Fleet
The airline fleet consists of one Gulfstream G450 and three Gulfstream G200 aircraft.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Metrojet (Hong Kong)
Metrojet Limited is an airline, based at Hong Kong International Airport, which operates non-scheduled passenger services in the region.
The airline fleet consists of one Gulfstream G450 and three Gulfstream G200 aircraft.
The airline fleet consists of one Gulfstream G450 and three Gulfstream G200 aircraft.
List of airlines of Hong Kong
This is a list of airlines which have a current issued by the , and for which oversight as recognised by the ICAO lies with the .
Jet Aviation Business Jets
Hong Kong Express Airways
Hong Kong Express Airways Limited is an airline based in Hong Kong. It operates scheduled services to five cities within the People's Republic of China, as well as international services. Its main base is Hong Kong International Airport.
Besides its fixed wing services, the HeliExpress division of Hong Kong Express Airways HeliHongKong and East Asia Airlines based in Hong Kong and Macau respectively before the fixed wing services began) operates a fleet of five helicopters on services between Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, Guangdong. It also operates local passenger charters and aerial works.
The airline was established in 1996 by Helicopters Hong Kong, as Heli Hong Kong. It was owned by Macau casino entrepreneur Stanley Ho. The current name was adopted in 2004. Their first , leased from Icelandair, with the registration of B-KXE , had its first flight in Seattle on 13 December, 2006.
Hong Kong Express phased out its four Embraer 170 aircraft leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services, which had been introduced in September 2005, and switched its focus to larger aircraft, with the acquiring of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The first aircraft was delivered in July 2005, and the second aircraft was delivered on 30 September, 2005. The third Embraer 170 was delivered on 8 December, 2005. The fourth Embraer 170 was delivered on 28 May, 2006. All of the four aircraft are being leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services. But it plans to add two aircraft annually over the next few years to fly to other Asian destinations, according to the company's website.
Two more Boeing 737-800s had already begun service in years 2006 and 2007. B-KXH was also delivered to Hong Kong Express on 13th Oct 2007 and entered service in November 2007, to the new Southeast Asia destinations such as Yangon, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
Besides its fixed wing services, the HeliExpress division of Hong Kong Express Airways HeliHongKong and East Asia Airlines based in Hong Kong and Macau respectively before the fixed wing services began) operates a fleet of five helicopters on services between Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, Guangdong. It also operates local passenger charters and aerial works.
History
The airline was established in 1996 by Helicopters Hong Kong, as Heli Hong Kong. It was owned by Macau casino entrepreneur Stanley Ho. The current name was adopted in 2004. Their first , leased from Icelandair, with the registration of B-KXE , had its first flight in Seattle on 13 December, 2006.
Hong Kong Express phased out its four Embraer 170 aircraft leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services, which had been introduced in September 2005, and switched its focus to larger aircraft, with the acquiring of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The first aircraft was delivered in July 2005, and the second aircraft was delivered on 30 September, 2005. The third Embraer 170 was delivered on 8 December, 2005. The fourth Embraer 170 was delivered on 28 May, 2006. All of the four aircraft are being leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services. But it plans to add two aircraft annually over the next few years to fly to other Asian destinations, according to the company's website.
Two more Boeing 737-800s had already begun service in years 2006 and 2007. B-KXH was also delivered to Hong Kong Express on 13th Oct 2007 and entered service in November 2007, to the new Southeast Asia destinations such as Yangon, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.
Hong Kong Airlines
Hong Kong Airlines Limited is a Hong Kong-based airline. It operates scheduled regional services from Hong Kong as well as business charter flights. Its main base is Hong Kong International Airport.
The airline was established as CR Airways in 2001 and started operations on 5 July 2003. It was the first aircraft operator to receive its air operator's certificate since Hong Kong became a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.
The airline changed its name to "Hong Kong Airlines Limited" on 30 September 2006. It was previously owned by Robert Yip Kwong and Yu Ming Investments .
On June 21, 2007, the airline signed an MOU with Airbus to acquire 30 Airbus A320, 20 Airbus A330, and one . The order has since been firmed up. . It is unclear what will happen with the MOU with Boeing.
History
The airline was established as CR Airways in 2001 and started operations on 5 July 2003. It was the first aircraft operator to receive its air operator's certificate since Hong Kong became a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.
The airline changed its name to "Hong Kong Airlines Limited" on 30 September 2006. It was previously owned by Robert Yip Kwong and Yu Ming Investments .
On June 21, 2007, the airline signed an MOU with Airbus to acquire 30 Airbus A320, 20 Airbus A330, and one . The order has since been firmed up. . It is unclear what will happen with the MOU with Boeing.
Heliservices
Heliservices Limited is a Hong Kong-based helicopter operator operating local and cross-border passenger charters and lifting and construction works. It also provides a flying limousine service between the Hong Kong International Airport and the rooftop helipad of the Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon, aerial power line insulator washing for Hong Kong's two power companies and an aerial banner-towing service for advertisers. The service has a "fully-equipped base near Shek Kong in the New Territories".
Heliservices operates:
* 3
* 1
* 1 MD500E
Fleet
Heliservices operates:
* 3
* 1
* 1 MD500E
Dragonair
Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited, operating as Dragonair, is an airline based in Hong Kong. It is a subsidiary of Hong-Kong's largest airline Cathay Pacific, and is itself the second-largest airline in Hong Kong . It operates a passenger network covering destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, and the airline especially focuses on Market. Its main base is Hong Kong International Airport.
The airline was established in May 1985 on the initiative of KP Chao, the airline's present honorary chairman, and started operations in July 1985 with a Boeing 737 service from Kai Tak International Airport to Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Malaysia. At the time, Dragonair was only a small player in the Asian skies, and the airline's name was Hong Kong Dragon Airlines. In 1986, the airline officially changed its name to Dragonair and was granted licences to operate to eight cities in mainland China and a regular service to Phuket. In 1987, the airline began charter flights to mainland China. This was also the year that Dragonair became the first Hong Kong-based airline to join .
In January 1990, Cathay Pacific and Swire Group acquired a 35% holding from the Chao family, while CITIC acquired a 38% share. The Chao family retained a 22% stake with the remainder held by minor shareholders
Dragonair joined the Oneworld alliance as an affiliate member on 1 November 2007 .
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Dragonair codeshares with Air China on flights between Hong Kong and mainland China , Royal Brunei on flights between Hong Kong and Bandar Seri Begawan and China Southern Airlines between Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
is another partner codesharing with Dragonair, on routes to Kota Kinabalu. The current sole shareholder of Dragonair, Cathay Pacific, has recently put on its 'CX67--' or 'CX68--' code on most Dragonair flights.
The Dragonair fleet consists of the following aircraft .
Dragonair's planes are mainly white, with a red dragon on the tail, and the name Dragonair written in dark lettering under the front passenger windows, and in red lettering over the front passenger windows also. Recently, Dragonair introduced its first livery paint on A330, with the registration code of B-HWG. The paint portrays a Dragon Boat on sides of the aircraft. The and word of was begun to be placed under the registration code of tails of aircraft after Cathay Pacific became the sole shareholder of Dragonair.
The dragon has, inexplicably, three left and one right claws.
At Hong Kong International Airport, ground services are handled by Hong Kong International Airport Services Limited, a subsidiary of Dragonair. They operate Airside/Landside Operations, Baggage Services, Cargo Services, Ramp Services, Ticketing & Information, Station Control, and Flight Operations for Dragonair and several other airlines at this airport.
It also provide VIP lounge services to Dragonair.
History
The airline was established in May 1985 on the initiative of KP Chao, the airline's present honorary chairman, and started operations in July 1985 with a Boeing 737 service from Kai Tak International Airport to Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Malaysia. At the time, Dragonair was only a small player in the Asian skies, and the airline's name was Hong Kong Dragon Airlines. In 1986, the airline officially changed its name to Dragonair and was granted licences to operate to eight cities in mainland China and a regular service to Phuket. In 1987, the airline began charter flights to mainland China. This was also the year that Dragonair became the first Hong Kong-based airline to join .
In January 1990, Cathay Pacific and Swire Group acquired a 35% holding from the Chao family, while CITIC acquired a 38% share. The Chao family retained a 22% stake with the remainder held by minor shareholders
Dragonair joined the Oneworld alliance as an affiliate member on 1 November 2007 .
Subsidiaries
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Destinations
Codeshare agreements
Dragonair codeshares with Air China on flights between Hong Kong and mainland China , Royal Brunei on flights between Hong Kong and Bandar Seri Begawan and China Southern Airlines between Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
is another partner codesharing with Dragonair, on routes to Kota Kinabalu. The current sole shareholder of Dragonair, Cathay Pacific, has recently put on its 'CX67--' or 'CX68--' code on most Dragonair flights.
Fleet
The Dragonair fleet consists of the following aircraft .
Livery
Dragonair's planes are mainly white, with a red dragon on the tail, and the name Dragonair written in dark lettering under the front passenger windows, and in red lettering over the front passenger windows also. Recently, Dragonair introduced its first livery paint on A330, with the registration code of B-HWG. The paint portrays a Dragon Boat on sides of the aircraft. The and word of was begun to be placed under the registration code of tails of aircraft after Cathay Pacific became the sole shareholder of Dragonair.
The dragon has, inexplicably, three left and one right claws.
Ground handling
At Hong Kong International Airport, ground services are handled by Hong Kong International Airport Services Limited, a subsidiary of Dragonair. They operate Airside/Landside Operations, Baggage Services, Cargo Services, Ramp Services, Ticketing & Information, Station Control, and Flight Operations for Dragonair and several other airlines at this airport.
It also provide VIP lounge services to Dragonair.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited is the largest airline and flag carrier of Hong Kong. Based at Hong Kong International Airport, the airline's operations include scheduled passenger and cargo services to 120 destinations worldwide.
Cathay Pacific is one of only six airlines worldwide to carry a five-star rating from Skytrax. Cathay was named "Airline of the Year" in 2003 and 2005 by Skytrax and in 2006 by Air Transport World and OAG. The airline has been voted the second best airline in the world by Skytrax for 2008. Cathay Pacific is accredited by the IATA with the IOSA for safety practices. It is also a member of the Oneworld alliance. The company is managed by the Swire Group.
Cathay Pacific Airways was founded in Hong Kong on 24 September 1946 by American Roy Farrell and Australian Sydney de Kantzow. Both men were ex-air force pilots who had flown The Hump, a route over the Himalayan Mountains. Each man put up HK$1 to register the airline. Although initially based in Shanghai, the two men moved to Hong Kong where they formally began Cathay Pacific Airways. They named it "Cathay" because it was the Medieval name given to China, derived from "Khitan", and "Pacific" because Farrell speculated that they would one day fly across the Pacific. The Chinese name for the company comes from a Chinese idiom meaning "Grand and Peaceful State".
According to legend, the airline was conceived by Farrell and some foreign correspondents at the bar of the Manila Hotel. On Cathay Pacific's maiden voyage, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow flew from Hong Kong to Manila, and later on to Shanghai. They had a single Douglas DC-3, nicknamed ''Betsy''. The airline initially flew routes between Hong Kong, Sydney, Manila, Singapore, Shanghai, and , while scheduled service was limited to Bangkok, Manila, and Singapore only.
