The Central District was the earliest place of development by the British colonialists. Today it is the central zone of financial, commercial and cultural exchanges. It has many buildings which have retained strong colonial style.
The Statue Square which is near to the Star Ferry Pier was built before the Second World War. Inside the Square there is a bronze statue of the general manager of Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in early period. The former Queen Elisabethˇ¦s statue was removed to another park, i.e. Victoria Park. In front of the eastern side of the Square is the Legislative Council Building, the predecessor of which was the building of the Sureme Court. The outer structure and the goddess statue on the top are the typical building in Victoriaˇ¦s period.
Along the Garden Road upward, the St. Joseph Church is in sigh which was open since 1849, one of the oldest British style churches existed in the southeast Asia at present. Along the Garden Road turning to the Albert Road you can see the former Government House which was the Residence of former 25 British Governors from 1881 to 1997. In March every year when azalea blossoms, the House remains open for citizens to visit.
