WHERE TO GO - Hong Kong - page 37

A galaxy of stars
There are 12 boats in the Star Ferry fleet
( www.starferry.com.hk ), all with different star names: Morning
Star, Northern Star, Golden Star, Meridian Star, Day Star,
Solar Star, Night Star, Twinkling Star, World Star, Shining
Star, Silver Star and Celestial Star. The oldest - Celestial Star
- was built in 1956.
Thanks to land reclamation, the Star Ferry piers are closer together than ever. On 'Hong
Kong-side', the Edwardian-style Central Pier at Pier 7 1 [map] was opened in 2006 close
to the Airport Express Hong Kong Station and the International Finance Centre (IFC,
www.ifc.com.hk ) . which includes the Four Seasons Hotel, the IFC Mall and Two IFC , at
420m (1,378ft), Hong Kong's second tallest building,
Walkways and footbridges connect all the main buildings in Central. From the IFC, you
can walk under cover as far as historic Battery Path in Central, Pacific Place in Admiralty or
Western Market in Sheung Wan, or connect with one of Hong Kong's everyday curiosities,
the 800m (2,625ft) long outdoor Central Mid-Levels Escalator (for more information,
click here ) .
IFC Mall connects with Exchange Square 2 [map] , home to the Hong Kong Stock Ex-
change. A few minutes east along the walkway is the General Post Office , which has phila-
tely displays. Across the road is 52-storey Jardine House , with porthole-shaped windows,
and to the left is an underground walkway that takes you to Statue Square 3 [map] . On the
east side of the square is one of the few colonial buildings left in the business district, the
former Supreme Court (1912).
From Statue Square and Chater Garden , look skywards for some contrasting modern
architectural landmarks. Most famous is the striking 70-storey I.M. Pei-designed Bank of
China Tower , not beloved by the people of Hong Kong - its triangular prisms and sharp
angles violate the principles of feng shui (see opposite) and its radio masts stick up like an
insect's antennae. The rival HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building is by Norman
Foster; built on a 'coathanger frame', its floors hang rather than ascend. From inside the vast
atrium you can view the whole structure as well as the mechanical workings of the building.
Two bronze lions, Stephen and Sitt (nicknamed for early HSBC Shanghai managers) cast in
1935 guard the entrance, enhancing the bank's feng shui .