In 1948 Butterfield & Swire bought 45% of Cathay Pacific, with taking 35% and Farrell and de Kantzow taking 10% each. The new company began operations on 1 July 1948 and was registered as Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd on 18 October 1948. Cathay Pacific aircraft formerly carried a painted Union Jack on the tail but these were removed several years before the 1997 takeover.
In September 1998, Cathay Pacific became a founding member of the Oneworld Alliance. In 1999, they completed their new headquarters, named Cathay City, which is located at Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific was hurt by the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, but recorded a record HK$5 billion profit in 2000.
Cathay Pacific fired 49 of its 1,500 pilots on July 9, 2001; hence, they are known as "the 49ers" . About half of the fired pilots were captains, or 5 percent of the total pilot group. But of the 21 officers of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association , 9 were fired, including four of the seven union negotiators.
"The firing was pure intimidation, a union-bust straight up, designed to be random enough to put the fear in all pilots that they might be next, no reason given," says Captain Nigel Demery, president of the HKAOA
A later head of the HKAOA, Captain Murray Gardner, is said to have favoured a more soft-line approach to dealing with management and indeed workplace relations between the two groups have been largely conciliatory since 2002.
Cathay offered the 49 pilots it sacked in 2001 the chance to reapply for pilot positions with its cargo division, guaranteeing such applicants first interviews, subject to passing psychometric testing. 19 former employees applied and 12 were offered jobs.
On 9 June 2006, Cathay Pacific underwent a shareholding realignment under which Dragonair became wholly owned by Cathay Pacific but continued to operate under its own brand. Air China, and its subsidiary, CNAC Limited, acquired a 17.5% stake in Cathay Pacific, and Cathay Pacific doubled its shareholding in Air China to 20%. CITIC reduced its shareholding to 17.5%, and Swire reduced its shareholding to 40%.
To celebrate the airline's 60th anniversary in 2006 a year of road shows named the "Cathay Pacific 60th Anniversary Skyshow" was held where the public could see the developments of the airline, play games, meet some of the airline's staff, and view vintage uniforms. Cathay Pacific also introduced anniversary merchandise and in-flight meals served by famous restaurants in Hong Kong in collaboration with the celebrations. In 2007 Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried more than 23 million passengers.
In June 2008, Cathay Pacific agreed to pay a portion of $504 million in fines levied by the U.S. Justice Department related to cargo price fixing.
*Cathay Pacific is one of 6 airlines worldwide which has been rated as a 5 star airline by Skytrax
*Cathay Pacific was named World's Best Overall Airline in 2003 and 2005 by a Skytrax survey
*Cathay Pacific is also accredited by the IATA with the IOSA for its safety practices
*The airline was also awarded with Best First Class, Best First Class Lounge , and Best Business Class Lounge by Skytrax.
*The airline was named Airline of the Year 2006 by Air Transport World magazine and by OAG.
*Cathay Pacific have been awarded Most Punctual Airline between London and Hong Kong for the third consecutive year in 2007.
* Cathay Pacific Cargo has launched daily freighter services from Hong Kong to Shanghai using Boeing 747-200F aircraft, making it the second mainland China city served after it resumed passenger services to Beijing in December 2003, after a 13 year break .
* The first flight to land at the new Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, was the Cathay Pacific flight CX889 from John F. Kennedy International Airport, USA, and flying over the North Pole, which arrived on 6 July 1998. This flight was named Polar One. The last commercial flight to leave Hong Kong's old Kai Tak Airport was the CX251 flight to London Heathrow Airport.
* Cathay Pacific operates twice daily return non-stop flights from Hong Kong to New York JFK that fly approximately over the North Pole CX830 & CX840 operate From HKG to JFK; CX831 & CX841 operate JFK to HKG. It is Cathay Pacific's longest non-stop flight, as well as one of the longest non-stop flights by distance in the world at 8055mi or 12968 km, lasting for approximately 16 hours. Continental Airlines also operates on this route, departing from Newark Liberty International Airport. In addition, Cathay Pacific operates daily return Hong Kong-Toronto non-stop flights, which are also operated via polar routes. These routes are now flown using Cathay Pacific's B777-300ERs.
* On 29 April 2007, Cathay Pacific once suspended its flights to Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, after several attacks on the airport by a para-military group.
* During 2008, Cathay Pacific increased frequencies to India, Middle East and Australia, while cutting flights to Canada and America.
All planes of Cathay Pacific bear its logo as well as small lettering with "Asia's World City Hong Kong" on it. All planes also bear the Oneworld logo and the logo of Swire Group.
Cathay Pacific operate 115 planes, 36 of which are fitted with 3 classes of service for long-haul flights and 47 are fitted with 2 classes of service for short-haul flights and some long-haul flights. Cathay Pacific only operates wide body jets, which includes their cargo fleet of 21 freighters.
In April 2008, the average age of the Cathay Pacific fleet was 11.1 years.
On 1 December 2005, Cathay Pacific announced an order for 16 aircraft to be delivered between September 2007 and July 2010, plus options on 20 more of the type, 2 of which were converted to orders on 1 June 2006. Cathay Pacific also ordered 3 more the same day, with the delivery of the aircraft scheduled for 2008. Cathay Pacific may reach a decision regarding the issue of how the airline's future high-capacity long-haul requirements are to be fulfilled by ordering either the , Airbus A350, Boeing 787 or the Boeing 747-8. However, Cathay Pacific recently stated that they have no plans to order Airbus A380 nor Boeing 787 soon.
On 29 August 2006, Cathay Pacific took delivery of its 100th aircraft, an Airbus A330-300 with the registration B-LAD. For the aircraft acceptance ceremony in Toulouse, the aircraft was painted in a 60th anniversary livery with a 60th anniversary sticker behind the second doors and the letters '100th aircraft' at the rear of the aircraft. The aircraft was named "Progress Hong Kong", a name that was chosen from a competition by the staff.
On 7 August 2007, Cathay Pacific Airways announced that it had placed an order for five more wide-body “Extended Range” aircraft for a total price of about US$11 billion, increasing its commitment to a total of 23 of the aircraft type. These five additional Boeing 777-300ERs will be purchased directly from the Boeing Company and will be delivered in 2011.
On 8 November 2007, Cathay Pacific announced that it had placed an order for 7 additional 777-300ERs and 10 747-8F freighters with Boeing. The airline also took 14 options for the new freighter at that time. This order, if all options are exercised, would make Cathay Pacific the largest operator of 777-300ERs in Asia and largest operator of 747-8Fs in the world. The order has a listed price of $5.2 billion US.
On 6 December 2007, Cathay Pacific placed a firm order for 8 more Airbus A330-300 aircraft valued at approximately US$1.7 billion at list prices. Together with the commitment for 17 long-haul passenger aircraft and freighters announced the previous month, the new aircraft will take the Cathay Pacific Group's fleet size to 200 by 2012. From that 200 aircraft, Cathay Pacific will operate 150 by itself, and the rest will be used by Cathay Pacific subsidiaries.
On 30 January 2008, the chief Boeing 777 pilot for Cathay Pacific, Captain Ian Wilkinson, performed a low-level flypast, reportedly with permission of the control tower, but without permission from the airline, at the Boeing Everett Factory when taking delivery of a new Boeing 777-300ER. Captain Wilkinson was dismissed for his actions. No injuries or further incident was caused.
On March 19, 2007, Hong Kong Airport Authority awarded the airline’s wholly owned subsidiary, Cathay Pacific Services Ltd , a franchise to invest in, design, construct and operate a new air cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport . A 20-year franchise agreement was signed between CPSL and AAHK for a common use cargo terminal. The new cargo terminal will be built in the cargo area at the airport, close to the existing cargo servicing facilities. The terminal facility will occupy a site area of approximately 10 hectares. The new cargo terminal will be operated by a separate management team in CPSL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific.
Since its conception in 1946, Cathay Pacific had operated many types of aircraft. The first two Cathay Pacific aircraft were two World War II surplus Douglas DC-3s named ''Betsy'' and ''Niki''. Betsy , which is the first aircraft for Cathay Pacific, is now a permanent exhibit in the Hong Kong Science Museum. Niki was lost, but a similar DC-3 has been purchased by Cathay Pacific. It was renovated and repainted by CX Engineering and the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company and it now wears the original Cathay Pacific colour scheme. This aircraft received "Niki"s' old VR-HDA registration and is now on public view in the car park outside the Flight Training Centre of Cathay City.
Other aircraft that have been in service with Cathay Pacific are:
* Douglas DC-3
* Avro Anson
* Consolidated PBY Catalina
* Douglas DC-4
* Douglas DC-6
* Lockheed L-188 Electra
* Bristol Britannia
* Convair 880
*
*
*
*
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During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cathay Pacific was the largest operator of the Lockheed TriStar outside the United States.
Food and beverages served on flights leaving Hong Kong are provided by Cathay Pacific Catering Services in facilities in Hong Kong. CLS Catering Services Limited is a joint venture with LSG Sky Chefs and offers inflight catering from airports in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia. Special meals can also be ordered 24 hours before departure.
Since the early 1990s, all seats in all classes have been equipped with Personal TVs featuring Cathay's in-flight entertainment system, StudioCX. There are two versions of Studio CX:
* Economy Class and Regional Business Class feature 20 video channels and 22 audio channels running on a 2-hour cycle. The primary language of the content is English but with Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese content also always available along and other languages sometimes available, depending on the route being flown.
* For first class and long-haul business class StudioCX includes an Audio/Video On Demand system that provides a choice of 50 movies, 100 TV programmes and 120 audio CDs .
Ten interactive games are provided in all classes for flights on which AVOD is offered.
AVOD is available in all First and Business Class cabins on Boeing s, Boeing s, Airbus s and A330-300s fitted in the long-haul 2- or 3-class configurations. Passengers travelling in the new Economy Class will also have AVOD.
Panasonic's "eX2" system is being installed on aircraft with the new seat configuration, and is available on selected A330-300s, B747-400s and all B777-300ERs, and will eventually be provided on all Cathay passenger aircraft.
Cathay Pacific have been phasing in new cabin interiors and inflight entertainment since May 2007. The first aircraft with the new seats was B-HKT, a Boeing 747-400, which flew its first commercial flight with the new seats as CX 460 between Hong Kong and Taipei on 11 May 2007. At that time only the new First and Business Classes were installed; however this aircraft now has the new Economy seats, installed during June 2008. The following aircraft are confirmed to have the new seats installed in all three classes: B-HKD, B-HKE, B-HKF, B-HKT, B-HKU, B-HKV, B-HOS, B-HOT, B-HOV, B-HOX, B-HOW, B-HOY, B-HUA, B-HUD, B-HUI and B-HUG ; B-LAE, B-LAF, B-LAG and B-LAH and B-KPA to B-KPH . All Airbus aircraft with the new cabin will be in a 2-class configuration. Terrestrial AC Adapters have been newly built-in to the new seats as well and are available in all classes .
