The true heart of Wanchai
- 130-150 Hennessy Rd, Wanchai
- Open Daily 6:00am-11:30pm
- +852 2879 5520
- Website
A meeting place
Located at the heart of the neighbourhood Southourn Playground witnessed the development and evolution of Wanchai. Built on land reclaimed in 1920s, it was one of the few large open areas in the city and has always been a central meeting place.
Vibrant community
In the post war years, Southorm was a bustling night market. Known as Tai Tat Dei, this was a grassroots entertainment hotspot with cheap food, fortune telling, snake charming, Kungfu and other performances. These days, Southorn may have a cleaner look with concrete football and basketball courts and a children’s playground, it is still popular as ever before. “This is a historical place, I always love to watch a match for a bit after work while waiting for my bus.” says 3rd generation owner of Shanghai 369 Restaurant Mr. Tai.
What’s in a name?
The playground is named after then Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong Thomas Southorn, who served for over a decade (1925-1936), and went on to become then Governor of the Gambia.
This place gives a sense of continuity, landmark, a legacy. It holds collective memory and is the centre point, I always come to Southorn whenever I’m in Wanchai.