View source for Statue Square

{{Short description|Square in Hong Kong}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox urban feature
| name =Statue Square
| native_name =皇后像廣場
| native_name_lang =zh-hant
| place_type =[[Garden square|Public Square]]
| nickname =
| former_names =Royal Square
| image_place =File:HK Statue Square Plaza Overview.jpg
| imagesize =250px
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| image_caption =Statue Square in June 2008, looking south toward the [[HSBC Building (Hong Kong)|HSBC building]].
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| complete =19th century
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| location =[[Central, Hong Kong|Central]], {{HKG}}
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{{Infobox Chinese
|t=皇后像廣場
|s=皇后像广场
|y=Wòhng hauh jeuhng gwóng chèuhng
|j=Wong4 hau6 zoeng6 gwong2 cheong4
|p=Huánghòu Xiàng Guǎngchǎng
}}
[[File:HK Central 皇后像廣場 Statue Square 前立法會大樓 Legislative Council Building 滙豐銀行總行大廈 HSBC HQ Building 太子大廈 Prince's Building 文華東方酒店 Mandarin Oriental Hotel Aug-2013.JPG|thumb|General view of Statue Square in August 2013. The large building overlooking the square is the [[HSBC Building (Hong Kong)|HSBC Building]] (fourth design), completed in 1985.]]
[[File:Central Circa 1910 IMG 5786 cropped.jpg|thumb|Statue Square in the 1910s, with [[HSBC Building (Hong Kong)|HSBC building]] (second design). The old City Hall is hidden by the Legislative Council Building.]]
[[File:Hong Kong Central in 1930s.JPG|thumb|Statue Square in the 1930s, looking south toward the HSBC building (third design, built in 1935). The canopy of [[Statue of Queen Victoria (Hong Kong)|Queen Victoria's statue]] is visible.]]
[[File:Hongkong Central 1955 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Statue Square in 1955. [[Prince's Building]] (first generation) and [[Queen's Building]] are visible on the right.]]
[[File:Hong Kong street 04.jpg|thumb|Statue Square façade of the [[Court of Final Appeal Building|Legislative Council Building]] in June 2013.]]
[[File:Statue Square Filipina.jpg|thumb|Statue Square is a [[wikt:rendezvous|rendezvous]] for numerous [[Filipinos in Hong Kong|Filipino maids]] in Hong Kong on Sundays.]]
'''Statue Square''' ({{lang-zh|t=皇后像廣場}}; lit. "Empress' Statue Square") is a public pedestrian [[Town square|square]] in [[Central, Hong Kong|Central]], [[Hong Kong]]. Built entirely on [[Land reclamation in Hong Kong|reclaimed land]] at the end of the 19th century, Statue Square consists of two parts separated by [[Chater Road]] into a northern and a southern section. It is bordered by [[Connaught Road Central]] in the north and by [[Des Voeux Road Central]] in the south.

The name is a reference to the statues, mainly of British royalty, which stood on the square until the [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong]] during World War II. Today, the only statue on the square is the [[Statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet|one]] of [[Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet]], an early [[HSBC]] banker.

==History==
The square was built at the end of the nineteenth century on land reclaimed by the [[Praya Reclamation Scheme]]. The idea of a square of statues dedicated to royalty was conceived by Sir [[Paul Chater|Catchick Paul Chater]].<ref name="ReferenceA">[http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sirpaulchater/genealogy/the_statues_of_statue_square_for_web.pdf The Statues of Statue Square], Hong Kong by Liz Chater, privately published July 2009</ref> Initially named "Royal Square", it gradually became known as "Statue Square", as it originally contained the [[Statue of Queen Victoria (Hong Kong)|statue of Queen Victoria]],<ref name="old queen"/><ref name="Wordie2733">{{cite book |title= Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island|last= Wordie|first= Jason|year= 2002|publisher= [[Hong Kong University Press]]|location= Hong Kong|isbn= 962-209-563-1|pages= 27–33}}</ref> in commemoration of the Queen's [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria|Golden Jubilee]] in 1887. The statue of the Queen should have been made not in bronze but in marble, an error that was not discovered until the bronze statue was almost completed.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="old queen">Wordie, Jason. [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=27956&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19990502&sear_year=1999 "The square that put an old queen in her place"], ''[[The Standard (Hong Kong)|The Standard]]'', 2 May 1999</ref> It was officially unveiled at the centre of the square on 28 May 1896, the day officially appointed for the celebration of the 77th birthday of the Queen.<ref>{{cite book |title= Voices from the past: Hong Kong, 1842–1918|last= Bard|first= Solomon|year= 2002|publisher= [[Hong Kong University Press]]|isbn= 978-962-209-574-8|page= 146}}</ref>

