View source for Repulse Bay

{{Short description|Bay in Southern Hong Kong}}
{{About||the bay in Greenland|Repulse Harbour|the hamlet in Nunavut formerly known as Repulse Bay|Naujaat}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2008}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=May 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}

{{Chinese
|title=Repulse Bay
|order=ts
|pic=View of Repulse Bay from Sir Cecil's Ride.jpg
|piccap=View of Repulse Bay from Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path (on [[Violet Hill (Hong Kong)|Violet Hill]])
|picsize=250
|picsize2=
|t=淺水灣
|s=浅水湾
|l=Shallow Water Bay
|p=Qián shuǐ wān
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|q|ian|2|.|sh|ui|3|.|wan|1}}
|j=Cin<sup>2</sup> Seoi<sup>2</sup> Waan<sup>1</sup>
|ci={{IPAc-yue|c|in|2|.|s|eoi|2|.|w|aan|1}}
|h=Cien<sup>3</sup> Sui<sup>3</sup> Van<sup>1</sup>
|y=Chin Seui Waan
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[[Image:Kwun Yam Shrine View1 201501.jpg|thumb|Longevity Bridge of [[Kwun Yam Shrine]], Repulse Bay]]
[[Image:Repulsebay.jpg|thumb|View of [[Middle Island, Hong Kong|Middle Island]], off Hong Kong Island (left) between [[Deep Water Bay]] and Repulse Bay (background, left). Viewed from the [[Ocean Park Hong Kong|Ocean Park]] cable car ride.]]
[[File:Hong Kong Repulse Bay in 1930s.JPG|thumb|Repulse Bay in the 1930s, viewed from Eucliffe, with the Repulse Bay Hotel in the background.]]
'''Repulse Bay''' or '''Tsin Shui Wan''' is a bay in the southern part of [[Hong Kong Island]], located in the [[Southern District, Hong Kong|Southern District]], Hong Kong. It is one of the most expensive residential areas in the world.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tomlinson |first1=Peta |title=Hong Kong's most expensive homes to rent: from The Peak to Repulse Bay, these are the city's most lavish luxury residences available for lease |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3132195/hong-kongs-most-expensive-homes-rent-peak-repulse-bay-these |website=South China Morning Post |date=4 May 2021 |access-date=13 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hong Kong's Crazy Rich and Mega Poor |newspaper=Dateline |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/tvepisode/hong-kong-s-crazy-rich-and-mega-poor |access-date=13 June 2021}}</ref>

==Geography==
Repulse Bay is located in the southern part of [[Hong Kong Island]], to the east of [[Deep Water Bay]] and to the west of [[Middle Bay (Hong Kong)|Middle Bay]] and [[South Bay, Hong Kong|South Bay]]. [[Middle Island, Hong Kong|Middle Island]] is located off Hong Kong Island, between Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay.

==History==
[[Image:Repulse bay.JPG|thumb|left|upright|[[Repulse Bay Beach]]. The curved building in the background is "The Lily".]]
The origins of the bay's English name have become extremely obscure. There are, however, many stories — none resting on any solid evidence that has so far been established. A typical example is that in 1841, the bay was used as a base by pirates and caused serious concern to foreign [[merchant ship]]s trading with [[China]]. The pirates were subsequently repulsed by the [[Royal Navy]], hence the name. There is no evidence of any such origin in the extensive British naval log books of the period. Another story holds that the bay was named after [[HMS Repulse (1868)|HMS ''Repulse'']], which was stationed at the bay at one point. No HMS ''Repulse'' ever visited Hong Kong, let alone Repulse Bay and the 1868 ''Repulse'' served only on the west coast of the Americas (1872–77) and thereafter in British waters. It is known that the name appeared on the earliest British official map of Hong Kong by [[Cape Collinson|Lt TB Collinson RE]] in 1845. However, British Admiralty charts never used the name until the 20th century, instead sticking to the quite erroneous name given by Commander [[Edward Belcher]] RN in his 1841 survey, Chonghom Bay. The source of the name remains unknown.

