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03 Architecture
03 Architecture
After exploring different lifestyles and the food culture in Central, we looked into the architecture in Central.
'Everything in Central is like a big mix,' said Florence, one of our interviewers who works in Central and had been living in Soho for more than five years. Florence is a disc jockey as well as a fitness instructor. What impresses her most in Central is the architecture of the district. Florence remarked that buildings such as ifc and the Central Police Station gave her a great feeling that Hong Kong is an ever-changing city. It is true that you can find people of various races, a great diversification of food, and buildings with different styles in Central.
> Traditional Style
In fact, buildings in Central have created unique atmosphere for the district. Like what Florence pointed out, Central is a place with traditional and modern buildings. The Legislative Council Building is a good example to show the influence of British colonial culture on the architecture of Hong Kong. It took the color of Ancient Rome and Greece's architectures. At the same time, the roof of the Building was paved with Chinese tiles and supported by Chinese teakwood. Not only is the outward appearance of the Legislative Council Building magnificent, but also are its architectural details glorious.
The Central Police Station is another crucial building to affirm the importance of Central's architectural position among districts in Hong Kong. It is a pity that the Central Police Station is not cleaned out properly and is a little bit shabby now. But more importantly, "it reminds us about Hong Kong's colonial history" (Central Police Station, 2008, para. 4). The "British colonialism" (Bolton, 2000, p. 268) is followed by some long-term effects and it explains how English was started to be used in Hong Kong. Nowadays, English has been a dominant language as well as the "second language" (Hong Kong Government, 1976: 6, cited in Gibbons, 1982: 117) in our city.
> Modern Style
Apart from traditional buildings, there are also other contemporary architectures in Central. The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, ifc, Bank of China Tower and HSBC Headquarter Building are all in present-age designs. Among these buildings, ifc may be the most famous one. The ifc is undeniably a prominent landmark which stands at the waterfront of Central in recent years. According to International Finance Centre (2008), "Tower Two of the International Finance Centre is 415 meters tall and is the tallest building in Hong Kong currently" (para. 1-2). The wall of the whole Tower was made by glass. The upmost top of the building was designed as a crown and decorated by ivory. The entire Tower is illuminated by track light at night-time. The awesome architecture has attracted Hollywood movie makers to come for filming purpose.
Buildings including the old and modern ones are unique features in Central. Some of them help us reveal the history of Hong Kong while some bring honors to us.
What have also revealed the colonial past of Hong Kong in Central are the street names in the district. For example, there are Des Voeux Road Central and Macdonnell Road. We eventually realized that these are names of former-governors of Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was still the British colony before 1997, we used to have governors. Then, the British Government named the streets with their surnames to praise their contribution. That is why we have Pottinger Street and Robinson Road.
The naming culture can on the other hand reveal that Hong Kong was once a city which implemented high centralization of state power. Governors and the Government had high authority. Although this might sound negative, this government policy might benefit some social situations. From the perspective of the general education level in Hong Kong, thanks to the British Government who had carried out the policy of compulsory English education system, the educational level and competitive power of the locals had been attained high, Otherwise, Hong Kong would not be developed as an international financial centre and what it is like now.
Some places in Central like Soho and Lan Kwai Fong are with extraordinary names. The common characteristic of these regions is that English is normally used for communication.
In Lan Kwai Fong, different languages are used by restaurant owners, waiters, locals, foreigners living in Hong Kong and tourists. You may read a menu in Italian; hear the shop owner speaking French; read shop signs in Korean; smell Indian cuisines like curried chicken; hear Mainlanders discussing in Mandarin; noticed that a pair of Hong Kong couple is arguing in Cantonese; see graffiti in Japanese. And at the end, you go into Thai restaurant and make your order in English. This is the variation and diversification of use of languages in Central. Most probably, Central is the district with most languages used. Undoubtedly, this is one of the special characteristics of Central.
- Buildings
After exploring different lifestyles and the food culture in Central, we looked into the architecture in Central.
'Everything in Central is like a big mix,' said Florence, one of our interviewers who works in Central and had been living in Soho for more than five years. Florence is a disc jockey as well as a fitness instructor. What impresses her most in Central is the architecture of the district. Florence remarked that buildings such as ifc and the Central Police Station gave her a great feeling that Hong Kong is an ever-changing city. It is true that you can find people of various races, a great diversification of food, and buildings with different styles in Central.
> Traditional Style
In fact, buildings in Central have created unique atmosphere for the district. Like what Florence pointed out, Central is a place with traditional and modern buildings. The Legislative Council Building is a good example to show the influence of British colonial culture on the architecture of Hong Kong. It took the color of Ancient Rome and Greece's architectures. At the same time, the roof of the Building was paved with Chinese tiles and supported by Chinese teakwood. Not only is the outward appearance of the Legislative Council Building magnificent, but also are its architectural details glorious.
The Central Police Station is another crucial building to affirm the importance of Central's architectural position among districts in Hong Kong. It is a pity that the Central Police Station is not cleaned out properly and is a little bit shabby now. But more importantly, "it reminds us about Hong Kong's colonial history" (Central Police Station, 2008, para. 4). The "British colonialism" (Bolton, 2000, p. 268) is followed by some long-term effects and it explains how English was started to be used in Hong Kong. Nowadays, English has been a dominant language as well as the "second language" (Hong Kong Government, 1976: 6, cited in Gibbons, 1982: 117) in our city.
> Modern Style
Apart from traditional buildings, there are also other contemporary architectures in Central. The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, ifc, Bank of China Tower and HSBC Headquarter Building are all in present-age designs. Among these buildings, ifc may be the most famous one. The ifc is undeniably a prominent landmark which stands at the waterfront of Central in recent years. According to International Finance Centre (2008), "Tower Two of the International Finance Centre is 415 meters tall and is the tallest building in Hong Kong currently" (para. 1-2). The wall of the whole Tower was made by glass. The upmost top of the building was designed as a crown and decorated by ivory. The entire Tower is illuminated by track light at night-time. The awesome architecture has attracted Hollywood movie makers to come for filming purpose.
Buildings including the old and modern ones are unique features in Central. Some of them help us reveal the history of Hong Kong while some bring honors to us.
- Street Names
What have also revealed the colonial past of Hong Kong in Central are the street names in the district. For example, there are Des Voeux Road Central and Macdonnell Road. We eventually realized that these are names of former-governors of Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was still the British colony before 1997, we used to have governors. Then, the British Government named the streets with their surnames to praise their contribution. That is why we have Pottinger Street and Robinson Road.
The naming culture can on the other hand reveal that Hong Kong was once a city which implemented high centralization of state power. Governors and the Government had high authority. Although this might sound negative, this government policy might benefit some social situations. From the perspective of the general education level in Hong Kong, thanks to the British Government who had carried out the policy of compulsory English education system, the educational level and competitive power of the locals had been attained high, Otherwise, Hong Kong would not be developed as an international financial centre and what it is like now.
- Place Names
Some places in Central like Soho and Lan Kwai Fong are with extraordinary names. The common characteristic of these regions is that English is normally used for communication.
In Lan Kwai Fong, different languages are used by restaurant owners, waiters, locals, foreigners living in Hong Kong and tourists. You may read a menu in Italian; hear the shop owner speaking French; read shop signs in Korean; smell Indian cuisines like curried chicken; hear Mainlanders discussing in Mandarin; noticed that a pair of Hong Kong couple is arguing in Cantonese; see graffiti in Japanese. And at the end, you go into Thai restaurant and make your order in English. This is the variation and diversification of use of languages in Central. Most probably, Central is the district with most languages used. Undoubtedly, this is one of the special characteristics of Central.
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