A [[statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet]], the chief manager of [[the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation]] was unveiled in 1906.<ref>{{cite book |title= Voices from the past: Hong Kong, 1842–1918|last= Bard|first= Solomon|year= 2002|publisher= [[Hong Kong University Press]]|isbn= 978-962-209-574-8|page= 87}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Hong Kong art: culture and decolonization|last= Clarke|first= David James|year= 2001|publisher= [[Duke University Press]]|isbn= 978-0-8223-2920-6}}</ref> Apart from Jackson's statue and the two [[HSBC lions|bronze lions]] in front of the HSBC building, the rest of the statues were displaced to Japan to be melted by the [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong|Japanese occupiers]] during [[World War II]].

[[The Cenotaph (Hong Kong)|The Cenotaph]], a replica of the [[The Cenotaph|Cenotaph]] in [[Whitehall]], London,<ref name="grade I">[http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/form/Brief_Information_on_proposed_Grade_I_Items.pdf Brief Information on Proposed Grade I Items, pp. 53–54] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013023413/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/form/Brief_Information_on_proposed_Grade_I_Items.pdf |date=13 October 2012 }}</ref> was unveiled on 24 May 1923 ([[Commonwealth Day|Empire Day]]) by the Governor Sir [[Edward Stubbs|Reginald Edward Stubbs]]. It was built on the northeastern section of Statue Square, facing the [[Hong Kong Club Building]].<ref>[http://gwulo.com/node/9362 "1923 Unveiling the Cenotaph"], Gwulo: Old Hong Kong website</ref> This area is now only uncommonly referred to as part of Statue Square.

After the war, some of the statues were brought back to Hong Kong. Sir Thomas Jackson's now stands roughly in the middle of the square, facing the [[Court of Final Appeal Building]]. [[Statue of Queen Victoria (Hong Kong)|Queen Victoria's statue]] was placed in [[Victoria Park (Hong Kong)|Victoria Park]],<ref name="old queen"/> and the two [[HSBC lions]] returned to the front of the HSBC building. The bronze statue of George V, also removed by the Japanese, was lost and never replaced after the war.<ref name="old queen"/>

Since the 1980s, it has been a tradition for thousands of [[Filipinos in Hong Kong|Filipina]] [[Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong|domestic workers]] to congregate in and around Statue Square every Sunday, their usual rest day of the week. A parallel tradition has since been developed in [[Victoria Park (Hong Kong)|Victoria Park]] for [[Overseas Indonesian|Indonesian]] domestic helpers in Hong Kong.<ref>{{cite book |title= Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island|last= Wordie|first= Jason|year= 2002|publisher= [[Hong Kong University Press]]|location= Hong Kong|isbn= 962-209-563-1|page= 152}}</ref>

==Surrounding buildings==
;South
The [[HSBC Building (Hong Kong)|HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building]] is located along the southern side of the square, across [[Des Voeux Road Central]]. The site was previously occupied by the old [[Hong Kong City Hall|City Hall]] (built 1869, demolished 1933) and smaller earlier generations of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building.
;East
* [[Court of Final Appeal Building|Court of Final Appeal building]], along the eastern side of the southern section of the square
* [[Hong Kong Club Building]], along the eastern side of the northern section of the square
;West
Several buildings with names reminiscent of British royalty were built on the western side of the square. Prince's Building and Queen's Building were built directly along the square (southern section and northern section respectively), while the others were built further west.
* [[Prince's Building]] 1904–1963, replaced by the current Prince's Building (1965)
* [[Queen's Building]] 1899–1961, replaced by the [[Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong]] hotel (1963)
* [[King's Building (Hong Kong)|King's Building]] 1905–1958, home to Marconi Wireless{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} and now part of the footprint for [[Chater House]]
* St George's Building (聖佐治大廈) 1904–1966, home to Millington Limited{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} and replaced by the current St. George's Building office tower (1969)
* Alexandra Building (亞歷山大行) 1904–1950, named for Princess of Wales, later [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]], replaced by modernist Alexandra Building (1952–1974) and now [[Alexandra House]] (歷山大廈) (1976)
;North
The square was initially bordered by [[Victoria Harbour]] on its northern side, but following [[Land reclamation in Hong Kong|land reclamation]], it is now separated from it by [[Edinburgh Place]], which housed [[Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier|the Star Ferry pier]], among others, until 2007.