* The can be converted into a fully lie-flat bed measuring 36” x 81” . The new seats include a massage function, a personal closet, an Ottoman for stowage or guest seating, and an adjustable 17", 16:9 PTV.
* First Class seats can be converted into fully lie-flat beds measuring 22" x 79" and feature a 10.4" PTV, privacy screens and center seat dividers for interior rows, and in-seat power and data ports. This configuration is being replaced by the New First Class cabins.
Cathay Pacific flights feature three business class configurations:
* The seats are arranged in a and follow a suite-like arrangement. The seats are fully lie-flat with increased privacy and larger a AVOD PTV. Additionally, the seats feature lumbar support, massage, a 110 V AC power socket, and a personal phone. However, some passengers have commented that the seats feel narrow and claustrophobic, that the angled seat pattern is uncomfortable, that the construction quality appears sub-standard, and that passengers travelling together will be separated by the pod layout.
* Business Class Seats on aircraft configured for long-haul flights include a 20.5" wide seat that converts into an angled lie-flat bed at a 60" pitch, measuring over 75" long. Features of these seats include adjustable headrest and lumbar support, water bottle holders and 10.4" PTVs with AVOD. This configuration is being phased out as it is replaced by the New Business Class interiors.
* The Regional Business Class is provided on Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777s and select Airbus A330-300s. Regional Business Class seats have 20" width and recline to 45" of pitch and feature electrical recline and leg rest. A 9" PTV is located in the armrest provides 20 video and 22 audio channels but does not offer AVOD.
* The seats, offered on aircraft outfitted with the refurbished long-haul interiors, were designed by B/E Aerospace. New features of these seats include a fixed back design that allows passengers to recline without intruding on those seated behind, a 9" PTV providing AVOD, a larger tray table, a coat hook and a literature pocket that has been relocated to below the seat cushion to create more leg room. These seats are 17" in width and have 32" of pitch.
* Economy Class seats each feature personal 6" PTVs with a choice of 25 channels. These seats are 17" in width and have 32" of pitch. These seats are being replaced with the New Economy Class seats on aircraft receiving the Cathay Pacific's new long-haul interior configuration.
Cathay Pacific has two loyalty programmes: The Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles. Members of "The Club" are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members.
The Marco Polo Club divides members into four tiers based on past travel. Higher tiered members are provided with increased travel benefits such as upgrades, additional baggage allowance, priority flight booking and lounge access. 50 USD is mandatory in registering as a Marco Polo Club Member. There are four tiers in the Marco Polo Club.
Although this is the lowest tier it still gives the member more benefits than a non-member Economy Class passenger. So for example Green Tier members can check in at designated Marco Polo check-in counters, which include the Business Class counters at selected airports. They are also given priority boarding. However, lounge access is not part of this tier.
Silver Tier is achieved when the member earns 30,000 club miles or 20 sectors within a year. The Marco Polo Silver Tier is in many ways much more generous than other silver cards provided by most airlines. For example a Silver Card member has guaranteed 10kg extra baggage allowance, guaranteed Business Class check-in and guaranteed Business Class lounge access when flying Cathay Pacific. Members also receive a Oneworld "Ruby" status, which enables the member to check-in at the Business Class counter when they are flying any airline that is part of the Oneworld Alliance.
With this tier, the member is entitled to a 15kg extra baggage allowance and guaranteed economy class seats . Members also receive One World "Sapphire" status which allows them to access any Business Class lounge as long as they are flying with the Oneworld Alliance. To qualify and renew their membership, Gold Tier members must earn 60,000 miles or 40 sectors within a period of one year. Members may also bring in one guest to the lounge.
This is the highest tier. Members can enjoy First Class check-in and lounge access through out the CX network and the Oneworld Network. They also gain a 20kg extra baggage allowance, and a guaranteed Economy Class seat if ticket is booked up to 24 hours in advance. To qualify for this tier, members need to earn 120,000 club miles or 80 sectors. The member also gains Oneworld "Emerald" status.
Asia Miles is a more traditional travel rewards programme in which "miles" are accumulated by flying on Cathay Pacific or a partner airline. Miles can also be earned by spending through a number of hotels, credit card companies, car rental agencies, telecommunication companies and other non-airline channels. These miles can then be redeemed for flights or other products and services. Joining is free.
It should be noted that club miles, unlike Asia Miles, can only be earned when a member flies in an eligible subclasss with CX, KA or any other member of the Oneworld Alliance. Club miles may not be purchased.
The subclasses on CX and KA that are eligible are as follows:
Y, B, H, K, L, M, V
Subclasses Y, B, H, and K are the only subclasses that are eligible for an upgrade from Economy Class to Business Class .
Cathay Pacific's network is expanding rapidly with codeshare links from Oneworld hubs such as Los Angeles International Airport and London Heathrow Airport .
Cathay Pacific has also began codeshare links with French trains from TGV station at Charles de Gaulle International Airport to ten French cities.
Cathay Pacific has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of June 2007:
* Air China
* Aeroflot
* American Airlines
* British Airways
**
* Dragonair
* Iberia Airlines
* Japan Airlines
* Malaysia Airlines
* Mexicana
* Philippine Airlines
* Finnair
* Qantas
* Vietnam Airlines
* On 16 June 1948, ''Miss Macao'', a flight from Macao to Hong Kong was hijacked by four men, who killed the pilot after take-off. The plane crashed in the Pearl River Delta near Zhuhai. Twenty-six people died, leaving only one survivor, who was the leader of the hijackers. This was the first hijacking of a commercial liner in the world. The plane was operated by a Cathay Pacific subsidiary.
* On 23 July 1954, DC-4, NO:VR-HEU, from Bangkok to Hong Kong was shot down by the People's Liberation Army Air Force in the South China Sea near Hainan Island. Ten people died, leaving eight survivors. After the incident, Cathay Pacific received an apology and compensation from the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
* On 05 November 1967 in Hong Kong, China - Convair CV-880-22M-3 over-ran the runway at Kai Tak. Three people were killed and the aircraft was written-off.
* On 15 June 1972, on from Bangkok to Hong Kong a bomb exploded in a suitcase placed under a seat in the cabin of the Convair 880 while the aircraft was flying at 29,000 feet over Pleiku, Vietnam. The aircraft disintegrated and crashed, killing all 81 people on board.
Cathay Pacific is one of only six airlines worldwide to carry a five-star rating from Skytrax. Cathay was named "Airline of the Year" in 2003 and 2005 by Skytrax and in 2006 by Air Transport World and OAG. The airline has been voted the second best airline in the world by Skytrax for 2008. Cathay Pacific is accredited by the IATA with the IOSA for safety practices. It is also a member of the Oneworld alliance. The company is managed by the Swire Group.
History
Early years
Cathay Pacific Airways was founded in Hong Kong on 24 September 1946 by American Roy Farrell and Australian Sydney de Kantzow. Both men were ex-air force pilots who had flown The Hump, a route over the Himalayan Mountains. Each man put up HK$1 to register the airline. Although initially based in Shanghai, the two men moved to Hong Kong where they formally began Cathay Pacific Airways. They named it "Cathay" because it was the Medieval name given to China, derived from "Khitan", and "Pacific" because Farrell speculated that they would one day fly across the Pacific. The Chinese name for the company comes from a Chinese idiom meaning "Grand and Peaceful State".
According to legend, the airline was conceived by Farrell and some foreign correspondents at the bar of the Manila Hotel. On Cathay Pacific's maiden voyage, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow flew from Hong Kong to Manila, and later on to Shanghai. They had a single Douglas DC-3, nicknamed ''Betsy''. The airline initially flew routes between Hong Kong, Sydney, Manila, Singapore, Shanghai, and , while scheduled service was limited to Bangkok, Manila, and Singapore only.
In 1948 Butterfield & Swire bought 45% of Cathay Pacific, with taking 35% and Farrell and de Kantzow taking 10% each. The new company began operations on 1 July 1948 and was registered as Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd on 18 October 1948. Cathay Pacific aircraft formerly carried a painted Union Jack on the tail but these were removed several years before the 1997 takeover.
In September 1998, Cathay Pacific became a founding member of the Oneworld Alliance. In 1999, they completed their new headquarters, named Cathay City, which is located at Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific was hurt by the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, but recorded a record HK$5 billion profit in 2000.
The 49'ers - industrial troubles
Cathay Pacific fired 49 of its 1,500 pilots on July 9, 2001; hence, they are known as "the 49ers" . About half of the fired pilots were captains, or 5 percent of the total pilot group. But of the 21 officers of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association , 9 were fired, including four of the seven union negotiators.
"The firing was pure intimidation, a union-bust straight up, designed to be random enough to put the fear in all pilots that they might be next, no reason given," says Captain Nigel Demery, president of the HKAOA
A later head of the HKAOA, Captain Murray Gardner, is said to have favoured a more soft-line approach to dealing with management and indeed workplace relations between the two groups have been largely conciliatory since 2002.
Cathay offered the 49 pilots it sacked in 2001 the chance to reapply for pilot positions with its cargo division, guaranteeing such applicants first interviews, subject to passing psychometric testing. 19 former employees applied and 12 were offered jobs.
Acquisition of Dragonair
On 9 June 2006, Cathay Pacific underwent a shareholding realignment under which Dragonair became wholly owned by Cathay Pacific but continued to operate under its own brand. Air China, and its subsidiary, CNAC Limited, acquired a 17.5% stake in Cathay Pacific, and Cathay Pacific doubled its shareholding in Air China to 20%. CITIC reduced its shareholding to 17.5%, and Swire reduced its shareholding to 40%.
Present
To celebrate the airline's 60th anniversary in 2006 a year of road shows named the "Cathay Pacific 60th Anniversary Skyshow" was held where the public could see the developments of the airline, play games, meet some of the airline's staff, and view vintage uniforms. Cathay Pacific also introduced anniversary merchandise and in-flight meals served by famous restaurants in Hong Kong in collaboration with the celebrations. In 2007 Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried more than 23 million passengers.
In June 2008, Cathay Pacific agreed to pay a portion of $504 million in fines levied by the U.S. Justice Department related to cargo price fixing.
Awards
*Cathay Pacific is one of 6 airlines worldwide which has been rated as a 5 star airline by Skytrax
*Cathay Pacific was named World's Best Overall Airline in 2003 and 2005 by a Skytrax survey
*Cathay Pacific is also accredited by the IATA with the IOSA for its safety practices
*The airline was also awarded with Best First Class, Best First Class Lounge , and Best Business Class Lounge by Skytrax.
*The airline was named Airline of the Year 2006 by Air Transport World magazine and by OAG.
*Cathay Pacific have been awarded Most Punctual Airline between London and Hong Kong for the third consecutive year in 2007.
Destinations
* Cathay Pacific Cargo has launched daily freighter services from Hong Kong to Shanghai using Boeing 747-200F aircraft, making it the second mainland China city served after it resumed passenger services to Beijing in December 2003, after a 13 year break .
