Posts Tagged ‘Hong Kong’

Down Memory Lane: Victoria Harbor (1987)

October 27, 2014

1987 -- Victoria Harbor

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

My first visit to Hong Kong was in June, 1987.  Hong Kong, then under British rule, was our gateway to China where we were to teach for a summer session.

We spent a couple days in Hong Kong, in a hotel in Kowloon.  To get to Hong Kong proper (the island) we had to cross Victoria Harbor.  Victoria Harbor is one of the largest harbors in the world, and in 1987 was the world’s busiest.

We crossed Victoria Harbor on the Star Ferry, which enabled us to get a close look at both the shipping in the harbor and the skyline of the Central District of Hong Kong itself.  We also were to view the harbor from Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island.

The photo on the top left of the collage above was taken from a hotel in Kowloon.  It shows some of the shipping in the harbor and the Hong Kong skyline in the background.  The picture on the top right was taken from the Star Ferry as we approached Hong Kong’s Central District.  The picture on the bottom left was also taken from a Star Ferry.  The photo on the bottom right shows Victoria Harbor from Victoria Peak.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.  Note that all images were scanned from slides.

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Posted in Travels | 9 Comments »

Our World: Aberdeen in Hong Kong

July 22, 2013

1987 -- Aberdeen

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

I found many things to be fascinating on my first visit to Hong Kong way back in 1987.  One of the things that surprised me was learning that there is an area of Hong Kong known as Aberdeen.

Aberdeen is on the southern tip of Hong Kong Island.  At one time in was a pirates’ den, but later became a simple fishing village.  In spite of modernization, there were still hundreds of junks and sampans that serve as floating homes for some of the people.

Aberdeen is the home to a couple of large floating seafood restaurants, which we unfortunately did not get to sample during our visit.

The collage contains images scanned from slides I took during my 1987 visit.  At the top left are some of the sampans used as homes by the fisherman.  On the right is a photo of one of the floating restaurants.  The middle photo is of a boatyard in Aberdeen.  The two photos on the bottom are from Repulse Bay, a beautiful part of Hong Kong Island not far from Aberdeen.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Our World | 19 Comments »

Our World: Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

March 11, 2013
Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

All of these pictures were scanned from slides.

When I went to China the first time (1987) our first stop in Asia was Hong Kong.  Hong Kong was still under British rule at that time, and the mixture of European and Oriental influences was fascinating.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

Hong Kong was (and I believe still is) a crowded city.  But while there we visited Repulse Bay, a beautiful area which was largely unspoiled.

There are a couple of explanations for the name, Repulse Bay.  One story is that the name comes from a 19th century battle in which the British army repulsed attacking pirates.  Another story is that the bay got its name from HMS Repulse, which was stationed there in the 1840s.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, June, 1987.

Regardless of how the bay got its name, it was a beautiful, quiet spot in 1987.  My understanding is that it is now a luxurious residential area.

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Posted in Our World | 16 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Repulse Bay

January 21, 2011

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. June, 1987

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

I went to my archives for this picture of a cloudy sky.  The picture was taken in Hong Kong at Repulse Bay.  Before I went there the first time, I thought Hong Kong was nothing but crowded streets and high-rise apartments — this scenic spot was a pleasant surprise.  The pretty sky was a nice bonus.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 25 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #97: Victoria Harbor

July 21, 2010

Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong. June, 1987.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong has been the busiest harbor in the world for many years.  The picture of Victoria Harbor above was taken from a Star Ferry as we were crossing the harbor back in 1987.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 9 Comments »

Scenic Sunday #104: A Many-Splendored Thing

July 11, 2010

Repulse Bay Beach, Hong Kong. June, 1987.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

I’m not sure how many of you are old enough to remember the 1955 film “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing”.  The film was set and filmed in Hong Kong.  When I visited Hong Kong in 1987 our tour guide stopped at this overlook above Repulse Bay Beach.  One scene from the film was shot at the overlook while other scenes were shot on the beach you can see below.

The movie didn’t make as big an impression on me as the song of the same title, but it was still interesting to be at a place where part of the movie was shot.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 14 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #91: Repulse Bay

June 9, 2010

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. June, 1987.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

I was looking through some archived photos and came across this picture, taken in Hong Kong when I first visited in 1983.  Repulse Bay is a popular beach area in Hong Kong, although the bay is nearly empty in this picture.

There are a couple of stories behind the name of the bay.  We were told that the bay got its name from the fact that the British warship HMS Repulse was stationed in the bay in the late 1840s.  The other story is that the bay was used as a base by Chinese pirates who were driven out (repulsed) by the British army in 1841.

Regardless of how the bay got its name, I think it is a beautiful place and worth sharing on Watery Wednesday.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 11 Comments »

A Picture and a Story

March 15, 2010

Floating restaurants in Aberdeen village, Hong Kong. June, 1987.

I have been tagged by Kirigalpotha from Sri Lanka.  I tend to shy away from tags, but I got curious about where this one would lead, so I followed the rules (up to a point).

The rules for this tag are as follows:

1. Open your 1st Photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo and the story behind it.
4. Tag 5 or more people.

The first folder in my Pictures folder is 1987 Aberdeen.  The tenth picture (scanned from a slide) is shown above.

I should hasten to explain that Aberdeen is a village on the south shore of Hong Kong Island.  In 1987 I traveled to China for the first time with a party from the college at which I was teaching.  Our first stop along the way was Hong Kong.  We spent three or four days there and one day we took a tour of Hong Kong Island.  Aberdeen was one of the stops on the tour.

Aberdeen was (and as far as I can tell still is) known for its floating village and floating restaurants.  Fishing is an important part of industry in Aberdeen and many residents live on boats anchored in the harbor.  The floating restaurants, such as the ones in the picture, are quite large and seem to do a good business.  Our group visited Aberdeen in the morning, so we missed the opportunity to eat at one of these restaurants.

Now I’m going to break the rules.  Instead of tagging anyone I’m going to invite anyone who is interested to check their computer.  If an interesting picture and story pops up, please share it with us.

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Posted in China | 11 Comments »