Travel information with destination guide in Yau Ma Tei by GuideRooms.com   

Yau Ma Tei, also spelled as Yaumatei, Yau Ma Ti, Yaumati or Yau-ma-Tee, is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong district, in the south of the Kowloon peninsula in Hong Kong, China. Dundas Street is its north border with Mong Kok and Austin Road south border with Tsim Sha Tsui. To its west is Victoria Harbour and its east the hilly region of Ho Man Tin.

The southern Yau Ma Tei is traditionally known as Kwun Chung. After the completion of MTR Jordan Station, people become used to name the area around the station as Jordan instead of Kwun Chung.

Yau Ma Tei history

Yau Ma Tei was a village in Kowloon. It was mentioned that a Chinese burial ground was assigned at a mile northeast of a village of Yau-ma-Tee at 2 December 1871.

The name of Yau Ma Tei is not yet found in historic documents prior to British rule. However, Kwun Chung was mentioned in many historic document. Kwun Chung was a river valley with village and cultivation. On the hill south near the coast was Kwun Chung Fort built by Chinese (Qing) official Lin Tse-hsu to defence against British. During the Battle of Kwun Chung in 1839, the fort, together with Tsim Sha Tsui Fort successfully kept British from Kowloon. The fort with the hill was demolished for development during early British rule of Kowloon.

Prior to the ceding of Kowloon to British in 1860, Yau Ma Tei was a beach and a bay gathering many Tanka fishermen. Its water remains an harbour for fishermen after several times of reclamation by Hong Kong Government. Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter became an exotic water area where restaurants on boats offered dishes indigenous seafood. These typhoon shelter dishes remain famous to this day and are even offered on land. The typhoon shelter not only hosted fishermen, it was a port in Hong Kong. Numerous piers were built along its shore.

Ferry Point in the southern part of Yau Ma Tei was a transportation hub where many commuters took ferries to and fro to Hong Kong Island. The service was offered by Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry.

Inland, the reclamation became the residential area for the ever-increasing Chinese population, with retail shops on the street level. Shanghai Street was the main street before being replaced by Nathan Road.

Along Waterloo Road, is the Fruit Market which is a century old fruit market and its adjacent Yaumati Theatre was once the largest theatre in Kowloon. The Kwong Wah Hospital was the first hospital on the Kowloon peninsula established in 1911. YMCA headquarters and its hostel in Hong Kong are also located on that road.

Yau Ma Tei Police Station is an important historical building in the area.