Intrigued by the name Ngau Tau Kok? It literally translates to Cow Head Corner. Before Kowloon Bay’s reclamation, the coastline here resembled an ox horn. Ngau Tau Kok is an area of eastern Kowloon in Hong Kong. It sits in the north of Kwun Tong District. It lies east of Kowloon Bay.
Today we explore Ngau Tau Kok. It is largely residential with over 210000 residents. But this wasn’t always the case.
Once upon a time, Ngau Tau Kok was one of the Four hills of Kowloon. This is where granite was extracted. The granite was transported to Victoria City and even exported to Canton City for the Sacred Heart Cathedral’s construction.
At the time of the 1911 census, the population of Ngau Tau Kok was 440. The number of males was 314.
Before becoming mainly residential, Ngau Tau Kok was also an industrial area. Amoy Food had a factory here. They manufactured soy sauce. Amoy Gardens, a private housing estate, now stands on the old factory site.
Jordan Valley has a disused reservoir. It once provided fresh water to Ngau Tau Kok. An artillery battery was also once in Jordan Valley. It was removed for urban development. The MTR Kowloon Bay Depot was once the Ngau Tau Kok Industrial Estate.
Ngau Tau Kok has two hills. These are Jordan Valley and Crocodile Hill. About half the residential blocks sit on these hills. Crocodile Hill is quieter. Kung Lok Road encircles it. This road has residential blocks and two parks. These are Kung Lok Road Playground and Kung Lok Road Children’s Playground. The Urban Council completed both in 1988.
Kung Lok Road is also home to the Mu Kuang English School. Elsie Elliot founded it. Hong Lee Road leads to St Catharine’s School for Girls at the hill’s summit. This school was founded in 1968.
The area around Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate is known for street food. It includes congee noodles and Cantonese cuisine. In summer, Ngau Tau Kok hosts religious ceremonies for the Yu-lan festival. This is a festival from Chinese ghost tales.
In 2003, Ngau Tau Kok was impacted by the SARS outbreak. There was a concentration of cases in Amoy Gardens, mainly in Block E. The drainage design was criticized and amended.
In 2016, the Amoycan Industrial Centre fire occurred in Ngau Tau Kok. Two firemen died.
Ngau Tau Kok Road and Jordan Valley North Road saw a fatal underground explosion in 2006. Two people died and eight were injured. Wai King Building was damaged by the blast. It was caused by a town gas leak from underground pipes.
Ngau Tau Kok has changed much over the years. It has transformed from granite extraction to industry and finally to a residential hub. Ngau Tau Kok continues to evolve. The East Kowloon Cultural Centre opened in 2021 on the former Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate site.