When developers in the People’s Republic of China revealed their replica of the Austrian town of Hallstatt [Wikipedia] they got a lot of attention [Spiegel International] [Reuters] [China Daily], from abroad at least. The act reaffirmed common stereotypes, ranging from Chinese being notorious copycats, their love for kitsch and gigantomania. What made it worse is that Europeans generally have an inexplicable pride for their national treasures, while at the same time being a little bit insecure about whether they should be. After all, many of these places have been created hundreds of years ago.
Category Archives: Architecture
福昌樓 Fook Cheong Building, 鰂魚涌 Quarry Bay
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This gallery contains 15 photos.
Related to my recent post on density, I went to explore this great building in Quarry Bay. It lies south of King’s Road at the corner with Yau Man Street. I havn’t found much about that building, any pointers are … Continue reading
On Population Density
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Visitors to the Fragrant Harbor are not unusually stunned by the large skyscrapers jostling along a tiny strip of land north of a massive rock covered in thick forests. What people usually see of Kowloon is the tiny and busy streets of 油尖旺 Tsim Yau Mong, the area compromising everything between TST and Prince Edward. It seems that Hong Kong must be the most crowded place on earth, and collapse bound to happen. This impression, however is wrong,
Overnight Getaway – The Concrete Forts of 開平 Kaiping
On the other side of the Pearl River Delta lies a place that tells remarkable stories about American-Chinese immigration, dreams of trade and entrepreneurship and the desire to be accepted. It is just a short trip away from Hong Kong and will leave you plenty of opportunities to enjoy your calm green short trip that you so much deserve.
Hong Kong Police Stations
Heritage conservation isn’t exactly what Hong Kong is known for. There are 101 declared monuments in Hong Kong, which also include many pre-historic sites like rock carvings, stone circles and walls.
Is it Legal?
The blog Big Lychee sums it up here here and here: If you don’t have an illegal structure in your home, there is something wrong with you. Maybe you have something to hide that you go through the painful and impossible process to legalize your amendments? Maybe you prepare for the long and slimy process of becoming Chief Executive Looter? Maybe you don’t actually live in Hong Kong, but bought your estate just for money laundering?
There is something seriously wrong with the way Hong Kong handles it’s building licensing. Though in effect Hong Kong has probably the most liberal and non-interventionist policy towards construction, everyone in Hong Kong is a criminal in the eyes of the authorities.
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