Stanley

Long before the British arrived, Stanley, known in Cantonese as Chek Chue, was a fishing village where Tanka boat people sheltered from typhoons. Its Tin Hau Temple on Stanley Main Street was built in 1767 and is among the oldest in Hong Kong. When the British occupied Hong Kong Island in 1841, it was the largest settlement on the island, with around 2,000 residents, and briefly served as the administrative centre before the government moved to Victoria. The English name honours Lord Stanley, the British Colonial Secretary at the time of the 1842 cession.

During the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, British and Canadian troops made a last stand at Stanley, and from 1941 to 1945 civilians were held at the Stanley Internment Camp. Stanley Military Cemetery recalls this period.

The waterfront's two landmark structures came from Central. Murray House was built in 1846 as officers' quarters for Murray Barracks, dismantled in 1982 to make way for the Bank of China Tower, and reassembled in Stanley from 1998. Blake Pier, named after Governor Sir Henry Blake, once welcomed new governors in Central; its cast-iron roof was moved and rebuilt beside Murray House in 2007.

Stanley mixes long-established village life with a cosmopolitan seaside scene. On weekends families and friends come for long lunches on the promenade, while residents shop at the local food market and worship at the old Tin Hau and Pak Tai temples. Dragon boat racing in June is a major community event, drawing teams from across Hong Kong.