Highrise Hong Kong

March 16, 2018

Highrise Hong Kong

I told David that I would feel that my visit to China satisfied my expectations if I saw a junk. This iconic boat had been my vision of China since childhood. I think they put this junk in the middle of Victoria Harbor on the morning we sailed in just for me.

Even these four sail-in photos don't begin to convey the totality of Hong Kong. It would take a 360 degree panorama, and even then, the city can't be completely comprehended. This is the world's 10th tallest building, the 108 storey International Commerce Center.

This was the view from our veranda while docked at Kai Tak cruise terminal, which occupies the land that was formerly the runway of the Kai Tak airport.

This picture shows some of the high-rise housing that makes it possible for 7.4 million people to live in 1,064 square miles which includes the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and 260 islands.

There is a little black line in the map on the left that shows the Hong Kong northern boundary--everything south of that line is considered the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. HK boasts the most skyscrapers in the world, one of the world's highest per capita incomes, as well as the world's greatest human longevity.

The name, Hong Kong, means "fragrant harbor". The territory was ceded to the British as part of the treaty that ended the First Opium War in 1842. The colony was further expanded in 1898 as part of a 99-year lease. It was returned to China by the UK in 1997 with a stipulation that it would remain self-governing with its free-market economy for another 50 years, a policy referred to as, "one country, two systems".

We had a day and a half in Hong Kong. Our first excursion started at this Taoist temple complex. I think the entrance to the Wong Tai Sin Temple still had the Lunar New Year holiday decorations on it. Statues throughout the temple complex still had red ribbons around them.

The temple is famed for its many answered prayers. The supplicant usually begins their worship by making an offering of burning incense to the various gods. Many of them come to have questions answered or to get their fortunes told. This is accomplished using a practice called "kau cim". This involves a set of 100 numbered bamboo sticks that are shaken in an open cylinder until one falls out. The stick is exchanged for a piece of paper with the same number. A soothsayer then interprets the fortune related to that number. Sometimes the worshiper consults more than one fortune teller to assure themselves of the validity of the answer. What an experience it was to be in the middle of the press of people, the smell of incense, and the sound of shaking bamboo sticks. When we left, our guide told us that it was a quiet day at the temple.

I am fascinated by the iconography and the spectacle of places of worship. I always wish for enough time to ask questions of someone who can explain each design and shape. For instance, why are the fish and other smaller animals on the ridge of the roof?

The Good Wish Garden--I liked the name and the peaceful feeling it engendered.

I think we should have a pair of these on our front porch. (The lions, not a pair of me.)

Next we went to the Kowloon Walled City Park. Prior to 1994, the area now occupied by the park was the site of a housing area which was mostly self-governed and self-built by the residents. It had started as a fort, then became a civilian place of refuge after the British leased the New Territories (which comprises the northern part of HK) in 1898. The population increased again during the Japanese occupation of WWII and the Chinese Civil War. During the 1960s, modular housing was built over existing structures in a haphazard manner with building heights of different levels and little or no space between them. It became known as a place controlled by organized crime and was filled with prostitution and drug abuse. By the 1990s, there were 33,000 people living within walls that enclosed 6.4 acres making it the most densely populated area in the world.

In 1987, both the British and Chinese governments came to an agreement to tear down the Walled City primarily due to concerns about sanitation and health. Despite government offers of compensation, many residents had to be forcibly evicted. It took over a year to demolish, but within a month of completion, the construction of the park began. The photo above shows the almshouse, which housed an "old folks home". It was part of the central common area and has been preserved. You can see one of the two 1802 vintage cannons on the left. Inside the doorway was a display showing the timeline of the Walled City. The photo to the right is from that display and shows one of the outer surfaces of the district.

This 3D model of the Walled City is in the park and can help one visualize the density and haphazard style of the buildings. There were "sky bridges" connecting the rooftops and it is said that one could get from one side of the city to the other without ever walking on solid ground.

Hong Kong has the most expensive real estate in the world. With that in mind, it makes one pause to think about the decision to memorialize one of the worst housing districts in the world with a park. I think it speaks to the fact that despite the crime, there were thousands of people who lived normal lives in a tightly knit community, and when the city was demolished, they lost that community.

Keeping the memory of the Kowloon Walled City alive makes this park a destination not only for visitors from across the world, but for school children who want to know about their history and heritage.

Our last destination for this excursion was to the Hong Kong History Museum. Our time here was limited, so I ran through the exhibits again, stopping only briefly to snap photos of some of the things that grabbed me. Traveling in a group has some definite advantages in that we have been taken in comfort to some of the more significant landmarks and places of interest, but I feel like one of the herd and struggle to really absorb what is around me in the limited time allowed.

In the folk culture section, I was interested in the wedding ceremonies. There were some richly embroidered and sequined wedding dresses on display, but the glare of the glass cases makes my photos too poor to share. Traditionally, the bride is transported to the wedding in a sedan chair with family members preceding her.

These collars adorned the necks of children in the 19th century. A very proud mother or grandmother embroidered and embellished these.

