Hong Kong Snapshot (74) – Spring Garden Street, relation between prostitute and Big Number 香港隨拍 (74) – 春園街，春色無限大Number

There is a street called Spring Garden Street in Wan Chai. In Spring Garden Street, we may see many local things. We may see Tong Lau, HK Restaurant, HK Store and Mahjong school. Spring Garden? There’s no spring. There’s no garden. So why is It called Spring Garden? Because there was a villa called “Spring Garden”. And in Chinese, the word “Spring” may also refer to sex.

灣仔有個地方叫春園街，那裡有香港很本土的東西，那裡有唐樓、茶餐廳、士多、冰室、還有麻雀館。春園？絲毫不春，絲毫不園。為何叫春園？因為這裡曾有個「春園」，也因為，這裡曾經春色無邊。

As mentioned from my last post, the HK Government offered licences to brothels and the Government gained a lot of tax income from brothels, casinos, opium dens and Chinese Workers trading. At that time, there was an opium trader called Lancelot Dent. He joined the Dent & Co. at China and later became the boss. Dent was one of the traders who convince Britain to attack China. So when Britain got HK, he earned much reward and moved Dent & Co. to HK

接回上一回的故事，香港於1846年正式娼妓合法化，為政府帶來無限稅收，黃、毒、賭、還有賣豬仔，成為香港的主要業務。那時候有一名英國鴉片商人，叫顛地，他早在十九世紀初年就加入了在廣州的鴉片商寶順洋行，其後更成為了寶順洋行的話事人。由於顛地是鼓勵英國攻打中國的其中一人，在英國得到香港島後，他得到極大的利益，更將寶順洋行搬到香港。

Lancelot Dent (photo from baike.com)

Dent earned a big company and lot of money. What to do next? He built a big villa at Spring Garden Street and transformed the whole Wan Chai into an European town. As the Government House wasn’t built yet, the first 3 Governor of HK also lived in Spring Garden.

名成利就，有什麼可幹？當然是建立行宮，顛地在灣仔春園街一帶建立了春園別墅，將整個灣仔打造成一個歐陸小鎮。就連香港頭三任港督，因為總督府未建成，他們都住在春園街一帶。其實春園本不應叫做春園，春園的英文Spring Garden，Spring指的是泉，不過Spring也有春的意思，就被譯為春園，卻恰恰與春園街其後的命運極其貼切。

The Spring Garden (photo from apple daily)

Bad luck came. Dent died in 1853 and Dent & Co. left HK as the poor business operation. Spring Garden then became normal residential area. It attracted 2nd grade western prostitutes as well as Chinese prostitutes to move in. The houses of the street already changed from western house to HK Tong Laus. There was a big number on the Tong Laus to indicate the street number. After the prostitute moved in, the numbers were good for people came back to find the prostitute they liked. Eventually, the place was called the “Big Number”.

不過好景不常，顛地在1853年於英國病逝，寶順洋行亦因營運不善而撤出香港，春園由高級洋房區變成平民區，更吸引了一批次級洋妓及華妓進駐，春園之名變得名乎其實。當時春園街及旁邊的三板街早由洋房變成唐樓，由於唐樓門前都有No.1, No.2 大大的街號，在成為妓女駐紥之地後，嫖客們如光顧後「食過翻尋味」，就能找回同一個Number的妓女，慢慢的這裡就被稱為「大Number」，因為那此街別的確很大！

Big Number (photos provided by Mr Yat Tung Hui)

Before and After

In 1932, the HK Government banned prostitution and the “Big Number” became history. The street is now a common local street.

春園街的春光十色一直持續到1932年，直到政府禁娼才告一段落。春園街慢慢被本地華人進駐，逐漸演變成尋常百姓家。

The Spring Garden Street is now still keeping the HK local style. And the Sampan Street next to it, which was also part of “Big Number”, has been totally changed.

春園街仍然充滿舊香港味道，但旁邊的三板街就已被重建了。

It’s the Kam Fung Restaurant, one of the most famous HK style restaurants in HK! It’s time to have a buttered pineapple bun!

春園街最著名的就是它 – 全鳳茶餐廳，我也忍不住進去吃一個菠蘿油。

Haha I think it’s not enough. One more omelette!

吃不夠，再來一個奄列。

And the egg tart here is one of the most famous in HK! One more egg tart!

但這裡最有名的是蛋撻，多吃一個蛋撻才走吧！

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Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going!
謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！