On Wednesday, we had a day off in the name of National Day. It was a welcome break from the recently frantic pace of work. I have a concept due for the electronics show in a little over a week. I've just gotten over the hump on part one of the project, but parts two three and four should take the rest of the week for me to sort out. Let's hope it goes smoothly. Anyway, I took Wednesday slow and woke up late. I headed down to Hong Kong island to wander around and explore. I consider myself fortunate on two counts. First, I am very interested in divergent and alternative architecture. And second, I am in Hong Kong, one of the most architecturally diverse places I've ever seen (which isn't saying much, since I haven't seen too many other places yet)
I started out in Tsim Sha Tsui, across from Hong Kong Island. I wandered back to all the places that I remembered from the last trip. It is strange how much it feels like home. I am more comfortable in some parts of Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon than I am in parts of Savannah, or DC. Part of it has to do with having been here for so long, but I also feel like a big part of it is just the fact that Kowloon and the rest of Hong Kong are very welcoming. Yes it's busy and foreign, but it's also safe and incredibly intriguing. I stopped back in on Kowloon Park and observed the beautiful gardens and people relaxing on their day off.
For all the glorified chrome, glass, and steel across the Harbor on Hong Kong Island, Tsim Sha Tsui is often forgotten, but whereas Hong Kong is extravagant in its appearance and scale, TST is known for opulence and tastefulness. There are a lot of interesting buildings in Hong Kong, but Tsim Sha Tsui has its fair share as well. The Peninsula is here after all, and save for the Philippe Starck-designed toilets, it is the epitome of tastefulness. It looks like it came right from New York or Washington DC.
Other buildings in TST are just as impressive, but few are as tasteful or historically significant as The Peninsula.
All of the mixture of cultures and eras that can be observed across the harbor can also be seen in Kowloon/TST, but you have to look a little harder.
The major difference between Hong Kong and Kowloon/TST, aside from the cachet of the names, is the fact that Kowloon seems unafraid to show its age or grittiness.
It seems that the chrome and glass that makes Hong Kong so incredible is starting to weasel its way into the Kowloon/TST area at the moment.
And the scale and speed of new construction is mind-blowing. The building on the left was an empty shell with no glass and very little else only a few months ago in May when I was last here.
And the scale and speed of new construction is mind-blowing. The building on the left was an empty shell with no glass and very little else only a few months ago in May when I was last here.
Of course, if I’m going to talk about interesting architecture or style, I have to talk at length about Hong Kong. After wandering through TST for a while, I crossed the Harbour on the Star Ferry. For the equivalent of about $.25 US, it's the cheapest way to cross the harbour and sports the best view by far.
Upon landing in Central, I started to walk the familiar streets and paths from a few months ago. One thing I've noticed about Hong Kong that is a major contrast to the US way of life is the incredible attention payed to moving people without their own wheels. There are dedicated bike paths along all major roads, removed by at least a few feet from the road's edge. There are sidewalks everywhere. There are buses, bikes, taxis, trains, trams, light rails, cable cars, and even a couple of old rickshaws
(I think these are out of commission, though).
There are long tunnels under roads that connect offices, malls, train stations, and hotels. And there is a network of pedestrian bridges that mirror the roads below. The one from the Central Pier is at least 4 blocks long (I've never needed to walk the whole thing), and intersects at least three others along its path.
While it isn't notably tall or shiny, this may be one of the most distinctively styled buildings along the shoreline in Central.
It looks cool from the outside, but I wonder what Hong Kong looks like through a round window...
The buildings here are obviously tall and slender, but they're also very closely packed. It reminds me of a forest, but significantly less green and soothing.
This building, 2 International Finance Center, is notably tall and shiny. It is a second shot at holding the title of the tallest building in Hong Kong. The first try, lies pitifully to the right in its big brother's shadow, almost unnoticed.
Many of the buildings in Hong Kong make use of a narrow design element running from the ground floor to near the roof. This accentuates the height and "elegance" of the structure.
While I'm a million miles away from the financial travesty in the US, it seems closer than I care to admit.
The glass and chrome of Hong Kong can make the city seem many times larger and more densely populated than it actually is, as local buildings are doubled and redoubled in the facades of neighboring offices.
I found a building that stood on a handful of massive chrome columns. These provided a great example of the oppressive nature of the buildings being reflected on the column.
A few things surprised me, even in Hong Kong. For all the scale and grandeur of Hong Kong, there are little jewels for people like me who notice little things for whatever meaning they may or may not have...
Possibly the worlds biggest smallest Crocs store - that's not a typo - just look at it.
A beautiful sculpture that depicts a human "breaking free from the machine..."
And quite possibly the most useless escalator in Hong Kong.
I have no idea what this building is, but it is certainly an anachronism amidst the hustle and flash surrounding it.
After I had shot as much of the west end of Central as I felt I needed to, I went wandering up the hill behind the city. I came across a cute little Episcopal Church. Not exactly beautiful, but interesting nonetheless.
As I continued to wander up the mountain, I found myself, suddenly, in the midst of the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. It’s no Washington National Zoo, but it is a quiet, well done, interesting zoo, which is free and open not just to the public, but to the sidewalks and streets surrounding it. It seems like more of a public park with unusual animals than a proper zoo. In addition to a zoo, this park offers amazing views and a quiet spot to rest. The animals are a bonus, because this park is well manicured and very attractive. It has a small sampling of sculptures and a huge public playground as well.
I walked into the "The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens" and was greeted by the first 'gator I've ever seen anywhere near the glass for people to see.
There were also some lemurs...
And some flamingos - the birds are not terribly interesting, but the red water thay drank looked pretty sinister. I assume this is a way to keep the birds pink, because I've heard that flamingos are naturally white, and it is actually their diet of shrimp that turns them pink in Florida.
This view reminded me just how steep Hong Kong really is.
After leaving the "zoo", I kept trudging up the hill and came across a seriously Art Deco apartment building.
another view...
Other styles are represented as well... For instance:
umm...organic?
This struck me as a feeble attempt at Classical.
Bauhaus perhaps?
Sci Fi? Futurism? Strange? These two cranes on the HSBC Tower look strikingly similar to massive cannons. This thought is backed up by the fact that, when viewed from afar, they appear to be "aimed" directly at the Bank of China Tower.
It clearly costs a lot of money to live on the mountainside near Central as evidenced by this Rolls Royce. (unless the owner lives in a penthouse, I'd assume this car may be bigger than his apartment.)
And the security around some of these locations is...plenty. Clearly there is no climbing. None.
Eventually, I tired of hiking up the mountainside and decided to stroll back down. I found the entrance for the peak tram, with an enormous sign for SCAD posted right next to it – good marketing placement… and nearby was a nice quiet little Catholic church nestled amongst over- and underpasses and on and off ramps. The battery in my camera had died by this point, so I'm sorry not to be able to share the photos with you all, but that's life.
The apartments here are like nests carved into the mountainside. Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world where the map of the city expands from the water’s edge into the water. It is simply too difficult to build on the mountainsides, so Hong Kong simply reclaims waterfront property and builds land out into the harbor. I heard recently that Victoria Harbor has lost 7000 hectares (don’t ask me what a hectare is) to development along the shore.
After my big day in Central, I took the ferry home and met a guy visiting from Indonesia. He had a spare ticket to watch the National Day Fireworks from the roof of a mall that is right on the water. He'll be sending me his pictures soon and I will go in depth on the interesting story in a future post...For now, here's a link to the incredible fireworks display. It was 23 minutes long and set to music. Overall, it was very well done.
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