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Erika Na

Hong Kong is home to more skyscrapers than any other city in the world – 554 according to a list compiled by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which counts buildings 150 metres tall or more.
Shenzhen in southern China ranks second, with 413 skyscrapers. Hong Kong, which is only 63 per cent as big as Shenzhen in terms of area, remains mostly undeveloped; its many skyscrapers are packed into an extremely dense urban jungle, where open spaces are a rarity.
But Southorn Playground, in the heart of Hong Kong Island’s Wan Chai neighbourhood, is one such place.
The playground, originally called Wan Chai Children’s Playground, opened in 1934; it was later renamed after Sir Wilfred Thomas Southorn, Hong Kong’s colonial secretary from 1925 to 1936.

For history buffs, there is an interesting connection between this urban spot and Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon.
Southorn and his future wife, Bella Woolf, a sister-in-law of the writer Virginia Woolf, met there in the early 1900s; and, after moving to Hong Kong, it was the island nation’s vivid rural expanses that inspired them to inaugurate a children’s play area in Wan Chai.

In the decades since its opening, the playground has taken on various roles as Hong Kong has endured war, periods of social unrest, the Covid-19 pandemic and more.
In 1940, during World War II, the British colonial government built air raid shelters in the playground as protection against Japanese aerial bombardment. The playground was damaged by air strikes in the 1940s and had to be rebuilt.
Since then, it has served as a gathering space for people to both celebrate and protest.
On June 2, 1953, a party was held at the playground to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. The spectator stands were filled, and children were served free food and bottled drinks.
In 2018, protesters gathered at the playground to demonstrate against then justice minister Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, who was involved in a scandal surrounding illegally built structures at some of her properties.
During the Hong Kong anti-government protests of 2019-20, demonstrations were frequently staged in the playground.

Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the playground was turned into a Covid-19 testing centre, with long queues of people a common sight. The spectator stands were closed off during this period to prevent people gathering.
Today, the 96,000 sq ft (8,900 square metre) playground, which has four basketball courts and a football pitch, once again serves as a space for leisure not just for children but adults, too.
Open daily from 6am to 11.30pm, it is frequented not only by those playing sports, but also by office workers, who can often be seen eating takeaway meals bought from nearby food vendors, or drinking coffee, and by retirees strolling, stretching or just relaxing.
The spectator stand near the playground’s football pitch offers an unobstructed view of the sky – a rarity in Hong Kong’s urban areas – and is a great vantage point for people watching; the demographic of the park changes in the course of a day.

After it opens in the morning, most of the people in the park are merely passing through, presumably on their way to work. There are also joggers, old ladies strolling around, exercising and chatting, and small groups kicking a football or shooting hoops on a basketball court.
The space starts to get busier as the morning draws on, the energy and pace continuing to change throughout the day.
The playground is a convenient spot in which to take breaks for those who work nearby. Weekday lunchtimes see office workers flocking there, especially to the spectator stands where they can comfortably sit and eat their meals.
After this crowd leaves, the playground is occupied mostly by those with time on their hands, including schoolchildren, some of whom gather in small groups to play football and basketball.

Young children accompanied by adults run around, chasing balls, while the perimeter of the football pitch is mostly taken up by elderly people.
As afternoon turns to evening, football becomes the main activity in the playground. The regular players, usually older local men, begin gathering and greeting one another loudly like old friends, often swearing in Cantonese – in a friendly manner, of course.
At weekends, the demographics of the playground change again. On Sundays, the park is usually occupied by foreign domestic helpers enjoying their weekly day off in the shade of the spectator stand. They hang out with friends and share food, from Filipino dishes to Indonesian snacks such as shrimp chips.
Regardless of the day or the time one comes to people-watch at Southorn Playground, one thing never changes: the people there are mostly just enjoying themselves.
The easily accessible open space provides an escape where urban dwellers can forget about the stresses of city life, even if only for a short while.


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Hong Kong’s Southorn Playground, haven for sports and socialising amid the urban jungle

People play basketball in Hong Kong’s Southorn Playground. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Southorn Playground in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district has offered space for recreation amid the urban jungle for the past 90 years. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

A photograph taken around 1950 shows Southorn Playground nestled among rows of tenement houses in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai neighbourhood. Photo: Hong Kong Public Libraries

Many people pass through Southorn Playground every day, some on their way to work. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Following its use as a Covid-19 testing centre during the pandemic, Southorn Playground is now back to serving as a leisure space for children and adults. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

A man sits in the shade in Southorn Playground. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Basketball games among local Hong Kong residents are a common sight in Southorn Playground. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

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Participants on a City Unseen walking tour of Prince Edward. Photo: Joshua Wolper 

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Detail of the temple’s interior. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Lau’s sketch of the Shui Yuet Kung temple in Ap Lei Chau. Illustration: Cynthia Lau (AKA Little Jade) 

Hong Kong artist Cynthia Lau draws an old building. “Sketching is an important way for me to both document and appreciate the beauty and history of the society I live in,” she says. Photo: courtesy of Cynthia Lau 

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

A rare open space amid modern Hong Kong’s jungle of skyscrapers, the playground in Wan Chai has been a place to let off steam since 1934


Since 1934, Southorn Playground in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai neighbourhood has offered a respite from the stress of urban living, as well as hosting protests, parties, and Covid-19 testing.


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