a many splendoured city
Still ranking among the greatest harbour panoramas in the world, Hong Kong today shows scant trace of what British Foreign Secretary described in 1841, as a “barren rock with hardly a house upon it.” The contours of majestic Victoria Peak are now largely concealed behind a barricade of showcase
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architecture as if demonstrating how far man can go to improve upon nature. Prominent in this array are such high-rise icons as the Bank of China Tower, Cheung Kong Center, HSBC, Jardine House and Hong Kong’s second tallest building, Tower 2 of the International Finance Centre.
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... Showcase Architecture ...
In the city with the highest ratio of high-rise buildings than any other metropolis on earth, it is not uncommon to encounter strikingly tall towers of steel and glass reaching for the auspicious height of 88 storeys. This harbour view bathed in the glow of the afternoon sunshine encompasses on the left, the Bank of China Tower, centre, the elliptical contours of the Conrad and Shangri-la at Pacific Place and beyond are the distant Dragon Hills of the Kowloon Peninsula.
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... Magisterial Vista ...
With the signing of the Convention in 1860, the Kowloon Peninsula south of Boundary Street was granted to Britain. Victoria Harbour would not become totally integrated until 1898 when Mandarins of the declining Qing dynasty reluctantly ceded the New Territories to Britain for a 100-yearlong lease. British Kowloon, far removed from today’s striking metropolis was initially little more than a barren militarized zone with no more than a small occupation force consisting of marine police.
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... Convention of Peking ...
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For luxuriance of fabrics, and intricacy of delicately stitched design and embroidery, nothing compares with the raiment perfected by one of the world’s oldest empires, in whose bygone dynasties wealth and status were literally worn on the sleeve.
... Bygone Dynasties ...
Wedding Costume While Chinese brides traditionally chose red – the colour of joy – for their elaborately embroidered silk gowns favoured in the past, today’s brides opt for the white clouds of chiffon and tulle that characterized weddings around the world.
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... The Colour of Joy ...
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Noodles When it comes to crispy fresh rice noodles, Hong Kong offers a multitude of choices, ranging from basmati, Dehra Dun, jasmine or long grained rice, each with a subtly different flavour and texture. Though noodles may grace dinner tables, rice in the southern provinces remains the main staple, while in the colder northern areas of China, dumplings are preferred.
... Richness of Rice ...
Government House
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Queen Victoria’s earliest representatives in Hong Kong were viewed as an encumbrance the mercantile community had to endure in order to qualify for protection under the flag. Work commenced on a permanent gubernatorial residence in 1848. Subsequently it became the residence of 28 colonial governors and two Japanese lieutenant generals – the latter during the Japanese occupation of World War Two. To this day Government House retains its title in memory of those it served as gubernatorial residence.
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St. John’s Cathedral
One of the few structures to survive the frenzy of construction. It was completed in 1847, and the bell-tower was added some years later. The post-war stainedglass window of a Hakka fisherwoman was inaugurated in 1959 to commemorate all who lost their lives at sea in the two World Wars. On 11 March 1997, celebrations marked the cathedral’s 150th anniversary.
... Temporal and Spiritual ...
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Tsing Ma Bridge
The world’s longest double-tiered suspension bridge, carrying road and rail traffic on separate levels, Tsing Ma Bridge vaults a 2.2 kilometre span and was among the costliest components of the infrastructure needed to complete the new airport link when it opened in 1997. It is flanked by its connecting bridges of Kap Shui Mun, in the distance, and Ting Kau (next page).
... Bridge over Calm Waters ...
Po Lin Monastery In once remote Po Lin Monastery, ten thousand monks from thirteen countries assembled on 29th December 1993 to offer prayers of dedication to the huge new bronze statue of the Buddha. The divine image towers serenely above the multitude and, despite its brief existence, looks as timeless as history itself.
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... Path to Enlightenment ...
No other landscape has been so drilled, dredged, transplanted and utterly transformed as that of Hong Kong. Impatient traffic, chic shopping malls and bustling streets contrast with an often-tranquil hinterland and an older place of soot-blackened temples, traditional markets and colonial-era museums. Yet Hong Kong remains – at one and the same time – tenaciously traditional and aggressively modern. This volume of striking, astutely observed photography, offers a wealth of insights into this many-splendoured city.