28 of my Favourite Hong Kong Images

28 Apr

Volume 1 - Images taken by me Jamie

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Me Jamie, English and 52 years living in Hong Kong and I know the know the place - I personally completed 2,324 Private Tours (6,000+ guests) from 2011 - 2020 and was considered one of the finest Private Tour Guides in Asia.

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Discover the Real Hong Kong with Jamie

28 of my Favourite Hong Kong Images

I have taken a lot of pictures in the past 10 years 2014 - 2024, the miracle of having a world class professional digital camera at my fingertips.

I am blessed with just a little bit of skill at taking photographs (specialising in cars and trucks) I let the camera do the work and quite often I have the knack of simply being in the right place at the right time, if you are not on the streets with the camera in your hand then the opportunities for taking a great image rapidly diminishes.

I am not a fan of smart phone camera’s, the image quality sucks in relation to my 35mm full frame Carl Zeiss Lens, but that’s just me, a smart phone image looks great on a smartphone after been manipulated by a hundred filters on Instagram, to me that is not proper photography - don’t mind me and my superior attitude, I was using a full frame Hasselblad camera when I was 14 years old and almost became a professional photographer but I decided I was not anywhere near as good as I thought I was and that was that - our youngest son Jack is a much better photographer than me!

I was lamenting today to my friends that Hong Kong is introducing new light and drone shows in Hong Kong in an effort to boost tourism and all I could say was “great, 500,000 people uploading exactly the same video and images of the event to Instagram, Facebook, X and Tik Tok”

It is I admit awesome that so many people have discovered photography in this social media age, I just wish there was a bit more thought put into the image or video and just maybe technology will further narrow the gap between the smartphone and a proper camera!

..oh and at least by posting my images on my own blog I am not really competing for attention with 500,000 people!

Volume 1, 28 images starts now and as usual the order is totally random.

**Pure Gold Mickey Mouse Statue**
Oh gosh.
Pure 24k Gold Mickey Mouse | 23.2lbs (10.53kg) of gold **US$791,160+** | Chow Tai Fook, Jewellery Retailer
The price of gold has soared quite I bit since this statue was put on display and it was a major attention grabber. It was in a display cabinet on the ground floor of Chow Tai Fook in ISquare Mall at the junction of Peking Road and Nathan Road in TST, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
The company sells a lot of Disney Jewellery and as of 2024 I believe you can still view the statue on the 1st floor level of the shop, there is a large area exclusively for Disney Jewellery, it is hard to get in and I have also heard they do not like people taking photographs.. oh well, at least I got the shot and for a couple of years people who saw it just could not believe their eyes.

**Rolls Royce belonging to Cecil Chao with the licence plate 4**
So I have in the past written about Cecil Chao a Hong Kong Billionaire, Mr. Chao is the proud owner of this fabulous car, the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe with that much talked about licence plate.
**4 = death**
Chinese people in Hong Kong are very superstitious about numbers and they go to great lengths to avoid this number (virtually every building in Hong Kong is missing a 4th, 14th, 24th, 34th and 44th floor) and that’s not the half of it.
So this begs the question, why this number? it does not even appear on the list for the most expensive car number plates in Hong Kong that I compiled, probably because no one else made a bid, when you think that the **number plate 9 sold for US$1,666,666** you know he got a bargain.
I did a bit of research and checked with some reliable sources, apparently in Northern China for some people the number 4 translates to happiness in life which is considered very lucky in most places (!) and yes, you have guessed it, Mr. Chao is from Shanghai in China., to me is all sounds a bit strange given the vast majority of people in China like Hong Kongers think that 4 means death! but who I am to argue?.
You just have to love the complex culture in Hong Kong.

**The Damned, 2017 Hong Kong Tour**
The Damned in Hong Kong, Hotel Icon, 3 of the group
I just happened to be in the Hotel Icon at the exact time they were leaving, I recognised them from some images in the press and being me I started chatting to them… as you all know they are an iconic 1970’s punk rock band from the UK.
… and again me being me asked them to pose for a photograph and they obliged, super nice chaps I have to say and gosh, the guy in the bluish jacket has the stage name of Monty Oxymoron!!
Way to go guys!

