Hong Kong and The Year of the Rat.

I recently returned from a trip to Hong Kong. I have been there several times and I always find interesting things to photograph while I am there.



Hong Kong is an amazing place. It's a modern city that is steeped in centuries old traditions. It is a place where east meets west and everywhere in between. Hong Kong was a British crown colony for almost 100 years, so it's not unusual to see streets and parks named after former British royalty. They also drive on the left side of the road there, like they do in England and Japan. All legit taxis in Hong Kong are these red and silver Toyota Crown Comfort sedans. There are also green and blue in some districts, but are not seen as often.



The Hong Kong skyline is in my opinion the most spectacular in the world, especially at night.



The building on the left in the next photo changes colors dramatically every several seconds and is very beautiful at night. I also like the blue and green hues of the Standard Chartered Bank building. The creative use of lighting on these large buildings is really something to see.



There is not exactly a lot of what I would call mid-century modern architecture in Hong Kong, but every once in a while you'll see an interesting building like this one built in the 1940s.



This block of 10 apartment buildings in Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong Island stands deserted. It's former residents long gone as the site awaits demolition and redevelopment of the land. These brooding hulks which were built in the 1960s are empty, silent and a bit spooky.



How about this scary looking industrial building?



While it's hard to say if anyone will miss these sad structures when they are gone, there has been an effort to preserve some of the old historic colonial structures, like The Star Ferry Terminal.

To learn more about Hong Kong, check out the Wikipedia entry.