The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens  is one of the oldest zoological and botanical centres in the world. It occupies an area of 5.6 hectares at Mid-levels, on the northern slope of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. Founded in 1871, its first stage had been opened to the public in 1864.

   Similar to Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens provides a natural environment and atmosphere in Central District. It is bigger than Hong Kong Park and contains more plants, birds and facilities.

History

   1864 view of the gardens, with Government House and Victoria Harbour in the background.The park was previously named Bing Tau Fa Yuen . "Bing Tau" literally means "the head of the soldiers" or the "Commander-in-Chief". Some said it was named such way by the Chinese because it was once the private garden of the governor. Other said Bing Tau was just the phonetic transliteration of the first two syllables of the word botanical. In the old days, many lovers liked to go there on a date.

Plants

   Fountain Terrace GardenThere are more than 1,000 species of plants in the gardens,  mostly indigenous to tropical and sub-tropical regions. It includes some rare species like the Dawn Redwood and the local Ailanthus. Besides these, some species which can produce flowers throughout the year can also be found there, like the Hong Kong Orchid Tree.

   Different Species are grown in the Thematic gardens in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.