* The first flight to land at the new Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, was the Cathay Pacific flight CX889 from John F. Kennedy International Airport, USA, and flying over the North Pole, which arrived on 6 July 1998. This flight was named Polar One. The last commercial flight to leave Hong Kong's old Kai Tak Airport was the CX251 flight to London Heathrow Airport.
* Cathay Pacific operates twice daily return non-stop flights from Hong Kong to New York JFK that fly approximately over the North Pole CX830 & CX840 operate From HKG to JFK; CX831 & CX841 operate JFK to HKG. It is Cathay Pacific's longest non-stop flight, as well as one of the longest non-stop flights by distance in the world at 8055mi or 12968 km, lasting for approximately 16 hours. Continental Airlines also operates on this route, departing from Newark Liberty International Airport. In addition, Cathay Pacific operates daily return Hong Kong-Toronto non-stop flights, which are also operated via polar routes. These routes are now flown using Cathay Pacific's B777-300ERs.
* On 29 April 2007, Cathay Pacific once suspended its flights to Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, after several attacks on the airport by a para-military group.
* During 2008, Cathay Pacific increased frequencies to India, Middle East and Australia, while cutting flights to Canada and America.
Fleet
Livery
All planes of Cathay Pacific bear its logo as well as small lettering with "Asia's World City Hong Kong" on it. All planes also bear the Oneworld logo and the logo of Swire Group.
Passenger
Cathay Pacific operate 115 planes, 36 of which are fitted with 3 classes of service for long-haul flights and 47 are fitted with 2 classes of service for short-haul flights and some long-haul flights. Cathay Pacific only operates wide body jets, which includes their cargo fleet of 21 freighters.
In April 2008, the average age of the Cathay Pacific fleet was 11.1 years.
On 1 December 2005, Cathay Pacific announced an order for 16 aircraft to be delivered between September 2007 and July 2010, plus options on 20 more of the type, 2 of which were converted to orders on 1 June 2006. Cathay Pacific also ordered 3 more the same day, with the delivery of the aircraft scheduled for 2008. Cathay Pacific may reach a decision regarding the issue of how the airline's future high-capacity long-haul requirements are to be fulfilled by ordering either the , Airbus A350, Boeing 787 or the Boeing 747-8. However, Cathay Pacific recently stated that they have no plans to order Airbus A380 nor Boeing 787 soon.
On 29 August 2006, Cathay Pacific took delivery of its 100th aircraft, an Airbus A330-300 with the registration B-LAD. For the aircraft acceptance ceremony in Toulouse, the aircraft was painted in a 60th anniversary livery with a 60th anniversary sticker behind the second doors and the letters '100th aircraft' at the rear of the aircraft. The aircraft was named "Progress Hong Kong", a name that was chosen from a competition by the staff.
On 7 August 2007, Cathay Pacific Airways announced that it had placed an order for five more wide-body “Extended Range” aircraft for a total price of about US$11 billion, increasing its commitment to a total of 23 of the aircraft type. These five additional Boeing 777-300ERs will be purchased directly from the Boeing Company and will be delivered in 2011.
On 8 November 2007, Cathay Pacific announced that it had placed an order for 7 additional 777-300ERs and 10 747-8F freighters with Boeing. The airline also took 14 options for the new freighter at that time. This order, if all options are exercised, would make Cathay Pacific the largest operator of 777-300ERs in Asia and largest operator of 747-8Fs in the world. The order has a listed price of $5.2 billion US.
On 6 December 2007, Cathay Pacific placed a firm order for 8 more Airbus A330-300 aircraft valued at approximately US$1.7 billion at list prices. Together with the commitment for 17 long-haul passenger aircraft and freighters announced the previous month, the new aircraft will take the Cathay Pacific Group's fleet size to 200 by 2012. From that 200 aircraft, Cathay Pacific will operate 150 by itself, and the rest will be used by Cathay Pacific subsidiaries.
On 30 January 2008, the chief Boeing 777 pilot for Cathay Pacific, Captain Ian Wilkinson, performed a low-level flypast, reportedly with permission of the control tower, but without permission from the airline, at the Boeing Everett Factory when taking delivery of a new Boeing 777-300ER. Captain Wilkinson was dismissed for his actions. No injuries or further incident was caused.
Cargo
On March 19, 2007, Hong Kong Airport Authority awarded the airline’s wholly owned subsidiary, Cathay Pacific Services Ltd , a franchise to invest in, design, construct and operate a new air cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport . A 20-year franchise agreement was signed between CPSL and AAHK for a common use cargo terminal. The new cargo terminal will be built in the cargo area at the airport, close to the existing cargo servicing facilities. The terminal facility will occupy a site area of approximately 10 hectares. The new cargo terminal will be operated by a separate management team in CPSL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific.
Retired
Since its conception in 1946, Cathay Pacific had operated many types of aircraft. The first two Cathay Pacific aircraft were two World War II surplus Douglas DC-3s named ''Betsy'' and ''Niki''. Betsy , which is the first aircraft for Cathay Pacific, is now a permanent exhibit in the Hong Kong Science Museum. Niki was lost, but a similar DC-3 has been purchased by Cathay Pacific. It was renovated and repainted by CX Engineering and the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company and it now wears the original Cathay Pacific colour scheme. This aircraft received "Niki"s' old VR-HDA registration and is now on public view in the car park outside the Flight Training Centre of Cathay City.
Other aircraft that have been in service with Cathay Pacific are:
* Douglas DC-3
* Avro Anson
* Consolidated PBY Catalina
* Douglas DC-4
* Douglas DC-6
* Lockheed L-188 Electra
* Bristol Britannia
* Convair 880
*
*
*
*
*
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cathay Pacific was the largest operator of the Lockheed TriStar outside the United States.
Services
Catering
Food and beverages served on flights leaving Hong Kong are provided by Cathay Pacific Catering Services in facilities in Hong Kong. CLS Catering Services Limited is a joint venture with LSG Sky Chefs and offers inflight catering from airports in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia. Special meals can also be ordered 24 hours before departure.
In-flight entertainment
Since the early 1990s, all seats in all classes have been equipped with Personal TVs featuring Cathay's in-flight entertainment system, StudioCX. There are two versions of Studio CX:
* Economy Class and Regional Business Class feature 20 video channels and 22 audio channels running on a 2-hour cycle. The primary language of the content is English but with Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese content also always available along and other languages sometimes available, depending on the route being flown.
* For first class and long-haul business class StudioCX includes an Audio/Video On Demand system that provides a choice of 50 movies, 100 TV programmes and 120 audio CDs .
Ten interactive games are provided in all classes for flights on which AVOD is offered.
AVOD is available in all First and Business Class cabins on Boeing s, Boeing s, Airbus s and A330-300s fitted in the long-haul 2- or 3-class configurations. Passengers travelling in the new Economy Class will also have AVOD.
Panasonic's "eX2" system is being installed on aircraft with the new seat configuration, and is available on selected A330-300s, B747-400s and all B777-300ERs, and will eventually be provided on all Cathay passenger aircraft.
New seats
Cathay Pacific have been phasing in new cabin interiors and inflight entertainment since May 2007. The first aircraft with the new seats was B-HKT, a Boeing 747-400, which flew its first commercial flight with the new seats as CX 460 between Hong Kong and Taipei on 11 May 2007. At that time only the new First and Business Classes were installed; however this aircraft now has the new Economy seats, installed during June 2008. The following aircraft are confirmed to have the new seats installed in all three classes: B-HKD, B-HKE, B-HKF, B-HKT, B-HKU, B-HKV, B-HOS, B-HOT, B-HOV, B-HOX, B-HOW, B-HOY, B-HUA, B-HUD, B-HUI and B-HUG ; B-LAE, B-LAF, B-LAG and B-LAH and B-KPA to B-KPH . All Airbus aircraft with the new cabin will be in a 2-class configuration. Terrestrial AC Adapters have been newly built-in to the new seats as well and are available in all classes .
First Class Cabins
* The can be converted into a fully lie-flat bed measuring 36” x 81” . The new seats include a massage function, a personal closet, an Ottoman for stowage or guest seating, and an adjustable 17", 16:9 PTV.
* First Class seats can be converted into fully lie-flat beds measuring 22" x 79" and feature a 10.4" PTV, privacy screens and center seat dividers for interior rows, and in-seat power and data ports. This configuration is being replaced by the New First Class cabins.
Business Class Cabins
Cathay Pacific flights feature three business class configurations:
* The seats are arranged in a and follow a suite-like arrangement. The seats are fully lie-flat with increased privacy and larger a AVOD PTV. Additionally, the seats feature lumbar support, massage, a 110 V AC power socket, and a personal phone. However, some passengers have commented that the seats feel narrow and claustrophobic, that the angled seat pattern is uncomfortable, that the construction quality appears sub-standard, and that passengers travelling together will be separated by the pod layout.
* Business Class Seats on aircraft configured for long-haul flights include a 20.5" wide seat that converts into an angled lie-flat bed at a 60" pitch, measuring over 75" long. Features of these seats include adjustable headrest and lumbar support, water bottle holders and 10.4" PTVs with AVOD. This configuration is being phased out as it is replaced by the New Business Class interiors.
* The Regional Business Class is provided on Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777s and select Airbus A330-300s. Regional Business Class seats have 20" width and recline to 45" of pitch and feature electrical recline and leg rest. A 9" PTV is located in the armrest provides 20 video and 22 audio channels but does not offer AVOD.
Economy Class Cabins
* The seats, offered on aircraft outfitted with the refurbished long-haul interiors, were designed by B/E Aerospace. New features of these seats include a fixed back design that allows passengers to recline without intruding on those seated behind, a 9" PTV providing AVOD, a larger tray table, a coat hook and a literature pocket that has been relocated to below the seat cushion to create more leg room. These seats are 17" in width and have 32" of pitch.
* Economy Class seats each feature personal 6" PTVs with a choice of 25 channels. These seats are 17" in width and have 32" of pitch. These seats are being replaced with the New Economy Class seats on aircraft receiving the Cathay Pacific's new long-haul interior configuration.
Loyalty Programmes
Cathay Pacific has two loyalty programmes: The Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles. Members of "The Club" are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members.
The Marco Polo Club divides members into four tiers based on past travel. Higher tiered members are provided with increased travel benefits such as upgrades, additional baggage allowance, priority flight booking and lounge access. 50 USD is mandatory in registering as a Marco Polo Club Member. There are four tiers in the Marco Polo Club.
''Green Tier''
Although this is the lowest tier it still gives the member more benefits than a non-member Economy Class passenger. So for example Green Tier members can check in at designated Marco Polo check-in counters, which include the Business Class counters at selected airports. They are also given priority boarding. However, lounge access is not part of this tier.
''Silver Tier''
Silver Tier is achieved when the member earns 30,000 club miles or 20 sectors within a year. The Marco Polo Silver Tier is in many ways much more generous than other silver cards provided by most airlines. For example a Silver Card member has guaranteed 10kg extra baggage allowance, guaranteed Business Class check-in and guaranteed Business Class lounge access when flying Cathay Pacific. Members also receive a Oneworld "Ruby" status, which enables the member to check-in at the Business Class counter when they are flying any airline that is part of the Oneworld Alliance.
