Victoria Park is the largest park on Hong Kong Island and is situated next to the bustling Causeway Bay shopping district. It serves not only as a recreational area for locals but also as a venue for exhibitions, sports events, and political assemblies. For all walks of life, it is a park that is filled with collective memories. Causeway Bay was once a "bay" 70 years ago, serving as a typhoon shelter. Like other flat lands in Hong Kong, the park is built on reclaimed land, which included construction waste from World War II.

Queen Victoria Statue

The statue of Queen Victoria used to be located in Statue Square but was removed during the Second World War to be melted down for copper in Japan. Fortunately, Japan surrendered just in time, and the statue was returned to Hong Kong. It is now placed at Victoria Park, where it remains an important landmark for the city. The statue, which was unveiled in 1896, is made of bronze and stands at a height of 4.88 meters. It is a popular spot for visitors to take photos and is an important symbol of Hong Kong's history and colonial past.

At the main entrances of the park, there are six hard-surfaced soccer pitches that are occupied by different activities throughout the year, such as the Lunar New Year Fair and the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo. The assembly and starting point for all large-scale demonstrations in recent years have also been held here.

A Collective Memory

As a result, Victoria Park holds a special place in the hearts of locals. It would not be an understatement to say that Victoria Park is the last frontier of Hong Kong democracy in modern China. Since 1990, a vigil has been held every year on June 4th, attracting tens of thousands of people to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square Incident. Due to risk of Coronavirus, the Hong Kong government has banned the event since 2020 and large parts of Victoria Park were closed off from public until the early hours of next day.

According to the Hong Kong Constitution, the Basic Law, Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of assembly, procession, and demonstration. This very freedom distinguishes Hong Kong’s civic society from that of China. To gain insight into the future of Hong Kong, we invite you to speak with the people of Hong Kong. As an outsider, you will be able to judge the situation from the perspective of a Hong Konger.