TaiChi in Exchange Square

I really like this bronze sculpture by Ju Ming in Central, in fact, it is one of the world famous Tai Chi series. It is amazing that Ju can so vividly express the fluidity of tai chi movments through angular lines and rustic materials. This sculpture is a permanent display at the Exchange Square, somehow I imagine that it plays a role to keep the money men sane! Links: another view of this sculpture , Ju Ming Museum in Taiwan Tags: Art|Taichi|Ju Ming|Exchange Square|public art|sculpture|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Sugar-baked chestnut

The first time I saw baked chestnut in Europe it was like running into an old friend in a foreign land. Then later I realised it is a popular winter snack in a lot of countries. Here's how baked chestnut is made here -- with a big "wok" and some kind of heated small dark pebbles and sugar. A tasty snack but it will soon go out of season. I vaguely remember it is called Maroni(?) in Italian, just wonder what it's called in other European languages... Tags: chestnut|snack|food|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Connaught Road

This is Connaught Road in Central around 10 pm on a weekday evening. About 120 years ago this was the shoreline of the HK island. Nowadays it is a major passage linking the island to other parts of HK, or even the world -- check in your flight at the Central terminal (behind the building on the right), take the 23-minute airport railway ride and you'll be on your way. Tags: night scene|Connaught Road|Central|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Floral tribute

A floral tribute to Indonesia.

Recycling cellphones

In the narrow and busy streets of shopping districts, you'll find more than a few of these itinerant traders. As cellphone is part of fashion these days, some are very eager to get rid of their (maybe only 3-month old) cellphones and be seen with the latest models. So this is how these traders get into business; they buy used cellphones and resell them, mostly in Mainland China, for profits. (PS. in this photo, the woman is the buyer...) Tags: Causeway Bay|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Free transport

Yes, there is free transport from Central to mid-hill on the HK island -- the Central/Mid-levels escalators. It is 800-meter long and makes a 135-meter vertical climb/descent between Central (near the sea) to the Mid-Levels area, saving a lot of traffic along the narrow zigzag roads on the hill. The escalators go one-way uphill or downhill depending on the time of the day. See more photos on Wiki. Tags: escalators|Mid-Levels|Central|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

How about a beer?

It's hot and humid today and when I was waiting to cross the road in Causeway Bay, I looked up and saw this. Tsing Tao beer is made in China and according to Wiki, it is "the number one branded consumer product exported from China". The Tsing Tao brewery was founded in 1903 in northern China. By whom? Who else but the German settlers! Tags: Tsingtao|beer|Causeway Bay|export|China|food and drink|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Photo #1 to 100

I am still in the celebration mood, so here's a collage of the first 100 photos. (Surprisingly, Picasa arranged them in the correct date order!) Remember the fish, bauhinia, Deep Blue, mail boxes or the ferry ride? See any photo you like in particular? I promise there will be a new photo tomorrow. :-) Tags: Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Photo #100

Dear Visitors, This is the 100th photo for you! For this occasion, I've chosen a photo I love but never got to post -- I really like the subtlety that the only tulip in focus is partly visible. If you are a frequent visitor, I hope you enjoy HKDP as much as I do; thank you so much for your "footprints". If you are an occasional or first time visitor, I hope you'll become a frequent visitor soon! Muchas Gracias/Merci beaucoup/Viele Dank/ Ringraziarla/Dank u/Obrigado/спасибо/ Takker De/謝謝/ありがとう/당신을 감사하십시오/شكرا Tags: tulips|flowers|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Rainy Monday

Do you like Monday? How about rainy Monday? Here's another shot from my window this morning -- someone just decided not to wait for the bus and grabbed a taxi, behind the taxi is a green-top minibus. Have a good week everyone! Tags: rain|weather|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Frantic tree

HK is rainy and windy today; and having always mistreated my camera, I decided to be nice today and let it stay in. I took this from my window and I just like the effect of the moving tree. Don't you think it looks rather frantic while the trash can is just staying cool? How's the weather in your city? Tags: rain|wind|weather|tree|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