''Gold Tier''
With this tier, the member is entitled to a 15kg extra baggage allowance and guaranteed economy class seats . Members also receive One World "Sapphire" status which allows them to access any Business Class lounge as long as they are flying with the Oneworld Alliance. To qualify and renew their membership, Gold Tier members must earn 60,000 miles or 40 sectors within a period of one year. Members may also bring in one guest to the lounge.
''Diamond Tier''
This is the highest tier. Members can enjoy First Class check-in and lounge access through out the CX network and the Oneworld Network. They also gain a 20kg extra baggage allowance, and a guaranteed Economy Class seat if ticket is booked up to 24 hours in advance. To qualify for this tier, members need to earn 120,000 club miles or 80 sectors. The member also gains Oneworld "Emerald" status.
Asia Miles is a more traditional travel rewards programme in which "miles" are accumulated by flying on Cathay Pacific or a partner airline. Miles can also be earned by spending through a number of hotels, credit card companies, car rental agencies, telecommunication companies and other non-airline channels. These miles can then be redeemed for flights or other products and services. Joining is free.
It should be noted that club miles, unlike Asia Miles, can only be earned when a member flies in an eligible subclasss with CX, KA or any other member of the Oneworld Alliance. Club miles may not be purchased.
The subclasses on CX and KA that are eligible are as follows:
Y, B, H, K, L, M, V
Subclasses Y, B, H, and K are the only subclasses that are eligible for an upgrade from Economy Class to Business Class .
Codeshare agreements
Cathay Pacific's network is expanding rapidly with codeshare links from Oneworld hubs such as Los Angeles International Airport and London Heathrow Airport .
Cathay Pacific has also began codeshare links with French trains from TGV station at Charles de Gaulle International Airport to ten French cities.
Cathay Pacific has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of June 2007:
* Air China
* Aeroflot
* American Airlines
* British Airways
**
* Dragonair
* Iberia Airlines
* Japan Airlines
* Malaysia Airlines
* Mexicana
* Philippine Airlines
* Finnair
* Qantas
* Vietnam Airlines
Incidents and accidents
* On 16 June 1948, ''Miss Macao'', a flight from Macao to Hong Kong was hijacked by four men, who killed the pilot after take-off. The plane crashed in the Pearl River Delta near Zhuhai. Twenty-six people died, leaving only one survivor, who was the leader of the hijackers. This was the first hijacking of a commercial liner in the world. The plane was operated by a Cathay Pacific subsidiary.
* On 23 July 1954, DC-4, NO:VR-HEU, from Bangkok to Hong Kong was shot down by the People's Liberation Army Air Force in the South China Sea near Hainan Island. Ten people died, leaving eight survivors. After the incident, Cathay Pacific received an apology and compensation from the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
* On 05 November 1967 in Hong Kong, China - Convair CV-880-22M-3 over-ran the runway at Kai Tak. Three people were killed and the aircraft was written-off.
* On 15 June 1972, on from Bangkok to Hong Kong a bomb exploded in a suitcase placed under a seat in the cabin of the Convair 880 while the aircraft was flying at 29,000 feet over Pleiku, Vietnam. The aircraft disintegrated and crashed, killing all 81 people on board.
Air Hong Kong
AHK Air Hong Kong Limited , abbreviated AHK, is the only all-cargo airline based in Hong Kong. It operates regional overnight express and freight services. Its main base is Hong Kong International Airport.
The airline was established in 1986 and started operations in February 1988 with Boeing 707 aircraft. Scheduled services were added in 1989. Two and two aircraft were used until 2004. 75% of the company's share was acquired by Cathay Pacific in June 1994, followed by the remaining 25% in February 2002. In October 2002, Cathay Pacific entered into a business partnership with DHL to develop the express-freight network in Asia and at that time, and in March 2003, 30% of the company's shares were acquired by . AHK was the launch customer for the general freighter which is a new variant of the . The eighth, and the last aircraft was delivered on the 28 June, 2006, with the registration code B-LDH. This new variant has a cargo-loading system capable of handling virtually every type of container and pallet, and a side door at the rear of the lower deck capable of handling large items of general freight, and is being delivered from second-half of 2004. AHK selected the CF6-80C2 engines from General Electric, and signed on to GE's Maintenance Cost Per Hour programme.
In November 2007, Air Hong Kong was awarded for Operational Excellence by the airplane manufacturer Airbus for achieving an overall best performance on airplane utilization, operational reliability, and average delay time.
The airline is owned by Cathay Pacific and DHL International GmbH and has 96 employees (at March 2007
*
**Hong Kong Main hub
**Shanghai
**Beijing
*
**Taipei
*Japan
**Nagoya
**Osaka
**Tokyo
*
**Seoul
*Malaysia
**Penang
*Singapore
**Singapore
*Philippine
**Manila
The Air Hong Kong fleet consists of the following aircraft :
*8
** Their aircraft registration numbers: B-LDA, B-LDB, B-LDC, B-LDD, B-LDE, B-LDF, B-LDG, B-LDH
History
The airline was established in 1986 and started operations in February 1988 with Boeing 707 aircraft. Scheduled services were added in 1989. Two and two aircraft were used until 2004. 75% of the company's share was acquired by Cathay Pacific in June 1994, followed by the remaining 25% in February 2002. In October 2002, Cathay Pacific entered into a business partnership with DHL to develop the express-freight network in Asia and at that time, and in March 2003, 30% of the company's shares were acquired by . AHK was the launch customer for the general freighter which is a new variant of the . The eighth, and the last aircraft was delivered on the 28 June, 2006, with the registration code B-LDH. This new variant has a cargo-loading system capable of handling virtually every type of container and pallet, and a side door at the rear of the lower deck capable of handling large items of general freight, and is being delivered from second-half of 2004. AHK selected the CF6-80C2 engines from General Electric, and signed on to GE's Maintenance Cost Per Hour programme.
In November 2007, Air Hong Kong was awarded for Operational Excellence by the airplane manufacturer Airbus for achieving an overall best performance on airplane utilization, operational reliability, and average delay time.
The airline is owned by Cathay Pacific and DHL International GmbH and has 96 employees (at March 2007
*
**Hong Kong Main hub
**Shanghai
**Beijing
*
**Taipei
*Japan
**Nagoya
**Osaka
**Tokyo
*
**Seoul
*Malaysia
**Penang
*Singapore
**Singapore
*Philippine
**Manila
Fleet
The Air Hong Kong fleet consists of the following aircraft :
*8
** Their aircraft registration numbers: B-LDA, B-LDB, B-LDC, B-LDD, B-LDE, B-LDF, B-LDG, B-LDH
Wong Tai Sin Temple
Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the most famous shrines in Hong Kong. It is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Wong. The 18,000- Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called Kau Cim. The temple is located on the southern side of Lion Rock in the north of Kowloon.
In the early 20th century, Leung Renyan spread the influence of Wong Tai Sin from Qiaoshan , Guangxi province of China to Wan Chai, in Hong Kong. On the main altar of the temple stands the painting of the Taoist god, which was originally brought to Hong Kong from Guangdong province in 1915. In 1921, under the advice of an enlightened one, they moved the temple to Rosy Garden, its current position.
The temple remained a private shrine limited to only "Pu Yi Tan" Taoists and their family members until 1934, when the government opened the temple to the public during Chinese New Year. Temple historians often describe the shrine as a miraculous structure for surviving the in the 1940s relatively unscathed.
In 1956, the government proposed to reclaim the temple for public housing development. Chairman Wong Wan Tin's pushed for the temple to remain open
There is a Nine- Wall modeled after one in Beijing. The Three-Saint Hall is dedicated to Lü Dongbin, Guan Yin, and Lord Guan. Containing a portrait of Confucius, the Taoist temple has a collection of Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist literature.
The architecture is the traditional Chinese temple style with grand red pillars, a magnificent golden roof adorned with blue friezes, yellow latticework, and multi-colored carvings. Aside from the Daxiong-baodian or Grand Hall, Sansheng Hall and the Good Wish Garden are also worth seeing. The temple grounds also feature three memorial archways. The first one stands outside the temple and is carved with the name of the temple. If you walk past the soothsayers and the fortune-telling stalls, you can see another memorial archway. And if you continue further along the third memorial archway standing before you. .
Annually, from January 1 to 15, the temple receives numerous visitors, such as those whose prayers were answered returning to thank the immortal. Wong Tai Sin's birthday on the 23rd day of the 8th lunar month, and the Chinese New Year holidays are the busiest times for the temple.
On the Chinese New Year's Eve, thousands of worshippers wait outside the temple before midnight and rush in to the main altar to offer Wong Tai Sin their glowing when the year comes. As the tradition goes, the earlier they offer the incense, the better luck they will have that year.
Most of the visitors come to the temple in search for a spiritual answer via a practice called Kau Cim. They light incense sticks, kneel before the main altar, make a wish, and shake a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshiper. Often the same piece of fortune is taken to multiple booths for verification purposes. Some booths offer service.
Recently, Taoist weddings have been performed here.
The temple is open from 7:00am to 5:30pm throughout the year, and runs overnight in the Lunar New Year Eve. It is currently administrated by Sik Sik Yuen, a Taoist organization in Hong Kong.
History
In the early 20th century, Leung Renyan spread the influence of Wong Tai Sin from Qiaoshan , Guangxi province of China to Wan Chai, in Hong Kong. On the main altar of the temple stands the painting of the Taoist god, which was originally brought to Hong Kong from Guangdong province in 1915. In 1921, under the advice of an enlightened one, they moved the temple to Rosy Garden, its current position.
The temple remained a private shrine limited to only "Pu Yi Tan" Taoists and their family members until 1934, when the government opened the temple to the public during Chinese New Year. Temple historians often describe the shrine as a miraculous structure for surviving the in the 1940s relatively unscathed.
In 1956, the government proposed to reclaim the temple for public housing development. Chairman Wong Wan Tin's pushed for the temple to remain open
Facilities
There is a Nine- Wall modeled after one in Beijing. The Three-Saint Hall is dedicated to Lü Dongbin, Guan Yin, and Lord Guan. Containing a portrait of Confucius, the Taoist temple has a collection of Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist literature.
The architecture is the traditional Chinese temple style with grand red pillars, a magnificent golden roof adorned with blue friezes, yellow latticework, and multi-colored carvings. Aside from the Daxiong-baodian or Grand Hall, Sansheng Hall and the Good Wish Garden are also worth seeing. The temple grounds also feature three memorial archways. The first one stands outside the temple and is carved with the name of the temple. If you walk past the soothsayers and the fortune-telling stalls, you can see another memorial archway. And if you continue further along the third memorial archway standing before you. .
Traditions
Annually, from January 1 to 15, the temple receives numerous visitors, such as those whose prayers were answered returning to thank the immortal. Wong Tai Sin's birthday on the 23rd day of the 8th lunar month, and the Chinese New Year holidays are the busiest times for the temple.