**The Golden Orb spider Hong Kong**
Oh yes… I have a thing about spiders and have spent a lot of time in our Hong Kong summers tracking them down to take images of them, I am totally fascinated by the Golden Orb spider.
This was a particularly large one about 80% of the size of my hand and as my camera does not have a zoom lens I had to get very close, I have no problem with them, they can give you a bit of a nip but I always think it is the size of the bloody things that gives you the nightmares.
Kids love them, parents hate them and at Victoria Peak, they are everywhere but very, very hard to spot and what you can’t see………..

**PLA (Chinese Army) Troops returning to Barracks in Hong Kong.**
Not exactly a common sight and somehow their battle hardness is diminished by them all wearing masks (Covid times)
I was doing car and truck photography at one of my key spots, the middle of the road at the junction of Jordan Road and Nathan Road in Kowloon and in one fluid motion I took the shot, I was given the beady eye by one of the soldiers and yes, they all had rifles!

**Hong Kong Street Market - I would look like that after gutting fish for 40 years**
I felt really sorry for the fishmonger, he just looked so weary and you have to admire someone who has the fortitude to kill and gut large fish all day, every day.
A helluva job - think Dirty Jobs on steroids.

**The Lobby Bathroom at the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong**
I thought I knew bathrooms having been in every nice 4 and 5 star Hotel in Hong Kong but I was totally blown away by the ones in the Rosewood Hotel Hong Kong at Lobby Level.
As a Private Tour Guide in Hong Kong I have to know where the great bathrooms are in every district and I do actually plan to stop for 2 bathroom breaks on every experience I lead, one on Hong Kong Island and one in Kowloon
There is nothing worse than ending up in a dodgy public toilet with a wet floor, a smell that would make an elephant gag, no toilet paper and a hole in the floor that has not been flushed… to be fair, the Hong Kong Government has implemented a plan to upgrade all public facilities in the next few years (and is going to plan I might add) but even then I would always recommend a fancy hotel or mall.
The two hotels I generally use are:
The Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Hong Kong Island
Both get a 7 / 10 on my bathroom scale and actually visiting these hotels is generally what I do anyway, particularly the Peninsula Hotel….
So why 7 / 10 and not 10 /10 ?
I do not like attendants, they simply give me the creeps and they hover behind you with a hand towel and expectation of a tip!
even worse, a totally silent bathroom where every plop, belch, spit, fart, liquid stream, phone conversation and zip pull is magnified! why can’t they pipe in some jazz music or similar?
the posh hotels skimp on toilet paper, my favoured brand is Andrex, but posh hotels can be really tight fisted and a lot of them use really thin paper that simply falls apart…. yuck, this is one area they should not skimp on.
they also skimp on flushing water, I am from Yorkshire in England and naturally produce industrial strength waste material which refuses to budge with the equivalent of half a cup of water so you end up spending 20 minutes trying to flush, most of that is spent waving at the bloody magic flushing eye on the wall to no avail
hand motion activated taps and soap dispensers - aaaaaaaggggghhhhh
and the cubicles are very small, getting in and out through the door can be tough for a fat git such as myself
Perhaps I have the English bathroom phobia? I do think going to the bathroom is a very private thing and I have standards!
I digress, I need to get back on subject.
Some time ago I picked up a guest from the newly opened (ish) Rosewood Hotel, as usual I was early, I am already very familiar with the rooms and the facilities so I decided to use the bathroom off the lobby and by golly gosh was I impressed, the image does not do the bathroom justice, it was simply magnificent and not a soul in sight!, there was no music and thankfully no attendant but they score top marks on everything else so a solid 9 /10… I mean proper taps that you twist!
The downside, well us Private Tour Guides like convenience, the Rosewood requires a lot of effort to walk to and it is a bloody challenge just getting into the Hotel but I get the feeling that they do not like the idea of people walking into the Hotel to use the bathrooms, The Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental are very well established and are *busy,* so they have no issues and both hotels require the minimum of effort to get too.
Anyway, if Hotel Managers are reading this blog ( and pigs might fly! ) get yourself to the Rosewood, read my comments above and do something about it.
..oh and an honourable mention must go to the men’s bathrooms in the main upstairs lobby of the Sheraton hotel, lovely, just lovely but let down by awful toilet paper and claustrophobic cubicles
.. and whilst I remember, the bathrooms in the Ritz Carlton Hotel .. luxurious but you have to be a bloody contortionist to get into the cubicles….

