I took hundreds of pictures in Hong Kong. This page contains thumbnail images and descriptions of nine of my favorites. Click on the thumbnails for larger, clearer pictures. This miniature photo album isn't by any means a complete representation of Hong Kong: it's things I liked, for a variety of reasons, or that represent my experience of Hong Kong.
Victoria Harbor is still the
center of Hong Kong. This picture was taken from the
Star Ferry, looking toward Hong Kong Island: the
skyscrapers are the Central business district, and
Victoria Peak is behind them.
Aberdeen is an old fishing village
that has mostly been turned into modern high-rise housing, but some
people still live on boats in (what's left of) the harbor there,
and dry their catch in the sunlight.
Part of our transit tour of Hong Kong: the view from one
of the double-decker trams that run
across Hong Kong Island, including
two more trams, the overhead wires, and of course the buildings
around them. The trams aren't meant for tourism, they're part of
the day-to-day transit system used by the people who live and
work in Hong Kong, but climbing to
the top and looking out is a great way to see a bit of Hong Kong
for very little money.
Bamboo scaffolding is a typical
Hong Kong sight: seemingly old-fashioned, it works at least as
well as the more "modern" metal used in the United States.
With more time, I'd have caught a crane at work on one of these
buildings, for the perfect modern Hong Kong version of a classic
theme of Chinese painting.
There are some gorgeous Buddhist temples in Hong Kong.
I suspect it's like visiting a church in Italy: you can go
to look at the artwork and nobody will be upset, but you and
they both know that this isn't a museum, it's a part of life.
At the gate of one we visited, vendors
sell incense and other things that a visitor might need.
These three Buddhas
occupy the center
of one of the main buildings; the piles of fruit are traditional
offerings.
The jade market in Yaumatei isn't
primarily for tourists, but they'll happily sell you anything
from trinkets to expensive artwork. Knowing nothing about jade,
I settled for trinkets.
Our inexplicable favorite was Tiger Balm Gardens, a wonderland
of trees and brightly colored concrete,
full of places to climb and explore, and wonderful images of
real and mythical animals
.
To my trip report.
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Pictures and text are copyright 1997 by Vicki Rosenzweig. Last modified 30 September 2000 [change of email address only; last substantive modification 28 September 1997]. (Modifications to the pictures are minimal: I used Paintshop Pro to make the scanned images look more like the prints they were scanned from.)