Although parts of it are intensely crowded, most of Hong Kong is empty, partly because some of Hong Kong's islands are inaccessible by public transportation and also because much of Hong Kong is mountainous. Most of all, Hong Kong is crowded because the British government controlled land use to a degree that advocates of open space in many other countries can only dream about.
Looking west from Hong Kong Park, in the aptly named Central District. That dome covers the Legislative Council, known locally as Legco.
The old Court of Final Appeal, shown in relation to Victoria Peak and the residential towers of Mid-Levels.
St. John's Cathedral, fairly lost beneath the proud bank logos.
The Museum of Tea Ware, within Hong Kong Park. The background tower was built as the Bond Centre.
Designed by Paul Rudolph, it later became the Lippo Centre.
As happens to every "tallest" building, I.M. Pei's Bank of China tower (1990) was overtaken by another skyscraper a few years later. It still retains, however, that praying mantis quality that made it so ominous in 1989, when it rose freshly over the city and made very clear to everyone just who was very soon to be in charge.
Residential towers under construction.
At its foot, this sign.
Potted mandarins at a nursery near the southern portal of the Aberdeen Tunnel.
A driveway at the same place.
A ferry from Kowloon arrives at the Star Ferry Pier.
Very close by is the terminal for the airport express, with trains to the new airport at Chek Lap Kok.
The "Manhattan" view of Hong Kong: Victoria from Kowloon.
The tallest building in the preceding picture, this is the International Finance Centre's 2 IFC, designed by Cesar Pelli and chock full of bankers.
Around on the west side of the island, at Telegraph Bay, is Cyberport, owned by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The project was contracted out, without competitive bidding, to PCCW (Pacific Century Cable & Wireless), a descendant of Hong Kong Telephone that is headed by Li Ka-shing's son. The plan was to create a mix of residences, shops, and offices for 10,000 IT professionals, but, at best, the project's timing was wrong: the big tenants vanished with the telecom bust, even before the office buildings opened.
Things are still mighty quiet in the gleaming halls, designed by Arquitectonica. The largest tenant is the owner, PCCW, and overall occupancy as of late 2004 was only 45%.
There's shopping here at the Arcade, on levels connected by starship escalators.
Video displays remind visitors that this is an IT paradise.
Nearby is what some skeptics think is the real agenda: 2,900 apartments on the 50-acre waterfront site.
Status symbols abound.
The elite live here.
Does it look like housing for the elite? (Yes, these are the same buildings.)
And here's Cyberport surrounded by other highrises.
