With Hong Kong’s dramatic and modern skyline continually changing, not much of old Hong Kong remains. In Kowloon, we explore a few of the relics of old Hong Kong, including the Clock Tower and Star Ferry.
The Chinese view the Clock Tower as a sort of Ellis Island, a symbol of the new lives the Age of Steam and Victoria Harbor offered to the people of Hong Kong and China as they passed through the rail station. It was erected in 1915 as part of the Kowloon-Canton Railway terminal. Not only did it open up transportation to Russia, Europe and beyond, but it also accelerated trading making Hong Kong one of the most successful trading hubs of our day. Today, the Clock Tower is the only part that remains of the station.
EXTRA IDEA:
If you’re visiting the Clock Tower at night, don’t forget to catch the free light show that happens every night at 8PM. As you look across the harbor from Kowloon, Central lights up in a light show that brings Hong Kong’s bustling center to life.
While the Clock Tower is symbolic and no longer serves a function, Victoria Harbor remains one of Hong Kong’s most important natural resources. The depth of the water allows for 10,000-tonnes ships to move through the harbor at any time, which is why crossing Victoria Harbor is an important bucket list experience.
Best Way to Travel from Kowloon to Central:
To get from Kowloon to Central, I recommend you take Hong Kong’s oldest form of public transportation, the Star Ferry, instead of the subway. The ferry takes people across Victoria Harbor every 6 to 12 minutes from the Clock Tower to Central and the journey time is only 9 minutes. The cost is only 30 cents and the ferry tokens look like something straight out of Monopoly.
The Star Ferry boat has an old European look, recalling Hong Kong’s British colonialism period. If you can, try and get a seat by the window so you can see the Hong Kong skyline on your way across the harbor. If you were here 20 years ago, you wouldn’t recognize Hong Kong. The skyline has completely changed. Sand was brought in so the harbor could be narrowed and Central could be expanded to add more space for offices, highways and buildings. Some of the skyline is still recognizable, but not much of old Hong Kong remains. The Ferry is one of the last things that remains of old Hong Kong, which is why I highly recommend it as the number one form of transportation.
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