On the Chinese New Year's Eve, thousands of worshippers wait outside the temple before midnight and rush in to the main altar to offer Wong Tai Sin their glowing when the year comes. As the tradition goes, the earlier they offer the incense, the better luck they will have that year.
Most of the visitors come to the temple in search for a spiritual answer via a practice called Kau Cim. They light incense sticks, kneel before the main altar, make a wish, and shake a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until a stick falls out. This stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number, and then the soothsayer will interpret the fortune on the paper for the worshiper. Often the same piece of fortune is taken to multiple booths for verification purposes. Some booths offer service.
Recently, Taoist weddings have been performed here.
Operation
The temple is open from 7:00am to 5:30pm throughout the year, and runs overnight in the Lunar New Year Eve. It is currently administrated by Sik Sik Yuen, a Taoist organization in Hong Kong.
Walled villages of Hong Kong
Most of the walled villages in Hong Kong are located in the New Territories.
A walled village is a kind of traditional building which is completely surrounded by thick defensive walls, protecting the residents from the attack of wild animals and enemies. Usually, people living in the walled village are extended families or sharing the same surname. Walled villages can be found in mainland China and Hong Kong.
During the and Dynasties, the shore of Guangdong suffered from pirates. The area of Hong Kong was particular venuable to pirates' attacks. Winding shores, hilly lands and islands and far from administrative centres made Hong Kong an excellent hideout for pirates. Villages, both Punti and Hakka, built walls against pirates. Some villages even protected themselves by cannon guns.
In Punti Cantonese, ''Wai'' and ''Tsuen'' were once synonym.
Kat Hing Wai is a famous Punti walled village in of Hong Kong. It often mistakenly believed to be Hakka, whose people have similar traditions. However the Punti people were from Southern China and the first to settle in Hong Kong. Kat Hing Wai's residents speak , rather than . Popularly known as ''Kam Tin'', from the name of the area, it is home to about 400 descendants of the Tang Clan, who built the village back in the 1600s.
Kat Hing Wai is a rectangular walled village. As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the Tangs well through the centuries, protecting the residents against bandits, rival clans, and wild tigers. In the Qing Dynasty, a five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers were added to defend against bandits. Today, the village is still completely surrounded by 18-foot-thick walls, outside which are the remains of a moat. However, most houses within the walls have been rebuilt in recent years. There is only one narrow entrance, with a pair of iron gates that were once removed to Britain when the villagers rebelled against British colonial rule and which only one was eventually returned. The current standing gates are a mismatched pair, the left hand side originally belongs to Tai Hong Wai and was given to Kat Hing Wai as a gift upon the gates return.
Route: or bus routes 51, 54, 64K and 251M.
Tsang Tai Uk , also known as Shan Ha Wai, is another well-known Hakka walled village in Hong Kong, and one of the best preserved. It is located close to the south of the Pok Hong Estate, not far from the Lion Rock Tunnel Road.
Built in the 1840s, it was constructed in 1848 as a stronghold for the Tsang Clan. It is a preserved Hakka fortified village in Sha Tin. It is said to have taken 20 years to build the village. The village is built with granite, grey bricks and solid timber.
Sheung Shui Wai , also known as Sheung Shui Heung , is one of the very few rural settlements having retained its original moat which was built in 1646. Characterized by its magnificent moat and landscape setting, the walled village is the core of the Liu clan, of which ancestors came originally from Fujian during the Yuan Dynasty . The village is located in Sheung Shui.
Fanling Wai is a walled village in Fanling built by the Pang clan. It is recognisable with the distinctive pond and layout including features such as cannons and watchtowers. All these elements were crafted to form an integral part of the village setting. Fanling Wai is the centre of the Pang clan who arrived in Hong Kong from Guangxi province late in the Song Dynasty.
Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen is a walled village in , New Kowloon. It is the one of the few walled villages left in the urban built-up areas of Hong Kong. On July 18, 2007, the government announced its plans to reconstruct Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen.
A village name ending in "Wai" usually indicates a walled village, but in some cases the walls have been partly or totally demolished. Remaining fully or partially walled villages in Hong Kong include:
* Fanling Wai
* Sheung Shui Wai
* The "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau:
** Lo Wai
** Ma Wat Wai
** Wing Ning Wai
** Tung Kok Wai
** San Wai
* Sheung Yiu Village, now Sheung Yiu Folk Museum , a former Hakka walled village at Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung .
* Tsang Tai Uk
* Chik Chuen Wai , commonly known as "Tai Wai" , and located in Tai Wai
* Tin Sam Wai , in Tai Wai
* Sam Tung Uk , a former Hakka walled village in Tsuen Wan, which has been converted into the Sam Tung Uk Museum, and is now a .
* Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen
* Kat Hing Wai
* Sheung Cheung Wai , in Ping Shan, part of the Ping Shan Heritage Trail
A walled village is a kind of traditional building which is completely surrounded by thick defensive walls, protecting the residents from the attack of wild animals and enemies. Usually, people living in the walled village are extended families or sharing the same surname. Walled villages can be found in mainland China and Hong Kong.
History
During the and Dynasties, the shore of Guangdong suffered from pirates. The area of Hong Kong was particular venuable to pirates' attacks. Winding shores, hilly lands and islands and far from administrative centres made Hong Kong an excellent hideout for pirates. Villages, both Punti and Hakka, built walls against pirates. Some villages even protected themselves by cannon guns.
In Punti Cantonese, ''Wai'' and ''Tsuen'' were once synonym.
Famous walled villages
Kat Hing Wai
Kat Hing Wai is a famous Punti walled village in of Hong Kong. It often mistakenly believed to be Hakka, whose people have similar traditions. However the Punti people were from Southern China and the first to settle in Hong Kong. Kat Hing Wai's residents speak , rather than . Popularly known as ''Kam Tin'', from the name of the area, it is home to about 400 descendants of the Tang Clan, who built the village back in the 1600s.
Kat Hing Wai is a rectangular walled village. As a family stronghold, Kat Hing Wai has served the Tangs well through the centuries, protecting the residents against bandits, rival clans, and wild tigers. In the Qing Dynasty, a five-metre high blue brick wall and four cannon towers were added to defend against bandits. Today, the village is still completely surrounded by 18-foot-thick walls, outside which are the remains of a moat. However, most houses within the walls have been rebuilt in recent years. There is only one narrow entrance, with a pair of iron gates that were once removed to Britain when the villagers rebelled against British colonial rule and which only one was eventually returned. The current standing gates are a mismatched pair, the left hand side originally belongs to Tai Hong Wai and was given to Kat Hing Wai as a gift upon the gates return.
Route: or bus routes 51, 54, 64K and 251M.
Tsang Tai Uk
Tsang Tai Uk , also known as Shan Ha Wai, is another well-known Hakka walled village in Hong Kong, and one of the best preserved. It is located close to the south of the Pok Hong Estate, not far from the Lion Rock Tunnel Road.
Built in the 1840s, it was constructed in 1848 as a stronghold for the Tsang Clan. It is a preserved Hakka fortified village in Sha Tin. It is said to have taken 20 years to build the village. The village is built with granite, grey bricks and solid timber.
Sheung Shui Wai
Sheung Shui Wai , also known as Sheung Shui Heung , is one of the very few rural settlements having retained its original moat which was built in 1646. Characterized by its magnificent moat and landscape setting, the walled village is the core of the Liu clan, of which ancestors came originally from Fujian during the Yuan Dynasty . The village is located in Sheung Shui.
Fanling Wai
Fanling Wai is a walled village in Fanling built by the Pang clan. It is recognisable with the distinctive pond and layout including features such as cannons and watchtowers. All these elements were crafted to form an integral part of the village setting. Fanling Wai is the centre of the Pang clan who arrived in Hong Kong from Guangxi province late in the Song Dynasty.
Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen
Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen is a walled village in , New Kowloon. It is the one of the few walled villages left in the urban built-up areas of Hong Kong. On July 18, 2007, the government announced its plans to reconstruct Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen.
List of walled villages
A village name ending in "Wai" usually indicates a walled village, but in some cases the walls have been partly or totally demolished. Remaining fully or partially walled villages in Hong Kong include:
North District
* Fanling Wai
* Sheung Shui Wai
* The "Five Wais" of Lung Yeuk Tau:
** Lo Wai
** Ma Wat Wai
** Wing Ning Wai
** Tung Kok Wai
** San Wai
Sai Kung District
* Sheung Yiu Village, now Sheung Yiu Folk Museum , a former Hakka walled village at Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung .
Sha Tin District
* Tsang Tai Uk
* Chik Chuen Wai , commonly known as "Tai Wai" , and located in Tai Wai
* Tin Sam Wai , in Tai Wai
Tsuen Wan District
* Sam Tung Uk , a former Hakka walled village in Tsuen Wan, which has been converted into the Sam Tung Uk Museum, and is now a .
Wong Tai Sin District
* Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen
Yuen Long District
* Kat Hing Wai
* Sheung Cheung Wai , in Ping Shan, part of the Ping Shan Heritage Trail
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island. With an altitude of , it is the highest mountain on the island proper, but not in the , an honour which belongs to Tai Mo Shan. Because of its view, history and spectacular location, Victoria Peak is strongly attached to an air of prestige.
The actual summit of Victoria Peak is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name ''The Peak''. It is a major tourist attraction which offers spectacular views over central Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour, and the surrounding islands.
As early as 19th century, the Peak attracted non-native, prominent residents because of its panoramic view over the colony and its temperate climate compared to the climate in the rest of Hong Kong. The sixth Governor of Hong Kong, had a summer residence built on the Peak circa 1868.
These original residents reached their homes by , which were carried up and down the steep slope of Victoria Peak. This limited development of the Peak until the opening of the Peak Tram, a , in 1888.
The boost to accessibility caused by the opening of the Peak Tram created demand for residences on the Peak. Between 1904 and 1930, the Peak Reservation Ordinance designated the Peak as an exclusive residential area reserved for s and government officials. They also reserved the Peak Tram for the use of such passengers during peak periods. The Peak remains an upmarket residential area, although residency today is based on wealth.
With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. It offers spectacular views of the city and its harbours. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other.
The Peak Tower incorporates the upper station of the Peak Tram, the that brings passengers up from Hong Kong's , whilst the Peak Galleria incorporates the bus station used by the Hong Kong and on the Peak. The Peak is also accessible by and private car via the circuitous Peak Road, or by walking up the steep Old Peak Road from near the .
Victoria Peak Garden is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor's old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from Victoria Gap by walking up Mount Austin Road, a climb of about . Another popular walk is the level loop along Lugard Road, giving good views of Hong Kong's and Kowloon, and then returning via Harlech Road, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower.
There are several restaurants on Victoria Peak, most of which are located in the two shopping centres. However, the Peak Lookout Restaurant, is housed in an older and more traditional building which was originally a spacious house for engineers working on the Peak Tramway. It was rebuilt in 1901 as a stop area for sedan chairs, but was re-opened as a restaurant in 1947.
The Peak is home to many species of birds, most prominently the Black Kite, and to numerous species of .
