# Hong Kong During the Coronavirus Outbreak



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

A great way to escape the city is to enjoy one of the many islands that make up the city by boat. A yacht can actually be quite affordable if you know where to look, although parking and maintenance fees do add up. The salt water is not too good for the boats while gas is quite pricey for a day's outing.



































































































































































More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Sailing Sai Kung's Waters


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

With life getting back to normal, crowds have begun appearing again. The latest faze is a sunflower field in an otherwise obscure location deep in suburbia that is closer to Shenzhen than Hong Kong's core. The farm owners are quite enterprising, charging a modest admission, creating simple paths and arranging the plants to make them look good in photos. They even offer sunflower stalks for visitors to borrow to make that perfect selfie.









































































More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - San Tin Sunflower Farm


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Despite the 30C+ heat, it is still worth hiking in the summer heat as the skies are more crisp and clear with southerly winds. This hike on Tsing Yi island is short but the views are very rewarding.





































For air-conditioned comfort, many have booked fancy hotels for staycations as rates have fallen. Some hotels even bundle meal deals with the tourist traffic gone. This hotel in Mongkok offers a rooftop pool and nice views of the concrete jungle. They're a bit far from the harbour and not tall enough for a spectacular skyline view though. 


















































































More photos on my website : here


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Supporting our local unique shops has been an important slogan during the virus slump. Mongkok's Fa Yuen Street market is a good place to find these in an open-air setting. One venerable shop is a bakery selling traditional eats for over 30 years. 








































































































































More photos on my website.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

With the third wave under way, everyone is back on edge and hand sanitizer is a common sight in malls, apartment entrances, and workplaces. I noticed a dispenser was also installed near the bottom of the Midlevels escalator.










Despite the renewed threat, the bus spotting crowd was out in action when Citybus inaugurated a few special livery buses last weekend. They are quite organized and well aware where the buses they want to photograph are on the route. Follow them, and you won't be disappointed.




























Sunday is the typical rest day for our domestic workers, many of whom come from the Philippines and Indonesia. With social distancing laws in place, only groups of maximum 2 are allowed. However, that wasn't the case in Central, where many of these workers congregate on Sunday and a few streets are closed off specially for them. While the police were quick to arrest pro-democracy protesters, they were far more lenient on the domestic worker groups with only leaflets and a sign.




























This summer's weather has so far been quite pleasant with many weeks of blue skies and temperatures haven't been extreme. There hasn't been much typhoon activity in our part of the South China Sea as well.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Hong Kong


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

With foreign travel off the itinerary for much of this year, the scramble for local tourism has yielded some interesting surprises. Many have booked luxury hotels for staycations, and there is no shortage of these trip reports on Youtube. I decided to head to 2 of the city's longest bridges for a more unique vantage point. 

With a span of 1018m, Stonecutters Bridge opened in 2009 at the entrance of the Rambler Channel and container port. It offers a spectacular view of the skyline from the vehicle deck but it looks great at the base as well.



















The western end of the bridge is on Tsing Yi Island. Despite its skyline views, this section of the island is mostly industrial. What a waste.














































You can see a steady stream of large container ships come into port set against the city's 2 tallest buildings.










You don't have to worry about crowds or social distancing here. There were only a sprinkle of fishermen along the breakwater. 










Not too far away, it is possible to walk underneath another major bridge. Lido Beach is just next to the Ting Kau Bridge and there is a park next door that goes right underneath it.



















Although there are lifeguards on duty, theoretically the beach has closed due to the virus.



















The perpendicular bridge on the other side is the Tsing Ma, the world's longest suspension bridge for both cars and trains at the time it opened with the new airport project back in the 1990s.










More photos on my website : Hong Kong's Longest Bridges Photo Gallery


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Once again great, very nice photos


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Looking at the crowds, it didn't seem like we were in the third wave. The Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market opened in 1913 and continues to process about half of the city's fruit supply. Once an unsafe slum where triads fought for territory, today's fruit market is busy at night when wholesalers are at work, and a retail paradise during the day when rich folks with deep pockets want to try some exotic fares from afar. 






















































































































Taiwan's 8424 watermelon has become famous in recent years.










I tried pitahaya for the first time in Colombia a few years ago. They are fairly common in supermarkets and wet markets nowadays and supplies don't appear to be seasonal.










Japanese premium grapes don't come cheap. The bottom ones cost about USD$18 a pack and the row about them $40.




























More photos on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once again from Hong Kong


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Online shopping is making inroads in our part of the world although the traditional bricks and mortars mall still attracts crowds. This is because we live in small confined spaces. A family of 3 plus a maid have to fit into a 450 square foot apartment, so it's not great to stuff everyone within the walls after work, school, and on weekends. With convenient retail just downstairs, you don't even need an umbrella to access the restaurants, shops, and air-conditioned comfort. The mall has become part of our everyday lifestyle, an extended community space.

