Wan King Path

Wan King Path (Chinese: 灣景街; lit. 'Bayview Path') is a road in Sai Kung Town, New Territories, Hong Kong.[1] It is located next to the main public square in Sai Kung Town.[2]

The Wan King Path sign

Name

The English name of Wan King Path is the phonetic spelling of Chinese words for "bay view", probably a reference to the fact that one can view the nearby bay, the Inner Port Shelter, not too far from this street. Outside of Hong Kong and China, Wan King Path has gained international media attention due to the name appearing similar to an English-language vulgar slang word for masturbation, wanking. In 2006, it was included in the Rude World: The 100 Rudest Place Names in the World book.[3]

The name of the path may have come about when members of the Royal Navy asked members of the local population the local name of locations to make a translation for signs. The residents reportedly would often reply by using names that were intentionally offensive Chinese names or by using puns and incorrect translations. The British government in Hong Kong used these names for places in Hong Kong up until the 1990s when the Geographical Place Names Board was established to correct the erroneous translations.[4] The name of Wan King Path was not changed during this time.[4][5] After the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, there were concerns that the Special Administrative Region government would change names such as Wan King Path for being viewed as colonial, however Wan King Path's name was not changed.[6]

Buildings

Wan King Path has some banks belonging to the Hong Kong Bank of China[7] and Standard Chartered Hong Kong located along it.[8] Wan King Path also has a number of cafes and restaurants located along it.[2][9]

References
  1. "Is this the best way to Climax?". Metro. 20 November 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  2. Ian Boyce (19 August 2013). "Sai Kung". Hong Kong Extras. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  3. O'Grady, Carrie (24 November 2006). "On the Wan King Path". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  4. "Honkers Oral Sex Corner". mXnet. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  5. "Hong Kong's Most Offensive Place Names". Hongwrong.com. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  6. Christopher DeWolf (9 September 2010). "Unfathomable street signs in Hong Kong". CNN. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  7. "New Territories Branches". Bank of China. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  8. "ATMs & Branches Locator". Standard Chartered. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  9. Jeffman, David (2009). The Rough Guide to Hong Kong & Macau. Rough Guides UK. p. 153. ISBN 1848364660.

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