It's always nice to visit Hong Kong. My wife's sister lives there, so we always get the royal treatment. This is the view from the Hong Kong side looking to the Kowloon side.
My Hong Kong brother-in-law,Johnson Li, and I like to go on little photographic expeditions. Stanley Peak is always good for some moody shots.
Hong Kong is so developed and redeveloped, so over built, and so modernised that when one sees a vestige of the old days, an infrastructure relic, you are taken aback.
Of course the eating never stops: delicious suckling pig anyone? Yes, those ARE little red light bulbs in the eye sockets and, yes, they did blink on and off. A macabre touch, to say the least.
In addition to eating, there is the Hong Kong national pastime, shopping. The same luxury global brands are for sale in each and every mall . . . a kind of Shopping Hell!
But not everything is crass commercialism. Some tiny bits of "Old Hong Kong" can be seen here and there . . . like these old fishermen's houses at Stanley Market.
The old Stanley Market, near Repulse Bay, though touristy, is a nice change of pace from the Mega Malls.
Stanley Market is a real, working local markeet in addition to a tourist destination.
Many South Asian tourists find their way to Hong Kong, no doubt a holdover from British colonial days. The shops reflect the tastes of the visitors.
Beautiful and colorful Sari accouterments . . .
. . . and baubbles . . .
. . . and knock-off bags.
Around the back of Stanley Market one could purchase exact replicas of the famous Chinese terra-cotta warriors . . .
. . . already crated and ready for shipment, at a cost below what you could imagine. The proprietor said that the shipping would cost more than the warrior. I really wanted one for our garden. However, my nephew J Harper warned me, "Yeah, but I saw in a movie where they can come to life and cause all sorts of mayhem." I am forewarned.
I see these personal chops every time I go to Hong Kong but have yet to buy one.
It is very difficult to depict how Hong Kong really looks in photos. It is layered from the modern . . . .
. . . to the pre-modern, old order . . . .
. . . to the post-modern intertextual storiedspace.
For me, this photo, and the next, captures the look of the place best: poorly maintained late British colonial lowest bidder utilitarian architecture. This is Hong Kong.
The perfect photo for money and status obsessed Hong Kong: a Bentley and a Brinks truck. Money, Money, Money.
The spaces meant to lure you into purchasing events are numbing and anonymous: they could be anywhere on the planet. Yes, "The Information Is Provided."
Even where there is genuine, authentic heritage, they cannot contain the Branding Urge.
I liked the cute HK trolleys.
I especially liked the tax free camera shops.
Aesthetic backdrops, like this, were few and far between.
Although, once in a while, I was surprised.
Right across the street from the Hong Kong Art Museum (and harbour) is this vestige of colonial rule; an English military installation, since made into a modern, high end shopping complex and hotel/restaurant. Whoopie.
Johnson Li, my brother-in-law, and I had a good time covering the old installation.
We took some nice pictures of each other in various interestingly lit locations, like this . . . . .
. . . and this contemplative shot . . . . .
. . . and a few of each other photographing the nice gardens.
Ah, charming memories of the wicked, oppressive, cunning British Colonial Rule!
After basking in the magnificence of the old fort, we walked across the street to the Hong Kong Harbour - an unforgettable sight.
The old Chinese junk can still be seen in the harbour, but they are now only used for tourist excursions across the bay.
Memories of the even older days. Another example of the layering of history one feels in Hong Kong.
We walked along the harbour waterfront promenade to our lunch appointment.
The Hong Kong Junior Air Cadets (HKJAC) were sponsoring some kid of home-build air contraption competition for the kids . . and had decorated the park.
Right after I purchased my new camera and lens (!!!), Johnson happened to notice there was a sunset . . . we dashed out of the giant mall for me to take my last photo with my trusty old Canon 40D, along with about 50 other people with their new camera gear. We checked each other's lenses out on the sly.
Dr. Jeff Harper