Why a Kwai Chung Tower Bears the Kowloon Name
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A study on Hong Kong place names has used Kowloon Commerce Centre in Kwai Chung to explore how people understand regional identity beyond formal district boundaries . Although the office complex stands in the New Territories, the article says its “Kowloon” name reflects transport positioning, urban linkage and lived perceptions connecting Kwai Chung with West Kowloon .
Key Points
- Kowloon Commerce Centre is at 51 Kwai Cheong Road, built on the former KMB Kwai Chung Depot site and directly linked to MTR Kwai Hing Station .
- A 2026 Rating and Valuation Department building-name publication listed 28 Hong Kong buildings or facilities containing “Kowloon,” with two located in the New Territories .
- Besides Kowloon Commerce Centre, the other New Territories example named in the study is Kowloon Explosives Depot on Tai Po Road in Sha Tin .
- The developer had already described the project in 2009 as being at a “Kowloon West transport interchange node,” suggesting a deliberate regional association .
- In a survey of 16 Kwai Chung residents, most long-term locals, 18.8% said their residential area belonged to Kowloon rather than the New Territories .
Why It Matters
The case shows that Hong Kong regional identity can be shaped by commuting patterns, work and consumption zones, historical naming habits and infrastructure links, not only by official maps . It also suggests that building names can preserve and reinforce how residents and developers imagine urban space across administrative boundaries .