Tsim Sha Tsui today is known for its shopping, akin to Causeway Bay, hotel accommodation and tourist attractions. Many villages had been established in the location before Kowloon was ceded to the British Empire in 1860. TST in Chinese means Sandy Mouth and was a port that exported incense trees brought in form the New Territories. It was then known as the fragrant quay. After it was ceded to the British in 1860, TST was known as a garden community mainly for foreigners, but in the early 20th Century, it eventually became a place for the Chinese to live in order to encourage trade. Garden houses were replaced with crowded residential blocks and major developers such as Harmusjee Naorojee Mody and Catchick Paul Charter were active in the development of TST. In 1888 the development of the Star Ferry offered regular transportation between Central and TST and the area flourished ever since. Now, Tsim Sha Tsui remains a tertiary service sector provider (banking), as in Central, Admiralty and Wan Chai. Skyscrapers are largely being developed as the height restrictions have been dropped with the closing of the Kai Tak Airport.

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