**The Noon Day Gun - Lot No. 1, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong**
A fabulous Hong Kong tradition and yes, my gun is bigger than yours.
The Noon Day Gun | Something Special
Hong Kong was a British Colony for 156 years from 1841 to 1997 and as a long time resident I still enjoy visiting “things” established in the British Colonial era and why not!
The Noon Day Gun by Atlas Obscura
The article above gives the history of the tradition.
One thing that is not very clear is exactly when Jardine Matheson started firing the original gun (s) - I have yet to find a concise date, however it must have been in the mid 1840’s as the company was well and truly established by then and had warehouses and offices in, on and around the site of the Noon Day Gun and the now demolished Excelsior Hotel over the road., the are was called East Point and East Point Road is next to the Hotel.
The ritual of firing the gun daily was established in the early 1860’s and continues to this day.
On an average day there are perhaps 25 - 35 people attending the ceremony ( it is a difficult place to find ) which frankly is not that many but boy do they enjoy the whole spectacle and me telling you the gun is loud does not really prepare you!
I do love this attraction.
… oh by the way, the gun is a 3lb gun, this replaced a 6lb gun to reduce the noise! for those that are interested, the 6lb gun is outside the FWD House 1881 Hotel at 1881 Heritage in TST, Kowloon.

**Kingdom of Morocco House, 60 Peak Road, Victoria Peak, Hong Kong**
I could absolutely live here, what a gorgeous house.
I have stood outside this house a few times over the years much to the angst of the security guard | rent-a-cop in the booth just to admire the size and beauty and to day dream about me and the wife living here, I mean all of that space!
This is the magnificent house at 60 Peak Road, Victoria Peak, Hong Kong with a quite fabulous driveway and the house is not to shabby either! I cannot find any information on how much the house is valued at but at a guess, this is at least a **US$175 million to US$200 million house.**

There is a lovely sign on the gate as the house is listed as the address for the Honorary Consul of Morocco, the King of Morocco has been to Hong Kong recently so there is speculation that he is the owner of the house, however the chap that lives there is a very powerful and well connected and obviously very wealthy Hong Kong Chinese Businessman, so I believe he is the owner!

No matter who owns the house, it is really quite magnificent.

**Jaw Dropping panoramic views in Hong Kong**
For 15 years now I have looked at this view from our apartment, looking across to the Airport Bridge, Lantau Island and Hong Kong Island in the far distance.
Amazing

**The Peninsula Hotel Classic Rolls Royce Phantom, licence plate 327**
What a gorgeous car and sometimes (and I do mean sometimes) it is parked outside the main entrance of the Peninsula Hotel.
We can thank Sir Michael Kadoorie, Chairman of Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels for this treat, he does love Rolls Royce the brand and has quite the collection both for Peninsula Hotel guest use and his own personal use.

**Government Tourism Policy at it’s worst - Victoria Peak Hong Kong 2019**
Going forward to 2024 and fortunately these chaotic scenes have not yet materialised but it is just a matter of time. Hong Kong had **60 million tourists** visit in 2018 with 80% coming from Mainland China, by contrast we had **16.5 million tourists** in 2002, because of SARS in 2003 tourism numbers plummeted and in order to bring back tourists the Hong Kong Government asked the Mainland Chinese Government to drop restrictions on people coming from Mainland China to Hong Kong and it just got out of control in 2018
Victoria Peak in Hong Kong is the most popular place for tourists to visit and our guests from Mainland China, well they want to see it as well and this is what happens.
The Government was naturally concerned about the optics here but there is not much they can do and again in 2024 they are asking the Mainland Chinese Government to send us more tourists……. to get us back to pre Covid levels.

