Gutzlaff Street

Gutzlaff Street is an alley in the Central district of Hong Kong, crossing Stanley Street, Wellington Street, Gage Street, and Lyndhurst Terrace. Owing to its narrow width, it is cut off from vehicular access, and can only be traversed on foot.

Etymology

One of the oldest streets in Hong Kong, it is named after the 19th-century Prussian Christian missionary Karl Gutzlaff, who worked for the British East India Company, and later the colonial Hong Kong government. Well-versed in several Chinese dialects, Gutzlaff is usually known as or in Chinese documents. The street name is recorded as in several 19th century directories.

History

Before the Second World War, the alley was known as "Red-Haired Dame Street" by the locals – "red-haired" then being a common adjective for describing Westerners. One urban legend holds that western women in Hong Kong were frequently seen on that street, owing to the presence of numerous Chinese cobblers who specialised in repairing western-style shoes – this gave rise to the alternate nickname "Shoe Repairing Street".
Another hypothesis holds that some western brothels operated there during the early days of colonial Hong Kong, hence the name "Red-Haired Dame Street".
Recent findings indicate that the tenements in Nos. 2-10 Gutzlaff Street were inhabited by a powerful lady called Ng Akew. The nickname "Hung Mo Kew Street" was subsequently coined for Gutzlaff Street.
Today the street is well known to local gourmets as the location of one of the few surviving dai pai dongs in Hong Kong.