District Highlights

The Central & Western District (C&W District), one of the earliest developed areas in the territory, is a commercial, financial, legal and political centre of Hong Kong. A lot of famous buildings are situated in the District, including the old Supreme Court building which is where the Court of Final Appeal is located, the Government House which was previously the residence of former Governors but is currently used as an official place to receive honourable guests, the former French Mission Building and the Central Government Offices in Tamar.

The Central district, which is full of historical monuments and skyscrapers, is best known as the centre of Hong Kong. Some of the commercial buildings here are among the most expensive ones in the world. The district also has the world's longest outdoor covered escalator and the world's steepest funicular tramway. The Western district is rich in traditional characteristics. Taking advantage of its location near the shipping channel in the west, the district has long been a hub of trading and sea freight. The only non-staple food wholesale market of Hong Kong can be found here.

The C&W District covers an area of 1,255 hectares, with a residential population of about 250 000. Over 90% of the population live in private buildings, varied from luxury homes on the Peak and in the Mid-levels to the old tenements in Sheung Wan and Sai Wan (i.e. the Western District). While a number of urban redevelopment projects had been completed recently to improve the living environment of the local community, efforts are made to preserve the distinctive Chinese and Western cultural heritage of the district.

With the commissioning of the extended MTR Island Line to Kennedy Town in late 2014 and the gradual completion of several major infra-structures in the next few years including the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, one is expecting a brand-new outlook of the C&W District in the near future.