More signs

This is a retail property; and it is common scene that they are covered with signs of real estate agents fighting for the attention of the next highest bidder. I guess this tells us a bit about the madness of property speculation here. So don't be surprised if you don't see much retail activities in "retail" properties. Tags: property|retail|real estate|speculation|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Hoop dreams

I took this 2 days ago when HK was under typhoon alert, and this young man was playing by himself amidst rain and wind. This image reminds me of "Hoop Dreams", a highly-acclaimed documentary feature which I like very much. When I searched on the net, I realize it is...wow, 12 years old. And those were the good old days when I could go on movie marathons for free because of work ! Anywaz, do you think the ball went in? Tags: sports|basketball|Hoop Dreams|typhoon|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

The signs

Just a 5-minute walk from fancy brandname stores (LV, Gucci, Armani and whatnot) and the business center in Central is this narrow street where you can see some vibrant and colorful local life. OK, maybe you can't see much on the street from atop but you can tell from the many signs fighting for your attention. Tags: street signs|Central|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Bamboo scaffolding

Knowing these bamboos are being taken down is absolutely good news to me and my neighbors! Our wishful thinking is that it signifies the construction work of an apartment building nearby is almost finished (peace on my side of earth). I'm not sure if bamboo scaffolding is used in other Asian cities but it is an expertise of local construction workers. You can see a bamboo scaffolding in the background or click here to see another photo. Tags: scaffolding|bamboo|apartment|construction|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Snack time

A few DP blogs have shown local delicacies which look really yummy, and since I haven't done so for a while here are some typical snacks you can get in streetside stalls. These are all deep fried stuff including tofu, eggplant, sausage, chilli pepper, chicken nugget, meat balls, fish balls, dumplings and sweet potato. I've put my signature on the one I like most :-). Hi, I'm playing with the settings for photo size so do let me know if it takes very much longer for you to load the page or if the photo doesn't come out right on your screen. Thanks! Tags: Causeway Bay|food|delicacies|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Bad town planning?

Bad town planning, or no town planning at all? There are a few areas in HK with similar views of flyovers/highways cutting through residential areas like this -- the result of rapid economic growth in the 70's when infrasturture development had priority over a lot of other things. Tags: town planning|flyovers|highways|apartments|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

At a museum

I went to a university art museum the other day and saw this beautiful folding screen at the entrance. Elegant with a warm glow, it is decorated with beautiful carvings of flowers, scrolls, and in the centre of the left pane, a scholar. My guess is it was once in a study since in the lower part (not shown here), there is a carving of a desk as well. Beautiful, isn't it? Tags: art|museum|antique|folding screen|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

TGIF - Lan Kwai Fong

This is Lan Kwai Fong on Friday night. For expatriates and locals, Lan Kwai Fong is a hotspot for nightlife; for tourists, it is a "must see" attraction as mentioned in guidebooks. It is almost always crowded with great atmosphere at night. To me, this area is never the same after New Year's day 1993 when the huge crowds went out of control and 21 people were crushed. I was nearby that night but luckily wasn't able to get in. I still remember the many phone calls I got that morning when friends were trying to find out if I was alive. Tags: Lan Kwai Fong|Central|street scene|night scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

The happy road worker

Dear Mr Road worker, I would like to thank you for flashing that big smile and extending a friendly hand to us, even though you had noticed I was sneaking a shot of you and your buddies at work. Have a nice day! Lisi Tags: road work|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Maggie Q?