**The Hong Kong Tram - Hong Kong Island Only**
A cultural icon if ever there was one
**Iconic Hong Kong Double Decker Street Tram | Car | Trolley**
These iconic trams have been going now for 120 years having arrived to much fanfare on the streets of Hong Kong in 1904.
Funny, I have never really fallen in love with these trams, most of them do not have air conditioners, they tend to be very crowded and very and it can be a real challenge just getting on and off as they are so narrow but they are very cheap and like a lot of Hong Kong people I use them to go just 2 or 3 stops when I simply cannot be bothered walking.
I have done the entire route from East to West 3 times (on my own), interesting but not something I would really consider doing on a regular basis.
If you are going a long distance on Hong Kong Island then I always take the MTR (Subway) as it is an awful lot quicker.
I am actually more interested in the advertising, they are the perfect mobile advertising platform and some of the designs are fabulous, like the one in the image and on a cool winters day outside of rush hour I have been known to sit on the top deck and just watch the world go by, slowly.
My one teeth gnashing moment with these iconic trams is when people call them the **Ding Ding Trams** ( to get people etc off the tracks, the driver rings a bell, that goes ding ding) it just sends me nuts… it is a Hong Kong thing to cartoonise lots of things and says things in the manner of how a 5 year old would talk, it is a tram and that’s that and yes I am old curmudgeon… it is like the names they give to the 2 bronze inanimate bronze lions outside of HSBC, I mean why?? and it is also like those fruit cakes on National Geographic, in 2020 they were advertising a programme about a Penguin called Steve! I mean why would you call a real penguin Steve??
… and for God’s sake do not get me started on the stupid childish mascots used by every Government Department including the Police Force and Fire Services Department, serious departments with dumb mascots.
like I said an old curmudgeon. and don’t mind me, it is the quirky side of Hong Kong Culture.

**A murky sunset, Victoria Harbour Hong Kong**
Yes, the right place at the right time, early evening with a Star Ferry in Victoria Harbour with Hong Kong Island in the background with the early evening haze adding to the dramatic effect.

**The Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Hong Kong**
In this image taken prior to the restaurant leaving Aberdeen Harbour for the last time, the Jumbo Restaurant is in the background.
Strange and weird do not even come close to describing this Hong Kong Icon and it gained worldwide attention in 2022
We all know that in 2022 due to Covid the restaurant closed down (despite many attempts to save it because of it’s iconic status) and it was sold apparently to a mystery buyer and sent on a journey to Cambodia (next to Thailand) in South East Asia.
Long story short, this was not a vessel that was seaworthy in any shape or form particularly for a long journey in the turbulent South China Sea and it sank on a reef a few days into it’s journey and apparently is still there snagged upside down on the reef.
For 2 years now there has been a total news blackout about the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, no one seems to know anything which I guess just adds to the legend.
In the foreground is the **Tai Pak Floating Restaurant** which was joined at the hip to the Jumbo and which will hopefully reopen for business (it is being renovated) in late 2024 or early 2025 assuming it does sink in Aberdeen Harbour - we await it’s comeback with bated breath and hopefully we will have once again an iconic floating restaurant.

