Bowen Garden

Bowen Garden

Bowen Garden is an open-air sports ground located in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island, colloquially known as "Little Garden." It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The park is surrounded by urban buildings on all sides: to the east is the Sheung Wan Sun Wu Commercial Association School at Kui Hin Court, to the north is Po Hing Fong looking toward Hollywood Road, to the south is the Second School of the King George V School Old Boys' Association at Pui Ching Court, and to the west is Po Yan Street facing Tung Wah Hospital.

The site of Bowen Garden was originally a residential area for the Chinese community. Following a bubonic plague outbreak in 1894, the colonial Hong Kong government demolished the residential district and converted the area into a public park, naming it after then-Governor Sir Henry Arthur Blake — today’s Bowen Garden. During the Japanese occupation, in line with Japanization policies, the garden was briefly renamed Minzhong Sports Ground. The park features botanical gardens on both the eastern and western sides, with two hard-surface soccer fields, three basketball courts, and one volleyball court in the center, as well as a children’s playground equipped with swings and slides. Due to its long history, the botanical gardens have grown into a cluster of over ten ancient banyan trees, each uniquely shaped and quite beautiful.

Like other parks in Hong Kong, Bowen Garden is often rented out by schools, charitable organizations, and cultural groups for sports training, competitions, and cultural events such as Mid-Autumn Festival and Lantern Festival celebrations.

Blake Garden, Hong Kong

Must-visit reason: One of Hong Kong’s most scenic gardens