All Over the Place: Skyscrapers and Soarers
Issue 27: Tsim Sha Tsui and Wetland Park
I’m continuing my revisit of my time in Hong Kong, and am again joined by my friend Alex for additional commentary. I have also removed a few photos from my original posts and replaced them with other, better photos I took around the same time.
Nighttime Skyline from Tsim Sha Tsui (originally published February 14, 2019)
Practically speaking, nearly anywhere people live in Hong Kong has a skyline due to the mammoth apartment buildings, but when most people think of Hong Kongʼs skyline they think of this:
This is just a part of the impressive skyline on Hong Kong Island, viewed from the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in Kowloon. From this vantage point, the entirety of the shoreline of the island is uninterrupted skyline.
My favorite skyscrapers would probably be Central Plaza (with glowing orange lights) and the Bank of China building (with glowing blue lights). Besides their somewhat unconventional shapes, they look like someone tried to reconstruct buildings from the Grid in Tron: Legacy in real life.
Curiously, the tallest building in Hong Kong (and currently 11th tallest in the world) is not in any of these pictures, as the 1,588 foot tall ICC is across the harbor in Kowloon, just west of where I took these pictures. (Adam: The ICC is now the 13th tallest in the world.)
The water at night almost looks like itʼs made of liquid mercury, and the lights on several of the skyscrapers flash on and off and change colors in a constant display. These skyscrapers have joined forces at 8:00 PM every night since 2004 for “A Symphony of Lights,” a somewhat underwhelming laser light display set to music. It feels a bit like a kindergarten dance recital, where some of the participants arenʼt really in sync with the others or even fully aware that theyʼre supposed to dance to the music.
Maybe the laser light show is secretly just a new way to mess with passing aircraft since the closure of the ridiculous Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon, which required pilots to fly between skyscrapers in order to land.
Thankfully, Hong Kong is now served by Hong Kong International Airport, located on Lantau Island. Lantau is also home to a statue of the worldʼs largest seated Buddha and over a thousand head of feral cattle. I wonder if any cows have ever gotten onto the runway?
Regardless, the view from Tsim Sha Tsui is fantastic.
Adam: In my opinion, Hong Kong, New York, and Wrocław have some of the best geographies of any cities I have been to. They all have major parts of the city on islands, with other landmasses nearby to give good views all around.
Besides the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, you can also get views from Victoria Peak, which is on Hong Kong Island looking towards Tsim Sha Tsui. I visited it a few weeks before leaving Hong Kong, as one of those “wait I realized that I haven’t been to this famous place yet and I won’t be here in a few weeks” visits. It’s nice, although it’s harder to get to than the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, which is conveniently accessible by multiple subway entrances.
Alex: Hong Kong has one of the best night views around the world as shown above. Most cities have a great night view, but the one in Hong Kong is exceptionally nice. Victoria Harbour has an important role. It reflects the lights on the skyscrapers. Rarely can you experience this in other cities. The view from Victoria Peak is also unforgettable. It’s stunning how close you are to all the skyscrapers when you’re on the 500m high hill.
Walking in a Winter Wetland (originally published February 21, 2019)
Hong Kong has a humid subtropical climate, meaning that while the summers are humid and hot, the winters are mild. It is currently late “winter” here, making it the perfect time for outdoor exploration, and Hong Kong Wetland Park is a lovely way of doing this.
Wetland Park is located in Tin Shui Wai, a new town (British English for suburb) in the northwestern New Territories near the land border with mainland China. Development began in 1987, and it continues into today, with a population approaching 300,000. Given that the area used to be gei wai ponds (traditional shrimp farms), the building of Tin Shui Wai would eliminate animal habitats, so the government constructed a wetland between Tin Shui Wai and a nearby protected area.
The park itself is magnificent. Itʼs quieter than a lot of other parks and park-like places in Hong Kong, and has fauna and flora galore.
The variety of environments means a variety of plant life, highlighted on the “Succession Walk.” Several species of fish live in the water, and a variety of birds live in the area or use it on their migrations. So far I have seen grey heron, black kite, osprey, and northern shoveler, and apparently peregrine falcons also use the area. Three bird blinds with mounted magnifiers add to the experience.
And while the avian diversity is impressive, my personal favorite residents are in the mangrove area. While the majority of the mangrove boardwalk is closed due to damage from Typhoon Mangkhut, some of the area is still open to the public. This is where the mudskippers live.
Mudskippers are a group of fish that more or less act like amphibians. They spend a good deal of time on the muddy shoreline, and have powerful pectoral fins that they use to move on land, usually at a slow crawl but occasionally in surprising bursts of speed. Their cheek pouches actually hold water so they can breathe while on land, a sort of reverse snorkel. They are bizarre and fascinating to watch.
Near the entrance of the park you can see Tin Shui Wai and evidence of its continuing construction. And in other areas of the park, you can see the mainland metropolis of Shenzhen, with a resident population of over 12 million. So while I canʼt see Russia from my dorm, I can see China from Wetland Park.
And I havenʼt even mentioned the very modern and impressive visitor center, which includes a childrenʼs play area, educational activities, a restaurant, a miniature zoo, a gift shop, large windows for viewing wildlife, and a crocodile named Pui Pui.
While admission is charged, itʼs incredibly low. One-day adult admission is $30 HKD (under $4 USD), but a six-month student membership (which I have) is only $25 HKD.
Adam: When I’m abroad, I always try to go somewhere if I have a day off, but there are some days where a repeat visit to a relaxing place nearby allows me to feel like I’ve done something with my day while not wearing myself out. When in Hong Kong, Wetland Park was that place, and I went there several times. Equivalent places would be the Palmiarnia when I taught in Gliwice and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge when I worked in Maryland.
Hong Kong Wetland Park’s large bird blinds have sighting scopes in them, which make for a makeshift sort of telephoto zoom if you put your camera up to them.
Alex: Wetland Park is definitely a good place to explore the natural side of Hong Kong. It’s close to the mouth of Zhujiang (the Pearl River), so the landscape is quite unique. Next to Wetland Park is Mai Po Natural Reserve. It’s less touristy because the only way to visit the Mai Po is to join one of their programmes. Most of the programmes are in Cantonese, but there are some English programmes too. For instance, you can join the overnight experience and witness the sunset and wildlife in Mai Po or simply attend the boardwalk adventure and enjoy all the surrounding mangroves. I was lucky to visit Mai Po on a high school geography field trip and learned a lot about wetlands. I definitely recommend visiting Mai Po if you’re interested in nature and it works with your schedule.