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Lan Kwai Fong




Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊; Pinyin Lánguìfāng) is a small square of streets in Central , Central And Western District , Hong Kong . The area was dedicated to Hawkers before the Second World War , but underwent a renaissance in the mid 1980s . It is now a most popular Expatriate haunt in Hong Kong for drinking and dining. The street Lan Kwai Fong is a L-shape with two ends join with D'Aguilar Street .


HISTORY

In early days, the square lived many Mui Yan (媒人, lit. medium person), a career exclusive for female. Mui yan was a Marriage medium between two families in the old days. It thus known as Mui Yan Hon (媒人巷, lit. mui yan lane) or '''Hong Leung Hon''' (紅娘巷).

In 1980s , German businessman Allan Zeman , also known as father of Lan Kwai Fong, invested 32 million Hong Kong Dollar s to buy a whole building and renovate as Western restaurant. The place soon became a meeting place for foreigners in Hong Kong. The square, together with a Homosexual Disco Disco Disco founded earlier in 1978 in D'Aguilar Street, made Lan Kwai Fong and surrounding a famous spot for night life.


LOCATION

Lan Kwai Fong as an area is defined by D'Aguilar Street and the smaller lane, Lan Kwai Fong, an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane. Both streets turn 90 degrees to form a rectangle. From the west side of the rectangle, Wo On Lane and Wing Wah Lane extend to host several more spots for drinks and food. The area arguably extends to Wellington Street and Wyndham Street , through to the Hong Kong Fringe Club . It is also home to a small number of Art Galleries .


FEATURES

Lan Kwai Fong is perhaps Hong Kong's most popular and well known area for a night out. Boasting numerous bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, it is a popular choice for the well off locals, expatriates and Tourists . The high costs associated with the area makes this a relatively high class location, although the quality and reputation of this area is obvious virtually every night. Visiting on a Friday night you may be overwhelmed by the enormous crowds that fill the streets, with all bars having only standing room. It is interesting to see that, as mentioned, a majority of the crowds are in fact expatriates or international students. It is one of the few places where English is the overwhelmingly predominant language, although many of the Chinese who are there are most likely to be bilingual.


SPECIAL OCCASIONS

The crowds during special occasions such as Halloween or New Year's Eve put the place at a literal standstill with the large numbers. Police control is guaranteed, to manage the crowds. On 1 January 1993 , 21 people were killed in the crush of huge crowds of people celebrating the New Year's Day in Lan Kwai Fong. The location's narrow streets and a sloped gradient, poor police planning and bad weather all contributed to this Disaster .


NOTABLE RESTAURANTS AND BARS


Al's Diner

Café Des Artistes

Indochine 1929

Club 97

Post 97

C Club

California

D'Apartment

Insomnia

Lost

Lux

Midnight Express

Red Rock

Stormies

Volar


SEE ALSO



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