C. Matthew Nathan was a British engineer who went to Hong Kong in the early 1900’s as part of British civil service. He proposed building an access road to the swampy area called Kowloon from the developed area of Hong Kong. Nathan Road was seen by many at the time as a huge waste of resources, thus getting the nickname Nathan’s Folly. Eventually, however, Kowloon grew to what is now the most densely populated part of Hong Kong, and Nathan Road is one of Asia’s most notable shopping areas.

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