In 1898, the [[Hong Kong Golf Club]] opened in the valley behind the Deep Water Bay and became a social hub.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2127407/hong-kong-district-stories-repulse-bay-deep-water-bay-and|title=Hong Kong district stories: Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay|last=DeWolf|first=Christopher|date=2018-01-09|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref> Roads were developed between the South and the North parts of Hong Kong Island and in the 1910s, Repulse Bay was developed into a beach. The [[The Repulse Bay|Repulse Bay Hotel]] was built by the Kadoorie family in 1920.<ref name=":0" /> To attract swimmers, a bus route from [[Central, Hong Kong|Central]] to Repulse Bay was created, and now stands as one of Hong Kong's oldest bus routes. The writer [[Ernest Hemingway]] and the American actor [[Marlon Brando]] stayed at the Repulse Bay Hotel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48-hours/article/1809083/repulse-bay-through-ages-hemingway-present-day|title=Repulse Bay through the ages, from Hemingway to the present day|last=Chan|first=Bernice|date=2015-05-27|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>

During the [[Battle of Hong Kong]] in [[World War II]], Repulse Bay was an important strategic location. The Repulse Bay Hotel was used by the Japanese as a military hospital during the war.<ref name=":0" />

The beach was extended artificially,<ref name=":0" /> and thus the sand closer to the shore is coarser in texture than the sand further away. It is one of the longest beaches in Hong Kong with a length of 292 metres (960 feet).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2154100/best-beaches-hong-kong-where-surf-where-avoid|title=Sun, sharks and surfing: what are the best beaches in Hong Kong?|last=Vetter|first=David|date=2018-07-07|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>

American actors [[William Holden]] and [[Jennifer Jones]] stayed at the Repulse Bay Hotel in 1955 when they acted there in the film "''[[Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (film)|Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing]].''"<ref name="holden">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uMp6ACb74UkC&q=Jennifer+Jones+holden+love+is+a+splendored&pg=PA88|title=William Holden: A Biography|author=Michelangelo Capua|publisher=McFarland|year=2009|isbn=9780786444403|pages=87–90}}</ref>

Until the early 1960s, residential buildings were quite restricted. Three blocks of six storey apartments were developed by Dr. P. P. (Put-Paw) Chiu and his brother P. W. (Put-Wai) Chiu, part way up the mountain overlooking Repulse Bay. These were luxury apartments with servants' quarters, with only two apartments per floor in Blocks A and B. Apartments in Block C are smaller. For a long time, these were the only apartments allowed on the mountain.

These included properties on Repulse Bay Road and South Bay Road, according to a [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118941225.oth1 record of projects by architect Luke Him Sau] — the earliest of which (among the Chiu properties) dates back to 1952. 
[[Image:The Repulse Bay Overview 201501.jpg|thumb|right|The "building with a hole" - [[The Repulse Bay]], site of the former Repulse Bay Hotel]]
Occupying the whole of the west side cliff above the beach was a large castle with a swimming pool, greenhouse and tennis court called Eucliffe, one of three castles owned by the millionaire [[Eu Tong Sen]]. The Eucliffe structure and historical site was demolished to make way for a row of low apartments.

==Present==
[[File:The Repulse Bay Shopping Arcade View 2015.JPG|thumb|The Repulse Bay shopping mall was constructed on part of the old hotel site to mimic some of the lost colonial architecture]]
[[File:The Pulse Outside view 201501.jpg|thumb|The Pulse is a new shopping mall completed in 2014]]
The Repulse Bay area is one of the most expensive housing areas in Hong Kong. [[Tencent]]'s CEO [[Ma Huateng|Pony Ma]] bought a house there for US$57 million in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/where-billionaire-founders-alibaba-tencent-083055297.html|title=Here's Where the Billionaire Founders of Alibaba and Tencent Bought Homes in Hong Kong|last=Chandler|first=Clay|website=finance.yahoo.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-23}}</ref> In 2018, twin townhouses were sold for HK$1 billion (US$127 million) or about {{convert|90000|$/sqft|$/m2|order=flip}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/business/article/2152093/twin-repulse-bay-town-houses-fetch-us12746-million-snatching-price-record|title=Twin Repulse Bay town homes sell for US$127.46m, a neighbourhood record|last=Liu|first=Pearl|date=2018-06-22|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref> In 2018, [[Li Ka-shing]], the richest man in Hong Kong, was living near Repulse Bay.<ref name=":1" />

The former Repulse Bay Hotel was demolished in two stages during the 1970s and 1980s. Later a boutique shopping mall was constructed on part of the old hotel site to mimic some of the lost colonial architecture.