That's why the crowds came when the newest big mall in the city opened recently in LOHAS Park, a desolate enclave of reclaimed land in the eastern end of the city. There are harbour views, although a steady stream of garbage trucks rumble through to the nearby landfill. The first residents moved in a decade ago, but they haven't had a proper mall until now. Well, they're actually a subway stop or two away from the rest of the district, so by no means are they isolated. But by HK standards, this is an inconvenient area.








































































































































Outside, construction continues with many housing developments in the area.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Hong Kong


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Before the new airport opened, Lantau was a quiet and empty island and the Mui Wo area was once home to 6 villages during the 19th century. Silver mining was the main activity here although only an abandoned and boarded-up cave remains today.
































































The old silver mine closed in the 1890s.














































Heading back into town, public housing blocks line the street south of River Silver. While they don't look that tall by Hong Kong standards, this is a lowrise town after all so they look a bit out of place.



















Continuing down the boardwalk towards the pier, you won't miss the Cooked Food Market, which has an outdoor dining section facing the bay. Enjoy a meal of traditional seafood and Chinese dishes here while soaking up the views.



















More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Mui Wo


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Fenwick Pier was originally a private wharf was built on Johnston Road for a steel factory. As reclamation continued, it moved twice and in 1970, the pier reached the current site. With the coast moving further north, the pier stopped receiving ships in 2011 and is now landlocked.

The Servicemen's Guides Association, a non-profit organization, provides a number of facilities within the building to serve sailors visiting the city, including money changers, shops, and an information booth. Americans were the largest source of visitors, although sailors from 13 other countries also passed through from 2001 to 2010.

Since the pier became landlocked, sailors now land further west and this site has become quiet, an oddity stuck in time near the city's most modern skyscrapers. The government has decided to redevelop the site for a fire station and has no plans to relocate the pier elsewhere. Time is running out for this building.


































































































































































































































More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Wanchai Fenwick Pier


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates once again


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Several high-profile hiking routes take you up the hills east of Shatin and down to Sai Kung. This moderately-difficult 7km journey from Wong Nai Tau to Pak Sha Wan crosses 2 major peaks, West Buffalo Hill (604m) and Buffalo Hill (606m), offering incredible views in all directions. On a clear day, you can even spot Hong Kong Island, Tseung Kwan O, and Nina Tower in Tsuen Wan, since Buffalo Hill is even taller than Lion Rock further south.






























































































































































































More on my website : Hong Kong Hiking Gallery - Shatin to Sai Kung via Buffalo Hill


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Nestled along the hillside on the way up Tai Mo Shan, Kwong Pan Tin is not just the typical lowrise squatter village of uninspiring concrete and metal shacks. Volunteers, including children and their parents, worked with villagers to beautify the village with plenty of colour. The various artworks on the buildings and public infrastructure reflected the village economy and customs, including the big pineapples that once were plentiful here.








































































































































More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Kwong Pan Tin


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

The 1400-seat Empire Theatre opened in 1952 and was later renamed State Theatre in 1959. It hosted top international musicians but a rising middle class in the 1970s prompted other forms of entertainment to rise. The theatre suffered a fire in 1995 and closed for good in 1997, only to reopen 2 years later as a snooker parlour. Since then, it has been featured on the news repeatedly under fears of demolition, only to become a Grade 1 historic building in 2016.

Local property developer New World Development has purchased the site, which includes the theatre, shopping mall, and residential tower, and has pledged to preserve its history.
































































With dark abandoned corridors and empty shopfronts, the site has attracted explorers and historians who recalled far better days when this shopping mall was the place to be seen.

















































































































































Only 1 of the south tower's 2 elevators are operational to access the residential floors above. Strangely, the 4th floor is always selected and the elevator will always stop there on the way up or down. Most residents have already moved out and their units barricaded. I went up to the 9th floor to see the theatre's unique roof arches.



















More on my website : North Point's State Theatre


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

A walk around Choi Wan Estate is a step back in time. This public housing complex dates from the late 1970s and is a self-contained community centred around a simple mall, bus terminus, and covered walkways to protect residents from the elements.








































































































































Some of these blocks have hollow interiors to improve ventilation. Residents can open their doors and windows and let the draft in, cooling their units during the hot and humid summers.




























More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Living in Wong Tai Sin


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

A new 300m section of waterfront promenade opened along Wanchai's extended coastline on Christmas Eve. Located east of the relocated Wan Chai Star Ferry pier and the bus terminus, it is still surrounded by construction and there is not a single tree in sight.









































































More on my website : Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Wanchai's New Waterfront


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