This display took some reading for me to understand. It depicts the Cheung Chau (an island in Hong Kong) Bun Festival. It is a Taoist ceremony, called Taiping Qingjiao, of gratitude and prayer for safety. One of the central activities of the festival is "bun snatching" from the three 60' bamboo towers covered with buns or rolls. Young men of the village raced to climb the towers and snatch the highest bun, thus bringing the best fortune to his family.

Also as part of the ceremony is the construction of 40 foot tall effigies of Chinese gods guarding against malicious spirits.

David snapped these photos of the forms of transportation that were commonly used in and around the Hong Kong harbor in the early 20th century.

When our cruise director, Heather Clancy, gave her port talk on Hong Kong, she mentioned the reputation the city has for custom tailored clothing. She referenced one shop called "Sam's". One of the ladies in my quilt group also talked about having some clothes made for her when she was an army nurse stationed in Asia. When we finished at the museum, I saw that I was within an eight minute walk of Sam's. I jumped bus and headed out with another couple that wanted to spend the afternoon wandering in the city.

As we were walking, I ran
into these two elders. Elder Cowgill on the left is from Castle Rock, Colorado, and Elder Bolton is from Cedar City. We had a quick conversation in which they told me that they loved Hong Kong, but that is was a challenge to do much teaching.

Within minutes of walking into Sam's (which was run by a family from India), I had chosen a design and fabric and was being measured by the fellow in the picture. It was about 1:30 pm. I was asked if I could come back for a fitting that evening at 6:00. My friends, Judy and Dave, were willing to let me hang out with them for the next several hours. Judy and I had lunch at the famous colonial era Peninsula Hotel (shown below) and did some shopping. When I returned at 6:00, my jacket was constructed to the point that adjustments could be made the to princess seam in the front, the length of the sleeve, the height of the Mandarin collar, and the overall length. If we had been in port another 24 hours, I could have picked up the finished product, instead, it will be mailed. What a special experience for me! In light of my years of sewing, I was amazed at the speed and expertise of their service.

Staying overnight in a port allowed us to see the skyline at night. Once again, there is no way, even in three photos, to show a fraction of the 360 degree city.

The next morning, we were back on the bus for another excursion. We had a very interesting and knowledgeable guide, Jupiter, who spent the entire day talking to us about the economy, culture, language, and family dynamics of her native city. She talked at length about the repercussions of China's "one child policy". She described how the policy has produced a generation of male children who have received love from two parents, four grandparents, and a host of aunties and uncles, and have never had to be concerned about anyone's needs but their own. She also explained the family size and level of income needed to obtain government subsidized housing. She and her daughter will soon move into a 320 sq. ft. apartment instead of a 200 sq. ft. one because she had her mother apply with her as a third occupant. She told us that gambling "is in our blood" because of the idea that one can make a fortune with good luck. She admitted that she doesn't play by the rules--that she wanted a child, but didn't feel she needed a husband. Her daughter is five years old and cared for by Jupiter's unmarried auntie.

Our stay in Hong Kong was scheduled to end at 1:00 pm, so in order to fit all the scheduled stops into our excursion, we started at 7:00 am. First we rode "The Peak Tram" to the top of Victoria Peak. During the British rule, the Chinese were not allowed to live on The Peak, only Europeans. This funicular, first opened in 1888, is one of the steepest in the world. Prior to mechanized travel, the whites who lived on the peak were transported up and down the mountain in sedan chairs carried by their Chinese servants.

Unfortunately, the "fog" hadn't burned off by the time we got to The Peak, but these photos still give another view of this amazing city.

There's a good story about two of the buildings in this photo. The tall one on the right with the "Xs" on it is the Bank of China, designed by I.M. Pei. It's triangular in shape, and has been criticized for having sharp angles which the feng shui masters say will "cut" the good energy of the adjacent buildings. It's blamed for some of the problems of the neighboring buildings. The HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) building on the left was designed under the watchful eyes of the feng shui experts, and also has cannon-like structures pointing toward the Bank of China to deflect the negative energy.

Another example of how much influence the principles of feng shui (wind and water) are is the presence of "dragon gates" in many of the buildings in the city. It is believed that the holes allow the mountain dragons an unobstructed path to travel down to the water each day and return in the evening.

We made a visit to the Aberdeen Fishing Village where we rode in a sampan on a tour of the harbor. In the past, the fisherman lived on the boats, but now, they only occupy them during the day.

Instead of fishing, many now make a living by giving tours of the harbor. This sweet woman didn't speak any English, but welcomed us to her humble boat and confidently plyed the waters. Her sampan may have been vintage, but she deftly used her smart phone to communicate with other tourist boat captains in the harbor. The bottom photo shows how the canvas roof of the sampan is supported.

Only those vessels already anchored in the harbor have a guaranteed place--no new moorages are available. The spots can be sold or passed down, but not increased. As the fleet of fishermen diminishes, most of these boats will eventually disappear.

Our final stop for the day was at the Stanley Market. A market has been in existence in this location for many years, but now has become a tourist attraction. It was a feast for the senses and fun to wander through the stalls.