**The City of Victoria 1903 Boundary Stone at Hatton Road Hong Kong**
**The City of Victoria, Hong Kong's forgotten past**
I am a very conflicted individual, I love old Hong Kong but there are simply not enough hours in the day to absorb all the information available online about Hong Kong in the 1840’s and leading up to the early 1900’s.
Unlike my friends Bill (who is an expert on the City of Victoria) and Jason (who writes books about Hong Kong), I am a not specialist, specialist, I have a good general knowledge of old Hong Kong but I could not give a 2 hour lecture, I am not an academic in any shape or form and I do my best to keep it short and sweet so as not to bore people too much.
Anyway, I was trawling through my images of the Peak (or Victoria Peak as visitors like to call it) and I came across this picture I had taken a few years ago and remarkably it had a couple of thousand views on my **FLICKR** site which produced my normal reaction “eh?” and a scratch of my head.
So I went to the great GOOGLE in the sky and did a bit of history research, I knew about the boundary stones but nothing else.
In a nutshell, I am pretty sure that in the legal books here in some musty basement in a Government Office there is a reference to the **City of Victoria** or **Victoria City** which came into being presumably after late January 1841 when Hong Kong started to function as a British Colony, so think if it as the Capital of Hong Kong and yes, I am pretty sure it is still a legal definition in place.
Basically the City of Victoria covered a large swathe of land going east and west away from the Central Business District…. anyway to cut a very, very long story short **6 or 7 or possibly 8** concrete boundary stones were embedded into the ground in **1903** to define the city boundary and again, logically speaking, as they have not been removed it suggests that the boundary and therefore the term City of Victoria still exists.
I have taken pictures of 2 of the boundary stones without fully realising the very interesting history behind them so one of my new quests (queue number # 39,888) will be to take pictures of the ones I do not have because that is the sort of brain I have.
There is also a dark side to the boundary stone story, this was the **Peak District Reservation Ordinance,** which came into law in **1904** and ended in **1947**, this effectively legalised the segregation of Chinese residents from Foreigners (White people) which had tacitly been in place since **1841,** the Ordinance banned Chinese people from living at the Peak but actually they were banned from living above the boundary stones that had been put in place in 1903 for the City of Victoria.
As mentioned this had been the case since 1841 although it has been suggested that the Chinese population simply could not afford to purchase land leases at higher elevation, it should also be pointed out that Eurasian residents had to get permission from the Governor to live at Victoria Peak!
Whenever I come across stuff like this I just wish I could **time travel**, I would love to see Hong Kong in 1903 and experience all of this.

**The Lugard Road Lookout, Victoria Peak Hong Kong**
Also known as Jamie’s spot at the Peak.
I would suggest that this is the greatest Instagram spot in Hong Kong.
I will keep this short and sweet, it is the greatest city view in the world and please do click on the link below, it is very comprehensive and it is for those visitors that do not want to do a Private Tour or Private Experience.

Learn more | The Lugard Road Lookout at Victoria Peak - How to get to guide

**The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong Room 336**
This is Room 336 of the Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong and very important at that.... there is not exactly a lot of stories about Room 336 and no, it is not about ghosts or demons terrorising guests.
Over its long history The Peninsula has been the scene of many historic events.
In Room 336, the documents representing the surrender of Hong Kong to the Japanese were signed on Christmas Day, 1941 by General C. M. Maltby and Sir Mark Young, the Governor of Hong Kong.
It is a shame that there isn't a brass plaque on the wall to mention this, I imagine this is so it does not annoy any Japanese guests.... and yes, I took the picture and yes I fully understand the Hotels reluctance to publicise this story.

**The sad lady on the MTR (Subway) in Hong Kong**
I have never quite understood why this is one of my most “liked” images, at a guess is because the young lady just looks so sad.
It was one of those moments when a subject who was looking away from me turned their head at the exact moment I clicked and I am always asked if I know her, NO I do not, just a random encounter on the subway.

**The NEW Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island Hong Kong**
The Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island is right next door to the Big Buddha
This new one as pictured opened in 2014
It is 5 minutes walk from the base of the Big Buddha and for me it is one of the wonders of the world and like the Big Buddha, pictures do simply not do the place justice, you simply have to walk in and utter a few colourful phrases.. it is a real jaw dropper.
They do state that no photography is allowed but trust me it is, I just take the images from the doorway which IS allowed.
Be aware that there are two Po Lin Monasteries, the one in the image is the new one and is behind the old one... make sure you visit both.

**The Aqua Luna Junk in Victoria Harbour looking across to Hong Kong Island**
The planets aligned on this one and another perfect example of being in the right place at the right time., in another 30 seconds the junk would have vanished behind a pier.
Is this not one of the most magnificent views in the World?

