[/img]2. One of my most favourite aspects of Hong Kong is the urban-nature balance. While the build-up city is very congested, the countryside is never far away. There are a lot of such beaches throughout the city.
3. Hong Kong's Olympic legacy was nonexistent until 1996, when Lee Lai-shan won gold in a windsurfing event at the Atlanta Olympics. In 2008, Hong Kong will host the equestrian event in the Summer Olympics.
4. Immersed in this concrete jungle lie a million stories, all awaiting to be told, and to be discovered.
5. Fishing remains an important part of life in Hong Kong, especially in the outlying islands and a few remaining villages throughout the city.
6. And locals like to enjoy fresh seafood. Look at all the choice, and they won't cost an arm and a leg either.
7. Hong Kong is a city of change. If things don't change, then you're not in Hong Kong. It seems that every few years a few monster skyscrapers pop up out of nowhere.
8. Like this one :
9. Redevelopment is a common word in Hong Kong. Things are torn down, rebuilt, and are torn down again. With so little land, there isn't much choice but to continuously regenerate the city, with taller results each time.
10. The potential for redevelopment is huge throughout Hong Kong. Imagine swapping this for a monster highrise ...
11. ... like in this picture :
12. But there are now more voices against change. Hong Kongers have matured to be more active on the political scene, openly challenging the government when things don't smell right.
13. I never knew Hong Kong was this dense.
14. To us locals, we don't find anything interesting with this type of photo. We've seen these streets for ages.
15. To illustrate the power of change in Hong Kong, 5 years ago, most of the big buildings here didn't exist.
16. Apparently a clothes dryer uses a lot of electricity. I prefer hanging them out the window. I just hope my undergarments don't fall to the streets below onto the head of some unfortunate passerby.
17. Where else can you get a set of Hello Kitty pyjamas for less than US$4?
18. I like buying clothes in Hong Kong. There are a lot of unique styles and it's hard to clash with someone else on the street wearing the same T-shirt or pants. It's not like the clones that the Gap and Old Navy sell across the nation.
19. Narrow alleys lead to much street-level activity, as residents and tourists sneak through to get to where they want. I decided to take a random detour and see where the pavement took me.
20. Meanwhile, these streets seem tiny compared to the buildings that line both sides.
21. Then again, most people in Hong Kong live in highrises.
23. While the poor can die in their cramped apartments, the rich will enjoy the finest the world can offer in their luxury apartments. The desire to get up there is what motivates the Hong Kong story.
24. Foreigners play a large part in the Hong Kong story. Here's one from Canada.
25. Here is one from the US, with a nice neon light show at night as well.
26. What beats a hot evening on the couch in suburbia than a stroll in the heart of downtown to notice how lively it is, with lights and people and activities going on ...
27. ... and the poor lads stuck in the offices late at night in this 24 hours city, eh HKT?.
28. Another favourite aspect of Hong Kong is the abundance of ferries that offer nice vantage points of the city. Perhaps in a decade the same vantage point will yield something far different. A decade ago this scene would have been unthinkable.
29. There's something about a water setting that makes the photo so serene and warm. For the record, it was a hot day.
30. While there are a lot of new things in Hong Kong, you can still see some historic relics ploughing the streets ...
31. ... alongside even more new things :
32. Yet in some areas the old flavour is still alive and strong.
33. One of my most memorable nights in Hong Kong was the night hike with HKT. I was waiting to be robbed by some misfortuned mainland alien while my more confident friend was holding his camera tight against the tripod in the heavy wind.
34. We walked for quite some time - about 2 hours - and bumped into the Chief Executive's motorcade. Then we saw an opening on the side of the road and took this photo. We were literally on the street since there were no sidewalks. We were waiting to be run over by the next double decker bus.
35. In a conversation with fellow forumer InitialD18, we discussed how many zillions of vantage points there are unexplored in the residential towers all over Hong Kong. Well, it's not easy to get into an apartment building to shoot photos, but there are places that are far more friendly to strangers, like Hopewell Centre's top floor revolving restaurant. All you need is money.
36. How many souls do I have to sell to buy a residence in one of those architectural masterpieces?
37. How long does it take for me to spend 100 dollars here?
38. This building has been on my radar for quite a number of years. It used to have an observation deck at the top, and very few people knew about it. But since it has been occupied by mainland interests, the deck has closed. I was surprised the security guard knew all about its history.
39. I hear a lot of comments that HK's residential towers are very ugly. To some extent that is very true, but a lot of them are also very stunning and quite unique in the world.
40. Thank you for your support of my Hong Kong series. In total, I have 14 CDs of material to go through, and I still have a lot of photos from China and Korea to process. I don't even think I'm half way done yet. I hope to bring more interesting photos to the forum over the next little while. I have yet to show my Disneyland photos and more of Hong Kong's public housing.
Other Hong Kong Series Threads
Part 1 : Central | Part 2 : Tsing Yi Island
Part 3 : Aberdeen | Part 4 : Bank of China Observation Deck
Part 5 : Kwun Tong Grit | Part 6 : Kwun Tong Grit Continued
Part 7 : Langham Place & Olympian City | Part 8 : Sham Shui Po Grit
Part 9 : Fun & Sun in Stanley | Part 10 : Cruise to Lamma Island
Part 11 : Downtown @ Night | Part 12 : Tai Hang Road - Rich & Poor
Part 13 : Hiking Lamma Island | Part 14 : Exploring Mongkok's Streets
Part 15 : A Bus Ride Through Kowloon | Part 16 : Repulse Bay - Beachside Living
Part 17 : Night-Time Bonanza | Part 18 : Hopewell Centre Top Floor
Part 19 : Wan Chai's Redevelopment Woes | Part 20 : A City of Contrasts
Part 21 : Streets on the Island | Part 22 : Sham Shui Po Ghetto & Street Life
Part 23 : Po Toi O Fishing Village | Part 24 : Skyline During Sunset
Part 25 : The Other Victoria Harbour | Part 26 : Cruising the Harbour
Part 27 : Sai Kung Seafood | Part 28 : Rich People's Views, Congested City
Part 29 : apm & Hillside Public Housing | Part 30 : Cheung Chau
Part 31 : The Peak | Part 32 : Beaches, Alleys, and Olympic Pride >
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