Hong Kong's English name is derived from two Chinese characters, Heung and Gong,
usually translated as "Fragrant Harbour", though the actual origins of the name
are obscure. Originally it was only the name of a small settlement near Aberdeen,
the main fishing and entrepot port on pre-colonial Hong Kong Island. Some
historians suggest that Hong Kong's Chinese name was inspired by its export of
fragrant incense.
The explanation for Kowloon's name is even more romantic. In Chinese, the peninsula's name is "Kow Lung", meaning "Nine Dragons". The name is thought to have been coined by Emperor Ping, one of two boy-emperors of the doomed Sung Dynasty whose court fled to Hong Kong eight centuries ago. He is said to have counted eight mountains in the area, and decided to name it "Eight Dragons" (in accordance with the belief that every mountain is inhabited by a dragon).
The Emperor's tally of the peaks was corrected by a quick-witted courtier who pointed out that as emperors were also believed to be dragons, the place was really, "Nine Dragons" -- Ping being the ninth. The origin of Kowloon's name may be a legend, but it is a historical fact that the boy-emperor's travelling palace stayed there. One ancient carved-rock inscription recording the imperial visit stands in a small park on the very edge of Hong Kong International Airport.
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