Hong Kong is a magical place, especially at night when the neon lights come on. As if held by invisible hands the signs appear to float in mid-air advertising all manor of unknown things (to the foreign eye anyway). The light they give off creates a strange sort of artificial daylight to the streets below and for the most part they constitute the only street lighting. I could walk for hours here being drawn deeper into the narrow ravines between the decaying façades of shops and apartments memorized by this electric circus.
Neon signs are made from luminous glass tubes that contain neon or other inert gases at a low pressure. When a high voltage is applied it makes the gas glow brightly. Somewhere there must a statistic about the number of people electrocuted or killed when these things fall down as some look pretty rusty and precarious!
Hong Kong is a multi-layered city with walkways and platforms extending out at different levels above and below ground providing its 7 million citizens with access to the heart of the labyrinth or if you’re like me more likely getting lost in it. The MTR is particularly rabbit-warren like and you can end up walking miles underground.
Fans of the first Ghost in the Shell movie might notice stylistic similarities in the above shots as the film was set here (the TV Series moved it to Japan later on). I’m sure to back there in the next couple of months so if anyone know any other good places to see neon in Hong Kong I’d love to know.
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It’s no secret that I love system map design. There’s something intrinsically beautiful in being able to represent a complex network of lines, interchanges and stops in a simple map which just about anyone can easily follow. As I found out last weekend Hong Kong doesn’t have a huge metro system but it does have a very nice map which concisely represents both the lines and the land masses which it spans (encompassing two islands and soon to be connected to mainland China) as well as providing duel language labels (Cantonese and English).
It appears to be based on the same design principles as employed to create the original London Underground map but has so far avoided the pitfalls which have ruined its older counterpart. They seem to have found the perfect balance between providing not enough information and just enough.
If you like this sort of thing you may be interested to see that the 2002 classic “Atlas of Cyberspace” book which chronicled the history of visualisualisation and the design of maps which explored the digital landscape has now be released under a Creative Commons licence as a free PDF download. I remember first reading this book when I was at school and being fascinated by the amazing new world it depicted. Although some of the content is now a little dated it’s well worth a read, if only for the amazing pictures! [via]
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Continuing on from my previous posts here’s a collection of pseudo-random shots from my Hong Kong trip last weekend starting with a shot from the waterfront on the Avenue of Stars looking towards Hong Kong Island and the amazing vista of skyscrapers which line the shore. Later I’ll stitch all the photos together into a panorama. It’s quite a sureal sight for a newcomer to the city.
On the tram… they travel so close together you could almost reach out and shake the hand of the person in the one infront! Travelling by tram is a great way to see the island, costs next to nothing ($2 HKD per trip), and has a certain charm to it compared with the bus or MTR.
Weirdly enough there’s a whole market dedicated to the sale of goldfish on Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok. Presumably with such tight living space a goldfish makes a perfect pet!
Godzilla takes on a new appearance for the 21st Century in down town Admiralty, much more appealing!
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The first area I headed for in Hong Kong was Sheung Wan on the far north-western side of Hong Kong Island. It attracted my eye as being one the last remaining vestiges of “old Hong Kong” retaining a much older and chaotic character than the gleaming central district which neighbours it to the east.
Along with expensive antique shops the area also boasts many traditional retailers and three small temples, one dating back to the 18th Century (Man Mo Temple). Probably the most interesting shops can be found on Des Voeux Rd West which is lined with dried seafood outlets piled high with all sorts of strange smelling goods.
The area is best explored by foot although there are plenty of trams and buses along the main street. It took me a little over two hours to explore the area, following a suggested walking route in my guide book (Lonely Planet City Guide). For lunch I grabbed a simple meal at a small restaurant, I don’t remember the name but was cheap and delicious! One of the most convenient things about HK is that most people speak fairly good English and menu’s will often have duel languages.
Even though change is an inevitable fact in China hopefully Sheung Wan will survive a bit longer to continue life as a living museum and a thoroughly facinating place to enjoy.
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I just got back from a great weekend in Hong Kong. This was the breathtaking view I enjoyed from Victoria Peak last night looking out over the skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour beyond. I’ll post more in the next couple of days about where I went etc but sufficed to say I loved it! Even though it’s just an hour from Shenzhen, Hong Kong is a world away from China and the British influence is clearly still in evidence.
I’ve only just scratched the surface of what HK has to offer but I’m sure it will become my haven for times when I get fed up of China!!
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