The actual summit of Victoria Peak is occupied by a radio telecommunications facility and is closed to the public. However, the surrounding area of public parks and high-value residential land is the area that is normally meant by the name ''The Peak''. It is a major tourist attraction which offers spectacular views over central Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour, and the surrounding islands.
History
As early as 19th century, the Peak attracted non-native, prominent residents because of its panoramic view over the colony and its temperate climate compared to the climate in the rest of Hong Kong. The sixth Governor of Hong Kong, had a summer residence built on the Peak circa 1868.
These original residents reached their homes by , which were carried up and down the steep slope of Victoria Peak. This limited development of the Peak until the opening of the Peak Tram, a , in 1888.
The boost to accessibility caused by the opening of the Peak Tram created demand for residences on the Peak. Between 1904 and 1930, the Peak Reservation Ordinance designated the Peak as an exclusive residential area reserved for s and government officials. They also reserved the Peak Tram for the use of such passengers during peak periods. The Peak remains an upmarket residential area, although residency today is based on wealth.
Tourism
With some seven million visitors every year, the Peak is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. It offers spectacular views of the city and its harbours. The number of visitors led to the construction of two major leisure and shopping centres, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria, situated adjacent to each other.
The Peak Tower incorporates the upper station of the Peak Tram, the that brings passengers up from Hong Kong's , whilst the Peak Galleria incorporates the bus station used by the Hong Kong and on the Peak. The Peak is also accessible by and private car via the circuitous Peak Road, or by walking up the steep Old Peak Road from near the .
Victoria Peak Garden is located on the site of Mountain Lodge, the Governor's old summer residence, and is the closest publicly accessible point to the summit. It can be reached from Victoria Gap by walking up Mount Austin Road, a climb of about . Another popular walk is the level loop along Lugard Road, giving good views of Hong Kong's and Kowloon, and then returning via Harlech Road, encircling the summit at the level of the Peak Tower.
There are several restaurants on Victoria Peak, most of which are located in the two shopping centres. However, the Peak Lookout Restaurant, is housed in an older and more traditional building which was originally a spacious house for engineers working on the Peak Tramway. It was rebuilt in 1901 as a stop area for sedan chairs, but was re-opened as a restaurant in 1947.
Natural history
The Peak is home to many species of birds, most prominently the Black Kite, and to numerous species of .
Alternative names
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea was instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent development as a trading centre. Throughout its history, the harbour has seen numerous projects undertaken on both shores, but still retains its founding role as a port for thousands of international vessels each year.
Long famous for its spectacular views, the harbour is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. Lying in the middle of the territory's dense urban region, the harbour is the site of annual fireworks displays and its promenades are popular gathering places for tourists and residents.
Some of the first recreational activities to take place in the harbour were water competitions such as swimming and water polo in 1850s within the members of Hong Kong's first sports club, the Victoria Recreation Club.
During the Taiping Rebellion, armed rebels paraded the streets of Hong Kong. On December 21, 1854, the Hong Kong police arrested several armed rebels who were about to attack Kowloon City. On January 23, 1855, a fleet of Taiping was on the verge of a naval battle against Chinese imperial war boats defending the harbour. The Chinese defenders were ordered away by the British colonial authorities. These incidents caused rising tension that would eventually lead to the Arrow War. The harbour was originally called "Hong Kong Harbour," but was later renamed as "Victoria Harbour," to assure shelter for the British fleet under .
The subject of pollution arrived in the 1970s with rapid growth in the manufacturing sector. The water club races were stopped in 1973 due to pollution in the harbour.
After completion of the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation Feasibility Study in 1989, the Land Development Policy Committee endorsed a concept for gradual implementation of the reclamation. The reclamation consists of three district development cells separated by parks, namely, , and .
The latest proposed reclamation extends along the waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay faced public opposition, as the harbour has become a pivotal location to Hongkongers in general. Activists has denounced the government's actions as destructive not only to the natural environment, but also to what is widely considered as one of the most prized natural assets of the territory. s, including the Society for Protection of the Harbour, were formed to resist further attempts to reduce the size of the waterbody, with its chairman, Christine Loh, quoted as saying that the harbour "...is a precious national asset and we must preserve it for future generations. I believe an insightful and visionary Chief Executive would support our stance and work with us to protect the harbour".
Victorial Harbour covers an area of about 41.88 km? as of 2004. The eastern boundary is generally considered to be the line formed between the westernmost extremity of Siu Chau Wan and the westernmost extremity of A Kung Ngam. The western boundary is generally considered to consist of a line drawn from the westernmost point of Hong Kong Island to the westernmost point of , thence a straight line drawn from the westernmost point of Green Island to the southeastern-most point of Tsing Yi, thence along the eastern and northern coastal lines of Tsing Yi to its westernmost extremity, and thence a straight line drawn true north therefrom to the mainland.
The following are major islands contained within the harbour:
*
*Little Green Island
*Kowloon Rock
*Tsing Yi Island
Due to land reclamation, the following are former islands that are now connected to adjacent lands or larger islands:
*Stonecutters Island
*Channel Rock
*Kellet Island
*Hoi Sham Island
*Nga Ying Chau
*Pillar Island
*Mong Chau
*Chau Tsai
The Victoria Harbour is world-famous for its stunning night view and skyline, particularly in the direction towards Hong Kong Island where the skyline of skyscrapers is superimposed over the ridges behind. Among the best places to view the Harbour is at the Victoria Tower on the Victoria Peak, or from the piazza at the or the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. Rides on the Star Ferry to view the harbour are also widely popular.
As the natural centre of the territory, the harbour has played host to many major public shows, including the annual fireworks displays on the second night of the . These shows are popular with tourists and locals alike, and the show is usually telecast on local television. To add to the popularity of the harbour as a sightseeing location, the government introduced a show dubbed ''A Symphony of Lights'', using use audio, lights and pyrotechnics to introduce the city to its viewers every evening.
Also recently opened, was the '''', built along the promenade outside the New World Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it honours the most illustrious people the film industry has produced over the past decades.
By the end of November every year, the outer walls of buildings in the central business districts on both side of the harbours are dressed with Christmas-related decorations, and replaced with Lunar New Year-related ones by January.
Victoria Harbour is home to most of the , making Hong Kong amongst the . An average of 220,000 ships visit the harbour each year, including both ocean going vessels and river vessels, for both goods and passengers. The in the western part of the harbour is the main container handling facility, operating round the clock and handling about 62 percent of the 21,930 TEUs handled by the territory in 2004. Some 400 container liners serve Hong Kong weekly, connecting to over 500 destinations around the world.
For many years until 2004, Hong Kong handled the most containers , but it faces competition from the ports in nearby Shenzhen in recent years, with the ports in Shenzhen combined handling more containers than the Kwai Chung terminals since August 2004.Overall, the Hong Kong port has also lost out to the Port of Singapore in containers handled, with Singapore's port outpacing Hong Kong's since the first quarter of 2005.
There is no bridge crossing the harbour, but there are three cross-harbour tunnels: Cross Harbour Tunnel , Eastern Harbour Crossing , and Western Harbour Crossing . They connect Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula across Victoria Harbour. The three tunnels act as important linkages between the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Three MTR routes also have tunnels under the Harbour. They are namely:
*
*
* and , which share the same pair of tracks in the tunnel
The Star Ferry has been crossing the harbour since the late 1800s. The operated ferry routes today are: to Tsim Sha Tsui; Wanchai to Tsim Sha Tsui; Central to Hung Hom and Wan Chai to Hung Hom. Some other regular ferry services also operate in the harbour.
The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company used to operate numerous cross-harbour routes between various piers of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Many of the routes are now operated by . Some of the piers no longer exist because of reclamation projects, or many of the routes became unprofitable. Currently, the company continues to operate vehicular ferry services for vehicles carrying dangerous goods that are prohibited within tunnel crossings.
For international passenger traffic and traffic to mainland China and Macau, there are two ferry terminals, namely and Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal, and a terminal for cruises, the . Another cruise terminal has been proposed.
''See also: Victoria Harbour crossings''
Long famous for its spectacular views, the harbour is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. Lying in the middle of the territory's dense urban region, the harbour is the site of annual fireworks displays and its promenades are popular gathering places for tourists and residents.
History
Some of the first recreational activities to take place in the harbour were water competitions such as swimming and water polo in 1850s within the members of Hong Kong's first sports club, the Victoria Recreation Club.
During the Taiping Rebellion, armed rebels paraded the streets of Hong Kong. On December 21, 1854, the Hong Kong police arrested several armed rebels who were about to attack Kowloon City. On January 23, 1855, a fleet of Taiping was on the verge of a naval battle against Chinese imperial war boats defending the harbour. The Chinese defenders were ordered away by the British colonial authorities. These incidents caused rising tension that would eventually lead to the Arrow War. The harbour was originally called "Hong Kong Harbour," but was later renamed as "Victoria Harbour," to assure shelter for the British fleet under .
The subject of pollution arrived in the 1970s with rapid growth in the manufacturing sector. The water club races were stopped in 1973 due to pollution in the harbour.
After completion of the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation Feasibility Study in 1989, the Land Development Policy Committee endorsed a concept for gradual implementation of the reclamation. The reclamation consists of three district development cells separated by parks, namely, , and .
The latest proposed reclamation extends along the waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay faced public opposition, as the harbour has become a pivotal location to Hongkongers in general. Activists has denounced the government's actions as destructive not only to the natural environment, but also to what is widely considered as one of the most prized natural assets of the territory. s, including the Society for Protection of the Harbour, were formed to resist further attempts to reduce the size of the waterbody, with its chairman, Christine Loh, quoted as saying that the harbour "...is a precious national asset and we must preserve it for future generations. I believe an insightful and visionary Chief Executive would support our stance and work with us to protect the harbour".
Geography
Victorial Harbour covers an area of about 41.88 km? as of 2004. The eastern boundary is generally considered to be the line formed between the westernmost extremity of Siu Chau Wan and the westernmost extremity of A Kung Ngam. The western boundary is generally considered to consist of a line drawn from the westernmost point of Hong Kong Island to the westernmost point of , thence a straight line drawn from the westernmost point of Green Island to the southeastern-most point of Tsing Yi, thence along the eastern and northern coastal lines of Tsing Yi to its westernmost extremity, and thence a straight line drawn true north therefrom to the mainland.
The following are major islands contained within the harbour:
*
*Little Green Island
*Kowloon Rock
*Tsing Yi Island
Due to land reclamation, the following are former islands that are now connected to adjacent lands or larger islands:
*Stonecutters Island
*Channel Rock
*Kellet Island
*Hoi Sham Island
*Nga Ying Chau
*Pillar Island
*Mong Chau
*Chau Tsai
Tourism
The Victoria Harbour is world-famous for its stunning night view and skyline, particularly in the direction towards Hong Kong Island where the skyline of skyscrapers is superimposed over the ridges behind. Among the best places to view the Harbour is at the Victoria Tower on the Victoria Peak, or from the piazza at the or the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. Rides on the Star Ferry to view the harbour are also widely popular.