==The statues==
Today, the only freestanding statue on the Square is the statue of Sir Thomas Jackson. Additionally, a 2.7 m high blind-folded statue of [[Themis]], the Greek Goddess of Justice and Law, stands on top of the pediment of the [[Court of Final Appeal Building]],<ref>[http://www.legco.gov.hk/young/english/building/legco_building_1.html Legislative Council Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228012628/http://www.legco.gov.hk/young/english/building/legco_building_1.html |date=28 February 2010 }}</ref> and is facing the Square. The statues that have been historically on display on the square include:
* [[Statue of Queen Victoria (Hong Kong)|Statue of Queen Victoria]]. Unveiled on 28 May 1896. Taken by the Japanese during World War II and returned to Hong Kong in 1952. It is now in [[Victoria Park (Hong Kong)|Victoria Park]].
* Statue of [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]], added before 1902.<ref name="Trea">Wiltshire, Trea. [First published 1987] (republished & reduced2003). Old Hong Kong – Volume One. Central, Hong Kong: FormAsia Books Ltd. Page 8. {{ISBN|962-7283-59-2}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}
* Statue of the [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Duke of Connaught]]. Donated by [[Paul Chater|Catchick Paul Chater]] and erected in 1902. It was moved to the waterfront at [[Connaught Road Central]] and [[Pedder Street]] in 1907,<ref name="CityLife">Arthur Hacker, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120430023528/http://www.citylifehk.com/citylife/eng/history_0108.jsp "Statue Square: Arthur Hacker digs up the history on Hong Kong statues"], CityLife</ref> near [[Blake Pier, Central|Blake Pier]].<ref name="details">Liz Chater, [http://gwulo.com/node/4979 Details of statues in Statue Square], Gwulo: Old Hong Kong website</ref>
* [[Statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet]], the chief manager of [[the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation]]. Unveiled on 24 February 1906 by the [[Governor of Hong Kong|Governor]] Sir [[Matthew Nathan]].
* Statue of [[Edward VII]]. Bronze statue created by [[George Edward Wade]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Donated by [[Paul Chater|Catchick Paul Chater]] and unveiled on 6 February 1907 by the Duke of Connaught.<ref name="CityLife"/><ref name="RIHK">{{cite news |date=6 February 1907|title=Royalties in Hongkong |url= http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19070206.2.52.aspx|newspaper= [[The Straits Times]]|location=Singapore |access-date= 19 October 2015}}</ref>
* Statue of the Prince of Wales who later became King [[George V]]. Donated by [[John Bell-Irving]], a director of [[Hongkong Electric Company]] and unveiled on 6 February 1907 by the Duke of Connaught.<ref name="CityLife"/><ref name="RIHK"/>
* Statue of [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]].<ref name="CityLife"/> Bronze statue created by [[George Edward Wade]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Unveiled on 25 November 1909. It was removed during the Japanese occupation.<ref name="gwulo1909">Gwulo.com: [http://gwulo.com/atom/19440 1909 Unveiling statues in Statue Square]</ref><ref>Gwulo.com: [http://gwulo.com/node/11303 Statue of Queen Alexandra (1909-1942)]</ref>
* Statue of [[Mary of Teck]], Princess of Wales and future Queen Mary. Bronze statue created by [[George Edward Wade]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Donated by [[Hormusjee Naorojee Mody]] as "a genuine token of the loyalty and esteem of the Parsis for their King and Queen".<ref>{{cite book |title= Edge of empires: Chinese elites and British colonials in Hong Kong|last= Carroll|first= John M|publisher= [[Harvard University Press]]|isbn= 978-0-674-01701-6|page= 163}}</ref> Unveiled on 25 November 1909. It was removed during the Japanese occupation.<ref name="gwulo1909"/><ref>Gwulo.com: [http://gwulo.com/node/11300 Statue of Princess of Wales, later Queen Mary (1909-1942)]</ref>
* Statue of Sir [[Francis Henry May|Henry May]], 15th Governor of Hong Kong. Unveiled on 3 May 1923.<ref name="CityLife"/>
* The HSBC World War I memorial statue, "Fame". Unveiled on 24 May 1923.<ref>[http://gwulo.com/node/7368 "'Fame', HSBC war memorial statue &#91;1923–1942&#93;"], Gwulo: Old Hong Kong website</ref>

