History
Before the Second World War, Lan Kwai Fong was previously dedicated to hawkers.
In early days, the square housed many mui yan , or marriage arrangers, a role exclusively held by females. Mui yan was a marriage medium between two families in the olden days. It was thus known as Mui Yan Hong or Hong Leung Hong .
In 1980s, German-Canadian businessman Allan Zeman, also known as the father of Lan Kwai Fong, invested 32 million Hong Kong dollars to buy a whole building and renovate it as Western restaurants. The place soon became a meeting place for foreigners in Hong Kong. The square, together with a homosexual disco Disco Disco founded earlier in 1978 in D'Aguilar Street, made Lan Kwai Fong and its surroundings a famous spot for night life.
Location
Lan Kwai Fong as an area is defined by D'Aguilar Street and the smaller lane, Lan Kwai Fong, an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane. Both streets turn 90 degrees to form a rectangle. From the west side of the rectangle, Wo On Lane and Wing Wah Lane extend to host several more spots for drinks and food. The area arguably extends to and Wyndham Street, through to the Hong Kong Fringe Club. It is also home to a small number of art galleries.
Features
Lan Kwai Fong is perhaps Hong Kong's most popular and well known area for a night out. Boasting numerous bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, it is a popular choice for the well off locals, expatriates and tourists. The high costs associated with the area makes this a relatively high class location, although the quality and reputation of this area is obvious virtually every night. Visiting on a Friday or Saturday night you may be overwhelmed by the enormous crowds that fill the streets , with all bars having only standing room. It is interesting to see that, as mentioned, a majority of the crowds are in fact expatriates or international students. It is one of the few places where is the overwhelmingly predominant language, although many of the who are there are most likely to be bilingual.
Special occasions
The crowds during special occasions such as Halloween or New Year's Eve put the place at a literal standstill with the large numbers. control is guaranteed, to manage the crowds. On January 1 1993, 21 people were killed and 48 injured in a large-scale human stampede whilst celebrating the New Year's Day in Lan Kwai Fong. The location's narrow streets and a sloped gradient, poor police planning and bad weather all contributed to this disaster.
Transport
There are several ways to access Lan Kwai Fong other than taxi, which include:
Public transport
*MTR, , Exit "D2"
*Airport Express, , Exit "B2"
*, route no. 12m, 13, 23A and 40M
*Green , route no. 10A & 10B
Car park, 2 nearest car parks around Lan Kwai Fong include:
*The Centrium, 10-12 Arbuthnot Road
*Universal Trade Centre, 3 Arbuthnot Road
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