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Government House
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONG KONG
The Government House was the residence of the Governor of Hong Kong from 1855 to 1997. It nestles at the Government Hill, Central, Hong Kong Island. The building was built in 1855, designed by Charles St George Cleverly.
Government House was previously the official residence and office of 25 of Hong Kong's 28 Governors. Construction works started in 1851, eight years after Hong Kong was declared a British colony, and took four years to complete. The first Governor to live there was Sir John Bowring, the 4th Governor of the territory. The last one was the last Governor, Chris Patten.
Sir Hercles Robinson also had a residence, Mountain Lodge, built as an alternate home. Only the Gate Lodge and Victoria Peak Garden remains. Fanling Lodge in the New Territories remains the alternate residence after 1997.
In 1891, an annex was added to the house for social functions (namely the Ballroom). During the Japanese occupation during World War II (1941-1945), it was occupied by the Japanese Military Governor. The form of the building changed to a hybrid Japanese / NeoClassical image by Seichi Fujimura in 1944, primarily through the addition of a tower and roof elements.
Since the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (1997), the House has become a guesthouse and is used for formal banquets. Tung Chee Hwa resided at Harbour View, 11 Magazine Gap Road and Grenville House from 1997 to 2005. Donald Tsang, the current Chief Executive, has shown his intention to move in.
 MAJOR FEATURES OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE
The main entrance of the House faces south towards the Victoria Peak. Down on the northern side is the Central Government Offices, where most Government Secretariat offices are situated.
Government House has a front lawn and a back garden. Eminent among the plants in the garden are the numerous azaleas that come to full bloom in spring. Inside, the Ballroom, the Drawing Room, the Dining Room and the Conference Room are frequently used for receiving guests at official functions.
OPEN DAYS AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE
The Garden of Government House is open six times a year to the public. At least one will be arranged in spring to enable members of the public to share the delight in viewing the full bloom of the azaleas. Visitors are usually allowed to pass by the Drawing Room, Dining Room and Ballroom where key official functions are held.
The Open Days are generally arranged during the weekends. Dates will be announced through press releases to be issued nearer the time. No admission fee is needed.
FURTHER VISIT OF VICTORIA PEAK
On a clear day, people can wander through forests of bamboo and fern, stunted Chinese pines, hibiscus, and vines of wonderful natural beauty. In fact, the best way to see The Peak in all its bucolic glory is by walking around Lugard Road, which is the best spot to look down at both shores of Victoria Harbour, Kowloon Peninsula and even the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir and Islands district on the southern part of Hong Kong. That is a special tip for the tourists to take the best pictures of the Peak.
The Ballroom of Government House is reserved on three Fridays in a month for bookings by charitable, non-profit or public organisations to host events that benefit the community. The nature of the event under application must be well-matched with the identity of Government House as an important historical monument of Hong Kong and with its status as a dignified location for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to hold official functions.
TRIVIA
According to an urban legend, the nearby Bank of China Tower was deliberately designed to shape like a blade so as to bring bad Feng Shui to the Government House and its British administration.
From Wikipedia.org, The Free Encyclopedia
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