Sung Wong Toi

Discover the historic Sung Wong Toi, a remarkable memorial that commemorates the legendary refuge of Southern Song Dynasty emperors Zhao Shi and Zhao Bing. When eight-year-old Zhao Shi and his seven-year-old brother Zhao Bing fled Mongol invaders in the 13th century, they – and their army – took refuge on a hill overlooking Kowloon City, then a bustling port filled with armed forces. 

Legend has it that this is where the elder brother coined the name Kowloon, or ‘Nine Dragons’, drawing inspiration from the eight peaks that surround the territory – the ninth was the one he was sitting on. Six months after arriving here – the only emperors to ever set foot in Hong Kong – the young emperor and his brother perished when their enemies caught up to them. To commemorate their time in Kowloon, the people carved the phrase ‘Sung Wong Toi’ into a boulder on the hill. When the hill was later cleared to make way for Kai Tak Airport, the boulder was moved to its current location; a memorial called Sung Wong Toi now sits in its own garden.