**King Yin Lei Mansion, 45 Stubbs Road heading up to Victoria Peak**
From the late 1930's this house is rather unique in Hong Kong as you can imagine. It used to be a private family home and is now owned by the Hong Kong Government who open it a couple of times a year (by ballot) so the riff raff can pay it a visit.
Given the money the Government spent on restoring the house it should be open to the public every day but lack of parking facilities make it impossible as it is on a very busy main road leading up the the Peak.
Such a shame as it is absolutely magnificent.
**Taken from the Antiquities and Monuments Office and credit to them**
King Yin Lei reflects the excellence of design and construction in both Chinese and Western architecture in Hong Kong, which is a rarity in Hong Kong as well as an outstanding work of art.
Originally named ‘Hei Lo’, the building was designed by the architectural office of A.R.F. Raven and built in around 1937 for Mrs Shum Li Po-lun, the first owner, whose husband, Shum Yat-chor, was a notable merchant and philanthropist in Xinhui in Guangdong. The residence was sold in 1978 to Yeo (Yow) Chei-man and his son Yow Mok-shing, who renamed it ‘King Yin Lei’.
The building is an important landmark in the historical development of Hong Kong. As one of the luxury historic houses located on the hillside of Hong Kong Island, the building not only bears witness to the growing wealth and rising status of the Chinese community before the Second World War, but also represents an earlier phase of Hong Kong history in which a Chinese upper-class residential area took shape in Mid-Levels.
The façade of the building is a popular spot for visitors to take photographs in front of, while its social value also lies in the role it has played in Hong Kong’s entertainment industry and film heritage: the mansion has featured in several internationally renowned productions, including Soldier of Fortune (1955), and the local television series Delightful Dream of the Capital (1980). All of this reflects the beautifully scenic character of the site.
The building was sold to a new owner in August 2007, and work to remove the roof tiles, stone features and window frames was noticed on the site in early September 2007. Full restoration of Kin Yin Lei commenced in September 2008 and was completed in December 2010.
King Yin Lei was declared a monument in 2008.

**The Shanghai Boy at the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong**
The day I met a reputed Triad Boss
I should point out that the chap in the white suit with the 3 heavies in black is | was a famous “reputed gangster” in Hong Kong and is known as the Shanghai Boy and is always in need of the deities wisdom to help with his ongoing legal troubles, nice chap, came over and we shook hands
My guest was dumbfounded at shaking hands with the Shanghai Boy
Just one of those moments in time when the planets align.
Last I heard was he was arrested on returning to Hong Kong in 2020 after catching Covid, he has been on the run overseas, presumably he is in Jail but you never know…………………

**Pagani Zonda Absolute - IFI**
A custom car costing between US$3 - US$4 Million
One of the highlights of my car spotting career, taken outside the Hong Kong Country Club on the south side of Hong Kong Island, I heard it long before I saw it, again, yet another example of being in the right place at the right time.

**The Golden Koi at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island.**
I swear that those scales were metallic gold and for luck I touched it as it swam by, it did not seem to mind at all
I am not an expert on fish or show fish or Koi Carp but this might have a GinRin classification for Koi because of those gold reflective scales.

**Glamorous and quite gorgeous models at the Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong**
Oh golly
I quite often sit in the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel doing a spot of people watching and on this day, the planets aligned in 280,000 alternate Universes.
These young ladies were models, dressed up to the nines heading out for a photo shoot, I had already asked the chap in the suit outside.
For me it was like time stood still as I gawked.

**The Greatest City View in the World by night at Victoria Peak**
Jamie’s spot at the Peak aka the Lugard Road Lookout
When the weather gods oblige, I am lost for words no matter how many times I have seen it

**The Greatest City View in the World by day at Victoria Peak**
Jamie’s spot at the Peak aka the Lugard Road Lookout
When the weather gods oblige, I am lost for words no matter how many times I have seen it

Learn more | This is a list of the best Private Tour Guides in Hong Kong that I have prepared, please feel free to contact them directly - they are amazing

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