A Walk in Hong Kong: From Wan Chai to Central

On Friday I had nothing special to do, so I decided to go to visit the Legislative Council. I went from Hang Hau to North Point, and then took the tram. But the tram was so slow, hot and crowded that I got off and went on foot. Then I realized how small Hong Kong Island actually is. I basically walked from North Point to Central, which seems a quite huge distance if you look at the map below, but it didn't take that long.

You can download a clearer Hong Kong MTR map here

I will write a few small posts about the things one can see in Central District, because there are many interesting sites, most of which are from the colonial era. As a matter of fact, among the modern skyscrapers it is possible to find many old buildings. They are, truth be told, just a small part of what was once the "pre-economic miracle" Hong Kong. The boom of the 1970s, the influx of immigrants from mainland China and the lack of space made it necessary to tear down a lot of old buildings.

Hong Kong has been called one the most vertical cities in the world (if not the most vertical). Since space is probably the most precious thing in Hong Kong, streets are narrow and buildings huge. The sky is the only thing that this city has in abundance.

Hong Kong's 'verticality', though, makes it one of the most photograph-unfriendly places I've been to. It's really hard to capture these enormous landscapes from below.

This street is so narrow that it is almost impossible to capture all the huge buildings

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