Ox head cape. That’s what Nagu Tong Au means in Chinese. Are you ready to uncover its secrets?
Nagu Tong Au lies in eastern Kowloon in Hong Kong. It is north of Kwun Tong District near Kowloon Bay. This largely residential area has over 210,000 people.
Before Kowloon Bay’s reclamation, Nagu Tong Au’s coast resembled an ox horn. This shape gave the area its unique name. Nagu Tong Au includes Jordan Valley and Crocodile Hill. Half the residential blocks sit on these hills.
Ngau Tau Kok’s history includes Hakka inhabitants. In early colonial times, it was one of Kowloon’s four granite hills. Granite from Nagu Tong Au built Victoria City and Canton City’s Sacred Heart Cathedral.
In 1911, Nagu Tong Au had only 440 residents. Most were men. Before housing dominated, Nagu Tong Au was industrial. Amoy Food had a soy sauce factory here. Later, Amoy Gardens apartments replaced the factory.
Jordan Valley once held a reservoir for Nagu Tong Au. Now disused, it’s a landfill. An artillery battery once stood in Jordan Valley. It was removed for urban development. The MTR Kowloon Bay Depot was once the Nagu Tong Au Industrial Estate.
In 2003, SARS hit Nagu Tong Au hard. Many cases occurred in Amoy Gardens. Drainage design flaws were criticized. In 2006, a gas explosion on Ngau Tau Kok Road killed two. It injured eight and damaged Wai King Building. The cause was a gas leak. In 2016, the Amoycan Industrial Centre fire killed two firemen in Nagu Tong Au.
Major roads run through Nagu Tong Au. These include Kwun Tong Road and Ngau Tau Kok Road. The MTR has two stations here. Kowloon Bay station is to the north. Ngau Tau Kok station is to the south near Kwun Tong. Kai Tak Airport was nearby. Part of it is now a cruise terminal.
Nagu Tong Au transformed from quarries and industry to a residential hub. Its story is etched in its name, its hills, and its buildings.