Sung Wong Toi
Sung Wong Toi | ||
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Hanyu Pinyin Sòng Wáng Tái | | |
Yue: Cantonese | ||
Jyutping | Sung3 Wong4 Toi4 |
Sung Wong Toi is an important historic relic in
Etymology
The name Sung Wong Toi literally means "
History
Song dynasty
According to historical records, when the child emperors
Yuan dynasty
After the Song dynasty was overthrown by the Yuan dynasty in 1279, local residents inscribed the words "Sung Wong Toi" on this large rock that was on the Sacred Hill at that time.
Note that the Chinese character for "king" (王) is carved in the stone instead of the conventional "emperor" (皇). Both characters are pronounced as "Wong" in Cantonese. This may have been done by the locals to avoid angering the Yuan emperors. The colonial government in 1959 recognized the nature of this intentional word choice, preferred using the character for "emperor" (皇) to name the surrounding locations associated with Sung Wong Toi, namely the park built for settling the trimmed monolith, the nearby road and the metro station.
Qing dynasty
In 1807, seven smaller characters were added on the right side of the stone to record the renovation work during the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor.
Japanese occupation
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1941–1945, the boulder was dislodged from its place when the Sacred Hill was levelled for an extension of the Kai Tak Airport. A portion of the rock inscribed with Chinese characters survived the blasting operation. That part of the boulder, about one-third of its original size, displays the Chinese name of the stone, "Sung Wong Toi".
Post-World War II
After World War II, this portion of the stone was shaped into a rectangular block and moved to the Sung Wong Toi Garden, a small park especially constructed for it. This park is located in the present-day Kowloon City District, at the junction of Sung Wong Toi Road and Ma Tau Chung Road, which is close to the stone's original site. The construction work of the park was completed in the winter of 1945.
The park was planned be relocated to nearby Kai Tak Development as Sung Wong Toi Park.[3][failed verification][dubious ]
See also
- List of urban public parks and gardens of Hong Kong
- List of buildings and structures in Hong Kong
- History of Hong Kong
- Sung Wong Toi station
- Emperor Duanzong
- Zhao Bing
References
- ISSN 1990-9020.
- ^ 1920 Historical Map, Hong Kong Lands department, 1920.
- ^ "Kai Tak Development - Project and Progress". Hong Kong: Civil Engineering and Development Department. August 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
(3) Under Planning and Design: Former North Apron area Lung Tsun Stone Bridge Preservation Corridor, Sung Wong Toi Park, Kai Tak Development – remaining infrastructure at former north apron area
- In search of the past: a guide to the antiquities of Hong Kong 香港文物志, The Urban Council of Hong Kong, 1988.
Further reading
- Hon, Tze-ki (2011). "Chapter 5. A Rock, a Text, and a Tablet: Making the Song Emperor's Terrace a Lieu de Mémoire". In Matten, Marc Andre (ed.). Places of Memory in Modern China: History, Politics, and Identity. ISBN 9789004219014.
External links
22°19′30″N 114°11′22″E / 22.325116°N 114.189418°E