Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine - Jean-Paul Belmondo (1965) - Wanchai Gap, The Peak

One of the things that has interested me most whilst looking at locations for this film is the almost complete lack of growth on the hills. As you will see from later posts as well the film crew for Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine covered some really surprising locations and it's quite staggering to see the changes that have occurred since 1965. This is a great example - it involves a car chase scene that ends with a rather impressive and comical pile up in the middle of the road. The location is the junction where several roads all come together at Wanchai Gap: Stubbs Road, Peak Road, Mount Cameron Road, Coombe Road and Middle Gap Road. Modern day visitors tend to go here to visit the (excellent) Police Museum on the nearby hill or perhaps start one of the hikes through the Aberdeen reservoirs, but I doubt many would recognise it from the following film grabs.

Where Peak Road meets Stubbs Road. Wanchai Gap Road at the back.

Stubbs Road with Black's Link on the right.

Middle Gap Road on the left, Mt Cameron Rd on the right.

The grassy area is now part of Wanchai Gap Park, 

Coombe Road coming from the right.

It's hard to get a comparative view from Streetview so they will just have to wait until my next visit to the Police Museum. Suffice to say all the hillsides are now covered in mature tree growth. The next shot is great, I particularly like the rickshaw puller who managed to find his way to the top of the pile up.

The following is a better, low angled view through the gap. The building at the end is currently a HK Electric substation. I have no idea if it was the same back in 1965. There are some nice houses on the slope at the back. Whether they are still around is hard to say but I think the one above the substation might be the precursor to today's Cameron Lodge. The one further along might be #6 Middle Gap Road and it looks as though the same building is still there today with the two chimneys.

I'll finish on this brief shot of the top of Wanchai Gap Road as the wayward bed starts on its long journey towards...well, actually it ends up in Mongkok as you will see in a later post. If you thought that was daft enough, then pay attention to the next couple of posts as I document its rather convoluted journey to the other side of the harbour.