[[Emperor Group|Emperor International Holdings Limited]] bought Lido Mall at Repulse Bay and renamed it The Pulse, but due to its expansion to five storeys and {{convert|143000|sqft|m2|order=flip|abbr=on}}, it was in negotiations with the government over the land premium. On 15 May 2012, Emperor announced an agreement with the government with the land premium at HK$798 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.etnet.com.hk/www/tc/news/categorized_news_detail_eng.php?category=company&newsid=ETE220516131|date=2012-05-16|title=Emperor Int'l settles legal proceeding of "The Pulse"|newspaper=ETNET}}</ref> Emperor would put [[The Pulse (shopping mall)|The Pulse]] up for lease after receiving the occupation permit. The {{convert|143000|sqft|m2|order=flip|adj=on}}, five-storey shopping mall would be rented out at HK$50 to HK$60 per square foot.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=2&art_id=128770&sid=38338941&con_type=1&d_str=20121128&fc=4|title=Emperor forecasts 15-20pc rise in rents|date=28 November 2012|newspaper=[[The Standard (Hong Kong)]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303060530/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=2&art_id=128770&sid=38338941&con_type=1&d_str=20121128&fc=4|archive-date=3 March 2014}}</ref> The Pulse was opened in 2016.<ref name=":0" />

==Features==
* [[Repulse Bay Beach]]
* [[Kwun Yam Shrine]]
* [[The Repulse Bay]]

==Transport==
===Road===
Repulse Bay is served by [[Repulse Bay Road]], which connects [[Wong Nai Chung Gap Road]] and [[Tai Tam Road]]. It is very convenient for people to travel to Repulse Bay as there are many [[Buses in Hong Kong|bus routes]] reaching the bay. Visitors can take bus no. 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 from Central, 63, 65 from [[Causeway Bay]] and [[North Point]], or 73 from [[Cyberport]] and [[Aberdeen, Hong Kong|Aberdeen]]. [[Public light bus|Minibus]] 40, 52 are also available for visitors travelling from Causeway Bay and Aberdeen respectively. Transportation either passes through the [[Aberdeen Tunnel]], or travels along the slightly longer scenic route.

Beach-goers may also opt to drive there. The beach provides some parking space, and the nearby Repulse Bay Hotel also has parking facilities.

===Railway===
There are no [[MTR]] stations in Repulse Bay, nor has any MTR project been proposed or commenced there.

==Education==
Repulse Bay is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 18. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and Hong Kong Southern District Government
Primary School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/school-lists/2023dpnet-18b.pdf|title=POA School Net 18|publisher=[[Education Bureau]]|accessdate=2022-09-12}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
Author [[Eileen Chang]]'s novel, ''[[Love in a Fallen City (novella)|Love in a Fallen City]]'' (傾城之戀) is set at the Repulse Bay Hotel.

{{wide image|Repulsebaypano.jpg|900px|Repulse Bay at dusk.}}
{{wide image|Repulse Bay 14.jpg|900px|Repulse Bay}}
{{wide image|RepulseBay panorama.jpg|900px|A [[panorama]] shot of Repulse Bay, as taken from [[The Repulse Bay]], the "building with a hole" - featuring a full 180 degree view}}

{{wide image|Repulse_Bay_Beach.jpeg|900px|View of Repulse Bay Beach looking southwest}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Geography|Hong Kong}}
* [[List of places in Hong Kong]]
* [[Tourism in Hong Kong]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Repulse Bay, Hong Kong}}
{{Southern District, Hong Kong}}
{{Hong Kong Urban Areas}}
{{Coord|22|13|50|N|114|11|10|E|display=title|type:waterbody}}

[[Category:Repulse Bay| ]]