In addition, statues of royalty and colonial administrators located outside of Statue Square included:
* Statue of Sir [[Arthur Kennedy (colonial administrator)|Arthur Kennedy]], in the Botanical Gardens ([https://web.archive.org/web/20100315192523/http://www.citylifehk.com/citylife/eng/history_0310.jsp picture]). Erected by public subscription following his death at sea in 1883,<ref>"[http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/stweekly18830726.2.4.12.aspx A Statue to Sir Arthur Kennedy in Hongkong]", ''[[The Straits Times]]'', Weekly Issue, 26 July 1883, Page 7</ref> it was unveiled in November 1887 by the newly arrived Governor [[William Des Vœux]] and stood "above the second terrace looking down on the fountain".<ref>{{cite book |title= The Straits of Malacca, in relation to the problems of the Indian and Pacific Oceans|last= K. E. Shaw, George Gray Thomson|year= 1973|publisher= University Education Press|page= 192}}</ref> It was removed during the Japanese occupation, and never recovered.<ref>{{cite book |title= Voices from the past: Hong Kong, 1842–1918|last= Bard|first= Solomon|year= 2002|publisher= [[Hong Kong University Press]]|isbn= 978-962-209-574-8|pages=64–65 }}</ref>
* Statue of King [[George VI]], in [[Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens]]. Erected in 1941 and still standing.<ref>The Film Services Office: [http://www.fso-createhk.hk/lib/locations_details.cfm?Photo_Num=00035 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens]{{Dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>

==In popular culture==
This location was the "Pit Stop" for the tenth episode of ''[[The Amazing Race 17]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.realitytvworld.com/news/the-amazing-race-nick-decarlo-and-vicki-casciola-survive-again-11762.php|title='The Amazing Race's Nick DeCarlo and Vicki Casciola survive again|work=Reality TV World|last=Kwiatkowski|first=Elizabeth|date=29 November 2010|accessdate=1 January 2020}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:HKClubQVstatue ca1905-10r.png|[[Statue of Queen Victoria (Hong Kong)|Statue of Queen Victoria]] and its canopy at its original location in 1905.
File:DM2994-1-188-001.jpg|A black and white photo shows a statue of [[Queen Victoria]] in front of the HSBC Building, Hong Kong in the 1930s.
File:Hkhsbc jap.jpg|Sealed canopy during the [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong|Japanese occupation]].
File:HK CWB Victoria Park Queen Statue 1.jpg|Statue of Queen Victoria in [[Victoria Park (Hong Kong)|Victoria Park]] in October 2006.
File:Victoria Park 0606.JPG|The relocated statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Park in June 2006.
File:Victory Duke of Connaught statue (cropped).jpg|Statue of the [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Duke of Connaught]] at the end of [[Pedder Street]] in 1919.
File:Hong Kong Central in 1930s cropped.jpg|Statue of [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]] in the 1930s.
File:Governor1930.jpg|Statue of Sir [[Francis Henry May|Henry May]] c. 1930.
File:Statue Square, Hong Kong, Mar 06.JPG|[[Statue of Sir Thomas Jackson, 1st Baronet]], with [[Prince's Building]] in the background, in March 2006.
File:HK Central Statue Square Legislative Council Building n Themis s.jpg|Statue of [[Themis]] on the [[Court of Final Appeal Building|Legislative Council Building]].
File:HK Statue Square Founatin1.jpg|One of the water fountains on Statue Square, in June 2008.
File:MTR CEN (19).JPG|[[Central station (MTR)|Central MTR station]] Exit K in May 2009.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[History of Hong Kong]]
* [[List of urban public parks and gardens of Hong Kong]]
* [[Morse Park]], named after an HSBC banker [[Arthur Morse]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Statue Square}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110515023013/http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/Museum/Monument/en/trails_central1.php?tid=a2 Antiquities and Monuments Office: Statue Square]
* Alain Le Pichon, "[http://lisa.revues.org/151 In the Heart of Victoria: the Emergence of Hong Kong's Statue Square as a Symbol of Victorian Achievement]", Revue LISA/LISA e-journal [Online], Vol. VII – n°3, 2009. Online since 25 May 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
* Ng, Chi-ho, [http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/26866 "Metamorphosis of Statue Square"], [[University of Hong Kong]], 1994
{{Central, Hong Kong}}
{{Parks in Hong Kong}}
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[[Category:Central, Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Squares in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong]]