Hong Kong
Day 1 - Hong Kong Park and East Promenade
The Hong Kong Park is one of the most unique parks in the world, having been designed to highlight its artificial elements, including the square with the fountain, the greenhouse, the ponds and waterfalls (favored by couples getting married in the marriage office inside the park), the playground, and the taichi garden. The park covers an area of 8 hectares and, despite its artificiality, is very beautiful; bordered by a wall of skyscrapers on one side and mountains on the other, it is an excellent subject for spectacular photographs.
Take the Start Ferry towards Kowloon.
A visit to Hong Kong is not complete without a ride on the Star Ferry, a legendary fleet of diesel-electric ferries with names like Morning Star and Twinkling Star. The 10-minute crossing, spectacular at any time of day thanks to the enchanting view of the skyscrapers and mountains, is probably the cheapest cruise in the world. Upon arrival, a crew member throws the mooring rope to a colleague who catches it with a hooked pole, just as in 1888 when the first ship docked.
The Star Ferry was established in 1888 by Dorabjee Nowrojee, a Parsi originally from Bombay. At that time, almost all local residents crossed the harbor on sampans. Nowrojee bought a steamboat for private use and made it the first Star Ferry. Parsis believe in the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism, of which the five-pointed star in the Star Ferry logo is an ancient symbol.
In 1910, near the Kowloon Concourse, the Kowloon-Canton Railway was built to connect Hong Kong with the mainland. On Christmas Day 1941, the governor of the colony took the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui, where he surrendered to the Japanese in the halls of the Peninsula Hotel. Today, you can still see the Clock Tower, the clock tower of the original railway station. In 1966, thousands of people gathered at the Tsim Sha Tsui pier to oppose a proposal to increase ferry fares by 5 cents. The demonstration led to a riot on Nathan Rd, the first in a long series of social unrest that led to colonial reforms.
The Hong Kong Island pier is a rather nondescript Edwardian reproduction of the old Edinburgh PI pier (which had a clock tower), demolished despite strong opposition from city residents. The Kowloon pier, on the other hand, has remained unchanged.
Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), which means ‘sharp, sandy promontory,’ is a vibrant district occupying the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula. Renowned mainly for its shops and restaurants, it is also rich in museums and performance spaces. With a population composed of Chinese, Indians, Filipinos, Nepalese, Africans, and Europeans, this is the most cosmopolitan area in Hong Kong.
A good starting point for a walk is the Former Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) Clock Tower (p25), near the Star Ferry Concourse. The red brick and granite tower is a monument to the steam engine era. The clocks started operating on March 22, 1921, and have only stopped during the Japanese occupation.
The splendid view of Victoria Harbour makes this walk one of the most beautiful in Hong Kong. Walk it during the day to take photographs, visit museums, and observe the hustle and bustle of boats, loving couples, and tourists. After sunset, as you go to dinner or take the Star Ferry, you’ll see it magically transform, with skyscrapers shining in neon lights.
Beyond the Cultural Centre and the Museum of Art, you reach the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong’s understated tribute to the past glories of its film industry, where the 2.5-meter-tall bronze statue of Bruce Lee stands out. Almost all of this area will remain closed for renovation until the end of 2018. Just past the Avenue of Stars, there are stairs and an elevator leading to the charming Tsim Sha Tsui East Podium Garden and the Middle Road Children’s Playground.
From the Promenade, every evening you can admire the Symphony of Lights, a somewhat kitschy light and music show that starts at 20:00. Pieces of Chinese classical music play in time with flashes of light emitted by the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island across the harbor.
Day 2 - The forgotten streets of Wan Chai
Once, the coastline of Wan Chai ran close to the tram tracks on Johnston Rd, but after extensive reclamation works, it was moved further north. During that era, the area of Queen’s Rd East and Johnston Rd was a fishing village with shrines and temples overlooking the sea. After the arrival of the British, some shipyards were built along the bay, and the European residents who could not afford to live on Victoria Peak began to build their homes on the hills south of Queen’s Rd East. Despite the new Wan Chai being a spectacular commercial district with skyscrapers and five-star hotels, for those who love to explore, the area south of the tram tracks is certainly more interesting.
A short walk along Stone Nullah Lane will lead you to the majestic temple built in 1863 in honor of the Taoist sea god Pak Tai. The imposing temple, the largest on Hong Kong Island, has a roof decorated with Shíwán ceramic statues inspired by Cantonese opera and is representative of the Lingnan style (i.e., the architecture of the Cantonese area). The main temple houses a 3-meter tall copper statue of Pak Tai, crafted during the Ming dynasty.
Hidden in a corner on the south side of Queen’s Rd East, this dark and austere temple is built on the rocks that once dominated the harbor. It was erected around 1847 in honor of a Tang dynasty official venerated as a deity, famous for his virtue (an important quality) and for his ability to make useful predictions for traders (an even more precious quality).
The Blue House, built in the 1920s, and the adjacent Yellow House and Orange House form a historic complex known as ‘Viva Blue House’. The most beautiful, the Blue House, is an elegant four-story building with Spanish-style wrought iron balconies reminiscent of New Orleans. It now houses a candy store, a renovated osteopathic clinic, and sanitary facilities for the dozen or so residents.
Day - Tian Tan Buddha
With its 23 m (10 floors), the Tian Tan Buddha, standing on the Ngong Ping Plateau on Lantau Island, is the tallest seated bronze Buddha statue in the world. It can be seen arriving by plane in Hong Kong, and even from Macau on clear days, but the best way to appreciate this revered spiritual icon located 500 m high on the western hills of Lantau is to see it up close.
‘Big Buddha’ Inaugurated in 1993, this immense depiction of Siddhartha Gautama was created by China Aerospace Science and Technology, the company that designs Chinese spacecraft. It is definitely worth climbing the 268 steps to admire the statue and the surrounding panorama up close. On the second level of the pedestal, there is a tiny room where oil paintings and ceramic plaques inspired by the life and teachings of the Buddha are exhibited. The computerized big bell inside the Buddha rings 108 times during the day to symbolize the escape from the 108 problems of humanity. Visitors must wear decorous clothes and adopt appropriate behavior. It is forbidden to bring meat and alcohol into the complex. The anniversary of the Buddha’s birth, a holiday that falls in April or May, is a wonderful time to visit the site, a destination for thousands of pilgrims.
The Po Lin Monastery, a vast Buddhist complex built in 1924, today is more of a tourist attraction than a place of worship. Most of the buildings seen entering are new, while behind them are the older ones.
The most spectacular way to reach the high ground is the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, 5.7 km long, connecting Ngong Ping with Tung Chung along the hill. The journey over the bay and mountains takes 25 minutes.