Great Britain might have handed back Hong Kong to China in 1997 but remnants of HK's British 'Colonial Heritage' continue to remain past the handover anniversary. Don't blame it on edit, Tsim Sha Tsui already knew that I wanted to see a serving of HK's former Empire days! Nobody was trying to play tricks on me, those coins are still being made from TST's 'Colonial Catwalk'.
Tsim Sha Tsui drew me towards 'Kowloon Park' for two reasons, I had planned this comeback trip to the final detail, no crumbs would be left! The humidity had me flawed, keeping one foot in front of the other, TST's spotlight led me through those 'Kowloon Park' gates with the quickness! I had so ignorantly not paid attention to this shaded HK gem during that 2016 familiarisation trip, I wasn't playing during that 2023 Dragon Boat weekend! I was not shocked to find out that the British had formerly repurposed 'Kowloon Park' as a training facility for the British Army with their own 'Whitfield Barracks' used alongside the 'Kowloon Western Battery!' What's it with the British and a 'Battery?' We love a good 'cannon' don't we? Yes! The park wasn't renovated from its former Colonial Military use until 1970, only twenty seven years before the handover would take place! Present day, 'Kowloon Park' served up normality with a shaded nature because I needed to seek sanctuary from that super sunny weather! 'Kowloon Park' served everything!
Much like Singapore's Fort Canning Hill Park, Hong Kong's Kowloon Park served a portion of 'Firepower' with a former artillery point. Used by the British Naval Service during the 1870's and 1880's in order to protect the British ruled Kowloon Peninsula, serving as a almighty lookout for the time and period. Those cannons are just for show today, the history impressed me and nothing more was read into that portion of TST's serving of Colonial Heritage. Located within the boundaries of that intriguing TST based park, 'Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre' schooled me further regarding that period of British Colonial limelight. First established in 1896 by the Hong Kong Regiment, this everlasting mosque was built to give a place of worship for the Muslim troops who were serving in Hong Kong at the nearby 'Whitfield Barracks'. My visit to the mosque was a flying visit, paying attention from street level felt like the right thing to do. Kowloon Park looks different in present day, the history remains so I was able to learn a lot, T!
Having only left the Chinese Mainland that very morning, it felt like an assault on my senses to see those British style road signs and pavement markings. I had to pinch myself that I was within one of China's Special Administrative Regions but the surroundings looked pretty homely indeed! The pelican crossings had me gooped, I didn't know where to look as I stood opposite Nathan Road's own Chung King Mansions. I had to pinch myself when the green, amber and red lights shone at their timed intervals, I was not mad because that remnant of Hong Kong's British days existed in 2023 with no modifications. Tsim Sha Tui had me learning fast, it was like being in a bubble but I wasn't because the Mainland lay a matter of miles north at the borderline with Guangdong's Shenzhen City! It was a tonic to be reunited with that former British style, those street signs and traffic lights gave me a sense of security. The heat of the afternoon really had me feeling like a sweet treat, I wasn't ready for that sight! The orderly queue was enough of a shock!
I spotted a functioning 'Ice Cream Van!' I had to take a double take because I wanted to see if my eyes were deceiving me or not? My eyes hadn't deceived me because that red and white ice cream van was in-fact real! It was clear to see that the visiting Mainland Chinese tourists were also fascinated by that 'Colonial Hangover'. Their orderly line had me impressed, another British export that lives on today in Hong Kong because queuing is also an expected norm. I also waited in that line for as long as it took, as a British person I stood familiar with that pastime. The guy who was operating the ice cream van had his business head switched on because he had a 'WeChatPay QR Code' presented for those visiting tourists. He knew his market! I loved my soft serve ice cream, it was a little soft for my liking but for the sheer novelty to have had an ice cream served to me from a van, that was enough for me to appreciate! Embracing that sense of homely nature again in Tsim Sha Tsui was a whole mood! Money talks, TST! Harbour settings?
I was ready for another throwback moment from 2016, heading past the Peninsula Hotel along Nathan Road I saw those legendary 'Victoria Harbour' waters come into sight. I had passed through this 'picture postcard' location once before but during that 2023 time a certain level of renovation had since taken place. I wanted to find the 'Clock Tower', knowing vaguely where I needed to walk towards I was able to track down a newly added 'elevated walkway'. I had been much too impatient during my previous visit to that area, I was about to reclaim my time! Like actual clockwork I saw that former chiming railway clock tower come into view, from that elevated point of view, it allowed me to appreciate that palm tree clad view even more! Those tourists and OFW's took their time with their photos, I knew exactly where I wanted to snap and that mission would not be compromised! Marking the former southern terminus of the now defunct 'Kowloon-Canton Railway', recapturing that 'Clock Tower' felt so very correct! So true!
Constructed in 1913 and opened in 1915, the grandeur of Tsim Sha Tsui's Clock Tower still stands 108 years after it was completed. The legacy of this former railway landmark still makes an honest portion of HK's touristic coinage, although an all new ultra modern railway station now welcomes people from the Mainland to West Kowloon Railway Station. Personally, the legacy of that everlasting and protected former 'Kowloon-Canton Railway' icon keeps things moving with a certain legacy that is intact. Protected as a heritage landmark in 1990, the bells in the 'Clock Tower' now chime again every hour on the hour from 8 A.M. through till 12 Midnight. Urban planning during those Colonial years knew no boundaries because after careful reading I was able to learn that the British had plans to connect Hong Kong with the Mainland through 'Hankou' and further north to Beijing. Applying the same method that had been applied in India, British engineering saw the 'Clock Tower' as a southern terminus icon for passengers to witness.
Tsim Sha Tsui had me fronted with her world class skyline in a matter of seconds, I only needed to turn around in the other direction after clocking that former 'Railway Tower'. I actually didn't know where to look because the whole scene had me gagged! Overlooking Victoria Harbour with Hong Kong Island as my vantage point felt like a dream come true, you already know that I was clocking those legendary white and green 'Star Ferry' services! Of course, TST's Star Ferry Pier gave me those period vibes and then some! The first piers date back to the early 1910's with modernisation taking place during the 1950's, the twin-pier terminal served up a British architectural style of the time without a doubt! I knew that I would need to take the Star Ferry at least once during that trip to Hong Kong, that was a mandatory feature! I spent a lot of time watching the ferries dock in and out of the terminal, the waters of the harbor were alive with those Star Ferries and other vessels as Victoria Harbour kept it moving! Those tour groups! No!
For me after I was able to capture the above photo, I braved the front of the TST Star Ferry Terminal because I wanted to check out the vibe further. The bus stops served a deep sense of 'home' because the period ferry terminal presented several bus stops that had a covered canopy that was interlinked with the main road. That synergy reminded me of a bus garage in England with that 50's style acting as a major throwback! With the Clock Tower overlooking the ferry terminal, it suggested that the original Star Ferry Terminal allowed almost step-free access from train to boat back in the days of British rule? I wanted to know! I still do! Those newsagent-style concessions served a sense of London with their kerbside papers displayed for all to see. Let me just say that certain magazines served provocative themes, they would never be allowed to be displayed in the Mainland! An embarrassing view for those cross-border visitors? I was sure! Visiting Tsim Sha Tsui was an absolute pleasure, those Colonial factors gave me life! C, chill out!
What's A Colonial Hangover?
Desperately Seeking Adventure