Do you think this is Maggie Q who plays "Zhen" in Mission Impossible 3? No, no, not the model in the billboard ad, I mean the woman in white T-shirt. I'm not sure but I think she really looks like Maggie Q (with a bodyguard?) and I know Maggie Q is based in HK and LA. I took this photo about 2 weeks ago and didn't notice that until I was cleaning my photo files. Btw, this was taken in Tsimshatsui outside of Harbor City, a shopping mall. So, what do you think? Link of a Maggie Q photo here. Tags: Maggie Q|Tsimshatsui|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Blue House of Wanchai

As you can see, the "Blue House" is such a beautiful architecture with nostalgic balconies and railings. See the laundry? There are still people living there. The "Blue House" is a pre-war building, 70+ years old, and the spotlight of Wanchai's urban renewal project. Oops, actually the Blue House is Here :-) <-- click this link! Tags: art|Blue House|nostalgic|urban renewal|Wanchai|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Wanchai stationery shop

Some people tend to browse certain kind of shop even if they don't need anything. Some like Home Depot, Ikea, DVD shops, sportswears, convenience stores and etc. One of my favorites is stationery stores, even when I'm blogging this I'm squinting my eyes to check out the items in the photo -- do they have newer, fancier binders, pens or notebooks? What is your special shop? Tags: Stationery|shop|Wanchai|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

CyberPort inside and out

This is a confusingly interesting (or interestingly confusing) photo to me. Yesterday we were at the CyberPort (southern HK island) waiting for the 5 pm show of MI3. The setting sun was just too strong for shooting the sea directly so I shot the reflection on the giant glass panel of the complex. Therefore you can see a bit of the inside too, or you can check out the photos here and figure out where I was standing! Tags: CyberPort|reflections|view|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Lazy afternoon

A lazy weekend afternoon in a quiet square. A teenager playing cricket. A hat sculpture. A nice day in life. :-) Tags: street scene|Tsimshatsui|afternoon|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Bape store and gas lamps

Duddell Street in Central is well-known for the city's 4 surviving 130-year old gas lamps. Here is one of the oldtimers overseeing the new fad on the block, the Bape store at the other end of the short street (where the orange and blue lights are). I guess the gas lamps must have seen similar fad before, and they could be very proud that they are both lasting and priceless to HK. *Bape is a Japanese teen clothing brand and a hoody can go as high as US$2,000 on eBay. When the store opened last month, young people lined up overnight to ensure they get in asap. p.s. Yes, the lamps still run on gas, a special service provided by gas company to keep them "alive". Tags: Central|street scene|Bape|Duddell|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Buddha's birthday

HK used to have a public holiday for the Queen's birthday. Post-1997, it was "replaced" by a day off on the Buddha's birthday. I first found this a bit odd but on second thought, since we retain those holidays for Easter and Christmas it is only fair to the Buddhists to have a day off for the big day of their religion. According to the lunar calendar, the Buddha's birthday is May 5th this year and here's a photo of the Buddha statue in the Temple Fair. Tags: Buddha|birthday|Temple Fair|Central|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Tell me more

All I'm telling you is that I took this photo yesterday. How much can you tell me about Hong Kong and the owner of this outfit just from this photo? Maybe I'll copy Nicola of Rheingua DP and send you a postcard :-) if your answers are really good... Tags: fashion|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Night view after rain

In March I have shown the daytime view of these "buildings of power". And here's the night time view after a heavy downpour. I think they are having this lights display every night from the top of the buildings. In the foreground corner, the red lanterns are part of the Temple Fair. I got this shot thanks to a pocket side mini tripod which comes with my cellphone :-) Tags: Central|buildings|night view|lights display|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

The wheel of time

I took this photo in Wanchai's Southorn Playground just before rush hours. The playground has been a centrepoint of the district's daily life for decades, where people of all walks of life gather to either play or watch sports, or hang out with friends like the seniors we see here. I didn't ask permission to photograph these seniors, I pretended I was shooting the big clock :-). Tags: street scene|Wanchai|Southorn Playgrounds|clock|Hong Kong|photos|daily life

Masterpiece painting?

I walked past this on the way home and thought it looks familiar. Then I figure out it bears some traces of Mark Rothko's painting style (hope I won't offend anyone here). You really should have a look of this painting to get what I mean; and click here if you want to see where I took this photo. It is actually a plumber's advertisement which says: "unclog drain" and his phone number. Now you only need the area code. Tags: Art|Mark rothko|plumber|advertisement|street scene|Hong Kong|photos|daily life