Five easily accessible Hong Kong buildings with history and architecture as rich as the city’s colourful past
- Buildings have changed hands and played many roles over decades, with one now a heritage hotel, while another represents the spectre of Beijing
From a former police office used for the fight against pirates to a Tsim Sha Tsui block called the “ghetto at the centre of the world”, Hong Kong, for all its limited land, boasts architecture and buildings as rich as its history.
As the city continues its urban sprawl and thirst for space, authorities tread a fine line between redevelopment and preserving heritage structures. Here are five easily accessible landmarks that have either been revamped or left in their full unabashed glory.
Tai O Heritage Hotel
Listed as a grade two historical building, the hotel, with its arched facade and tiled roof, marries Chinese and Western architecture. The cream-coloured building has stood serenely on a hill above Tai O Ferry Pier since 1902.
At the time, the hotel was a colonial police station established to combat pirates and smuggling in neighbouring waters. It eventually ended up as an administrative centre, tasked with looking into village disputes and maintaining security.
