Misc Pictures Taken in Hong Kong

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I have been living in Hong Kong since 1980, and lived through the booms and busts and changes of the city.

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Parade

These pictures were actually taken in April 2002 during the grand parade of the annual Bun Festival in Cheung Chow. (Bun Festival is probably a name for tourists only. I don't quite understand the real name of the festival.)

The parade was led by 'lions' of different color - red, white, black, etc...

The core of the parade consisted of kids dress-up in different roles, and were affixed (on the feet and lower legs) on high stands. Kind of like pretending to be a doll???

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Kowloon Park

A flemingo in the Kowloon Park in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui.

This picture looks unreal because it was processed with an effect called "Gothic Glow".

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Mingle

A scene in Tsim Sha Tsui on Saturday 22-Jan-05.

The girls, who are apparently Indonesian domestic helpers, are dancing and enjoying themselves while an old guy trying to mingle with them.

Hong Kong has more than 200,000 maids, or domestic helpers, from the Phillippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and other nearby countries. Back in 1998 after PSINet brought my first company, I took their M&A guy for a walk in Central on a Sunday. He was very puzzled and asked me why there were so many young girls hanging out there.

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Victoria Harbour

The famous harbour viewed from the Peak. (17-Dec-2004)

This image was two pictures stitched together by software.

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Golden Moment

Photographers trying to capture the golden moment of sun set on the Peak.

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Victoria Harbour

In the evening (17-Dec-2004), and at night (13-Dec-2004.)

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Victoria Harbour

Day view from the Peak.

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Wu Kai Sha

All pictures here were taken near the Wu Kai Sha village in the Ma On Shan district.

My first visit to Wu Kai Sha was in 1985. In those days Ma On Shan was literally just a "Shan" (Mountain in Cantonese) and Wu Kai Sha was a fishing village at the foot of the mountain, accessible only by boat. The only reason we came was for the YMCA Youth Camp.

In 1990s, thousands of people settled in Ma On Shan area. Now the area is full of tall buildings from government subsidaried housing to deluxe water front apartments. There are still new constructions from railway to new apartments.

I am not sure how many Wu Kai Sha villagers still fish for a living. Many of them lease out their village houses to people who wants to escape the city or renting out row boats (in the 1st picture.)

The 2nd picture is a new apartment complex testing their electrical systems before releasing the flats to owners. It was the only time in that building's life that can be seen like this.

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Wu Kai Sha

The YMCA Youth Camp, in the foreground of the 1st picture, is still around, and surrounded by tall buildings now.

The red buildings on the right is Villa Athena - used to be the most expensive apartment in Ma On Shan. In the peak of the property speculation of 1997, the asking price for Villa Athena is almost HK$10,000  (US$1300) per square foot, and only about 75% of the area you paid for are exclusive for you private use. Crazy, huh?

At those times, too many had abandoned their 'normal' job to play in the property game. I read story that young property agents earned so much easy money that they would spent >HK$1000 on a Gucci key chain.

A mere metal and leather key chain, for Christ sake.

And politicians would be leading people on the street protesting high property price.

In 5 years time, the same politicians would be in another protest complaining the government had crashed the property price.

The 2nd picture is the same view at the night of mid-Autumn.