the old and new buildings contrast each other. In Happy Valley village itself, there are a number of older buildings and each is worth a quick look. Search for Yuk Sau Street and you'll soon see number 15 which is a delightful building dating back to 1932. Houses 11 and 17 are also pretty nice and would hold their own in most HK streets, but number 15 stands out here. On Shan Kwong Road, also number 15, we see Tung Lin Kok Yuen which is a Buddhist Seminary dating back to 1935 (and also features a street sign which would have been installed during construction). The Seminary is named after its founder - Lady Clara Ho-Tung Lin Kok, the second wife of Sir Robert Ho Tung.  Sir Robert is buried in the Protestant Cemetery next to his first wife and Clara, as a Buddhist, is buried in the Eurasian Cemetery in Mount Davis, along with the rest of Sir Robert's family.

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Before going back down the road, pop over to Blue Pool Road. There is a lot of history on this road which used to lead all the way to Wong Nai Chung Gap until the top of the valley was filled in in the 1970s. I'll touch on more of this history on another walk, but for now, walk a short way up the hill to see numbers 58 & 60. These are the only buildings remaining of the old Jockey Club Quarters and on the wall you can see (yet another) original old street sign dating back to the 1950s. After WWII, Horse Racing in HK was actually booming and the Club took on a lot more staff so they built these residential quarters for the 'Mafoos' - a Chinese word for those who look after horses. Number 58 is the last of the residential quarters and number 60 was built as a school for the children of the Mafoos. 

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Back down the hill (check out another old street sign at the bottom of Sing Woo Road), then continue round the road and see the famous Amigo restaurant which has been in this location since 1976. Then a little further along the road is one of the oldest buildings in Happy Valley - St. Paul’s Primary Catholic School. The building was opened in 1908 and has seen a lot over the years. Originally built as an orphanage and hospital for the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres and called ‘La Calvaire’ - if you look closely at the brick walls, you can see two bricked up entrances, both with the original name etched in. During the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945, it was used as a police station and a jail. The Kempeitai - the Japanese Secret Police - had their headquarters here and there are many instances of interrogations and torture within the building. After the war it was used as a school and the current name was adopted in the 1960s.

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Make a point here to see the Victoria City Boundary Marker from 1903 (we saw another one on a previous walk along Bowen Road), then head in the direction of Causeway Bay and a little way up Broadwood Road is the lovely St. Margaret’s Church which was built in 1925 and where the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres are now based. The wide shot below shows both St Paul's and St. Margaret's.

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A little further up Broadwood Road is the Racecourse Fire Memorial. Just over 100 years ago in 1918, a huge fire occurred at the racecourse, which took the lives of over 600 people. The memorial is an uphill 15 minute-walk, so perhaps only visit on a cool day and if you’re feeling energetic.

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Continuing towards Causeway Bay and turning left at Sports Road, we pass Hong Kong Football Club and Craigengower Cricket Club. Both are very old Clubs with a lot of history (founded in 1886 and 1894 respectively), but none of the old buildings survive.

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A great source of (fairly modern) photos of Happy Valley (and indeed Hong Kong) comes from the collection of Ms. Hedda Morrison who was stationed in Hong Kong in 1946, along with her husband - a British civil servant. Her photos are archived in amongst other places - Harvard and Cornell Universities. Better not to post any here but definitely worth a search.

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We’re almost full-circle now and as we are close to Causeway Bay itself there are plenty of options for lunch or to head home.