A MONUMENT RECORDING HISTORY:
EMPEROR SUNG'S 'TERRACE'

Contributor: Chow Yau Nam

When you consider the vibrancy and the stunning scenery of Hong Kong, together with its colourful vignettes of Chinese and Western culture, you would have to agree that its international reputation for being the 'Pearl of the Orient' is well-earned.

Back in 1941 on a December morning, an unforgettable incident happened that made this city even more special to me. I was a boy of eight walking to school from my home on Sung Street when a thunderous wave of explosions shook the whole world around me. This was the first air raid marking the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong.

As I scrambled for shelter in the midst of a screaming crowd, I somehow ended up beneath a huge rock with the inscription, 'Sung Wong Toi', or 'Emperor Song's Terrace'. God knows how long the bombing went on, although I could see bloodstained bodies lying all around each time I stuck my neck out. To this very day, I can still recall that haunting experience as much as I remember the piece of rock that saved my life.

The Terrace was originally located on a small hill at the end of Sung Street in Kowloon City. As a child, I used to hang out with my buddies around that corner, playing games or listening to stories told by my uncle. One of his favourites was undoubtedly that about the Song Emperor, which took place in the last days of the Song Dynasty (circa AD1162). When the young Emperor Bing fled for his life from the invading Mongolian army (later rulers of the Yuan Dynasty), his entourage escorted him all the way south to Hong Kong and they took brief refuge near this huge piece of rock. Besides naming the rock after him, there were also three other streets bearing his title, namely Sung Street, Emperor Street and Bing Street. Unfortunately, the terrace was badly destroyed during World War II when the Japanese carried out the runway expansion project at Kai Tak airport nearby.

In the 1960s, the Hong Kong Government restored the monument, although the surrounding area — including the three 'emperor's streets' — underwent changes which made the terrace relatively out of place. The rock was subsequently relocated to a park, also named after the Emperor, and became a favourite stop for locals and tourists alike.

I sincerely hope that the authority concerned will lobby to protect and preserve this treasured piece of Kowloon's historical heritage so that we have more great and noteworthy attractions for tourists.

(Remarks: The Hong Kong Tourism Board invited legends, folklore and stories of Hong Kong from the public. Some of the collected stories cannot be verified through historical publications or other formal means.)