As the natural centre of the territory, the harbour has played host to many major public shows, including the annual fireworks displays on the second night of the . These shows are popular with tourists and locals alike, and the show is usually telecast on local television. To add to the popularity of the harbour as a sightseeing location, the government introduced a show dubbed ''A Symphony of Lights'', using use audio, lights and pyrotechnics to introduce the city to its viewers every evening.
Also recently opened, was the '''', built along the promenade outside the New World Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it honours the most illustrious people the film industry has produced over the past decades.
By the end of November every year, the outer walls of buildings in the central business districts on both side of the harbours are dressed with Christmas-related decorations, and replaced with Lunar New Year-related ones by January.
Port facilities
Victoria Harbour is home to most of the , making Hong Kong amongst the . An average of 220,000 ships visit the harbour each year, including both ocean going vessels and river vessels, for both goods and passengers. The in the western part of the harbour is the main container handling facility, operating round the clock and handling about 62 percent of the 21,930 TEUs handled by the territory in 2004. Some 400 container liners serve Hong Kong weekly, connecting to over 500 destinations around the world.
For many years until 2004, Hong Kong handled the most containers , but it faces competition from the ports in nearby Shenzhen in recent years, with the ports in Shenzhen combined handling more containers than the Kwai Chung terminals since August 2004.Overall, the Hong Kong port has also lost out to the Port of Singapore in containers handled, with Singapore's port outpacing Hong Kong's since the first quarter of 2005.
Transport
There is no bridge crossing the harbour, but there are three cross-harbour tunnels: Cross Harbour Tunnel , Eastern Harbour Crossing , and Western Harbour Crossing . They connect Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula across Victoria Harbour. The three tunnels act as important linkages between the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Three MTR routes also have tunnels under the Harbour. They are namely:
*
*
* and , which share the same pair of tracks in the tunnel
The Star Ferry has been crossing the harbour since the late 1800s. The operated ferry routes today are: to Tsim Sha Tsui; Wanchai to Tsim Sha Tsui; Central to Hung Hom and Wan Chai to Hung Hom. Some other regular ferry services also operate in the harbour.
The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company used to operate numerous cross-harbour routes between various piers of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Many of the routes are now operated by . Some of the piers no longer exist because of reclamation projects, or many of the routes became unprofitable. Currently, the company continues to operate vehicular ferry services for vehicles carrying dangerous goods that are prohibited within tunnel crossings.
For international passenger traffic and traffic to mainland China and Macau, there are two ferry terminals, namely and Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal, and a terminal for cruises, the . Another cruise terminal has been proposed.
''See also: Victoria Harbour crossings''
Tung Choi Street
Tung Choi Street is a street between Boundary Street and in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Its southern section is the most well-known street market in Hong Kong selling items of various kinds and is known as Ladies' Market or Ladies' Street . Ladies Market has many products for sale and you can haggle with the shop keeper. The products are not only for women. Many men's and children's products are for sale as well. Soft toys, clothes, bags, jeans, watches,... just to name a few. Its northern section features a market selling goldfish and is called Goldfish Street or .
After each section of Ladies Market there is a small width of road that must be crossed in order to reach the next section and luckily refreshments are available near those intersections. One very popular dessert shop located close to Ladies Market is , with a range of drinks and desserts predominantly featuring mango products, but also fruit, sago, mochi, red bean, etc.
The street was built on ''Ipomoea aquatica'' cultivation in a village, Mong Kok Tsuen , in Mong Kok in 1924. The name Tung Choi is the Cantonese name of ''ipomoea aquatica''. As time goes by the village and fields were replaced by high-rise buildings.
After each section of Ladies Market there is a small width of road that must be crossed in order to reach the next section and luckily refreshments are available near those intersections. One very popular dessert shop located close to Ladies Market is , with a range of drinks and desserts predominantly featuring mango products, but also fruit, sago, mochi, red bean, etc.
History
The street was built on ''Ipomoea aquatica'' cultivation in a village, Mong Kok Tsuen , in Mong Kok in 1924. The name Tung Choi is the Cantonese name of ''ipomoea aquatica''. As time goes by the village and fields were replaced by high-rise buildings.
Teddy Bear Kingdom
The Teddy Bear Kingdom was an indoor theme in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The park was built in the basement of New World Centre, and was the first amusement park in Hong Kong to use teddy bears as a theme. The park opened on August 9, 2002 and closed less than three years later, in March, 2005. It was replaced by Sogo, a department store.
Soho, Hong Kong
The Soho district in Hong Kong is an entertainment zone located in Mid-levels and bordering Sheung Wan, within the Central and Western district. The name is derived from its location: South of , and it arguably extends up to and including .
One of the easiest ways of getting to Soho is through the Central-Mid-Levels escalator, which was built in 1993. It is said that the very existence of now vibrant Soho is attributed to the creation of the escalator system, which at the time was the longest escalator system in the world, and in fact prior to the escalator the area was populated by many elderley locals, old go-downs and porcelain shops.
The area now consists of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, art galleries and antique stores of Staunton Street and Elgin Street. Soho also is home to the first fulltime comedy club in Asia, The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong. Hong Kong taxi drivers usually regard "Soho" to mean either Staunton Street or . It's easier to say "Soho" than "Standon gai", or "Elay gan gai."
Buildings in the Soho area are a mix of commercial/residential, with the commercial businesses on the lower floors, and residential above the First Floors. Around the same time the Mid Levels Escalator was built, a few foreigners started to move into the area, taking up both commercial premises and renting flats. At the time the flats were cheaper than other expat areas in Hong Kong, and only a few minutes walk from the business district.
The name Soho was first mentioned in a 1996 article in the South China Morning Post newspaper attributed to Elgin Street restaurant owner, Thomas Goetz, who came up with the acronym. Goetz was also instrumental in forming Soho's first business group, and The Soho Association Limited was established in 1998 to represent it's members in relation to difficulties they were experiencing with the local government departments in relation to licencing, and to collectively promote the area. The first Chairman was Jean-Paul Gauci, who had opened many businesses in the area.
However, in 2000, Democratic Party member Kam Nai-wai wanted to see Soho formally re-named the "Elgin/Staunton Street Themed Dining Area", and Kam and some Long-term residents associated the name Soho with being a place of disrepute, with red light district associations. The irony is Elgin Street was known in the 1860s as "Hung Mo Giu Gai," or "Foreign Girls Street," due to the vast number of European-staffed brothels. It was renamed after Lord Elgin, British envoy to China, during the Second Opium War .For several years the Democratic Party fought an ongoing battle against the new bars and restairants in the area, and also against formal adoption of the name "Soho", preferring instead the descriptive "Staunton/Elgin Street Themd Dinning Area", despite the fact that there were more non restaurants businesses than restaurants! The apprehension is that use of the name "Soho" will cause association with the London area of the same name.
Like much of Hong Kong, this district treads a precarious balance between preserving the Chinese and colonial culture that shaped it, and recent modern developments. The escalator is a quintessential symbol of modernity which has encroached on the residential neighbourhood, bringing with it expats and the bars, cafes and boutiques which help cocoon some from Cantonese traditions.
The contrast between the past and present enriches the area and makes for great sightseeing on foot. The newly signposted ''Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail'' guides visitors along 16 points of historical interest from The University of Hong Kong to Central, taking in century old steps and leafy residential lanes. Unfortunately, most of the sites from Dr Sun's past have long been razed, replaced by concrete skyscrapers that are characteristic of 21st century Hong Kong. Even the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum's grandiose facade off Caine Road is easy to miss, perched as it is upon Castle Road which turns up through Mid-levels, surrounded by modern blocks.
Nowhere is the contrast more apparent than on the northern edge of Soho, on Hollywood Road itself where the brand new multistorey Centre Stage upscale residential complex towers alongside the historic Man Mo Temple.
When following Staunton Street west from the escalator, what was once a single block of conspicuously expat hangouts has migrated beyond. As property developers and entrepreneurs spread their reach into Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun, it's not hard to imagine what will become of the old neighbourhood.
One of the easiest ways of getting to Soho is through the Central-Mid-Levels escalator, which was built in 1993. It is said that the very existence of now vibrant Soho is attributed to the creation of the escalator system, which at the time was the longest escalator system in the world, and in fact prior to the escalator the area was populated by many elderley locals, old go-downs and porcelain shops.
The area now consists of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, art galleries and antique stores of Staunton Street and Elgin Street. Soho also is home to the first fulltime comedy club in Asia, The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong. Hong Kong taxi drivers usually regard "Soho" to mean either Staunton Street or . It's easier to say "Soho" than "Standon gai", or "Elay gan gai."
Buildings in the Soho area are a mix of commercial/residential, with the commercial businesses on the lower floors, and residential above the First Floors. Around the same time the Mid Levels Escalator was built, a few foreigners started to move into the area, taking up both commercial premises and renting flats. At the time the flats were cheaper than other expat areas in Hong Kong, and only a few minutes walk from the business district.
The name Soho was first mentioned in a 1996 article in the South China Morning Post newspaper attributed to Elgin Street restaurant owner, Thomas Goetz, who came up with the acronym. Goetz was also instrumental in forming Soho's first business group, and The Soho Association Limited was established in 1998 to represent it's members in relation to difficulties they were experiencing with the local government departments in relation to licencing, and to collectively promote the area. The first Chairman was Jean-Paul Gauci, who had opened many businesses in the area.
However, in 2000, Democratic Party member Kam Nai-wai wanted to see Soho formally re-named the "Elgin/Staunton Street Themed Dining Area", and Kam and some Long-term residents associated the name Soho with being a place of disrepute, with red light district associations. The irony is Elgin Street was known in the 1860s as "Hung Mo Giu Gai," or "Foreign Girls Street," due to the vast number of European-staffed brothels. It was renamed after Lord Elgin, British envoy to China, during the Second Opium War .For several years the Democratic Party fought an ongoing battle against the new bars and restairants in the area, and also against formal adoption of the name "Soho", preferring instead the descriptive "Staunton/Elgin Street Themd Dinning Area", despite the fact that there were more non restaurants businesses than restaurants! The apprehension is that use of the name "Soho" will cause association with the London area of the same name.
Old and New
Like much of Hong Kong, this district treads a precarious balance between preserving the Chinese and colonial culture that shaped it, and recent modern developments. The escalator is a quintessential symbol of modernity which has encroached on the residential neighbourhood, bringing with it expats and the bars, cafes and boutiques which help cocoon some from Cantonese traditions.
The contrast between the past and present enriches the area and makes for great sightseeing on foot. The newly signposted ''Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail'' guides visitors along 16 points of historical interest from The University of Hong Kong to Central, taking in century old steps and leafy residential lanes. Unfortunately, most of the sites from Dr Sun's past have long been razed, replaced by concrete skyscrapers that are characteristic of 21st century Hong Kong. Even the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum's grandiose facade off Caine Road is easy to miss, perched as it is upon Castle Road which turns up through Mid-levels, surrounded by modern blocks.
Nowhere is the contrast more apparent than on the northern edge of Soho, on Hollywood Road itself where the brand new multistorey Centre Stage upscale residential complex towers alongside the historic Man Mo Temple.
When following Staunton Street west from the escalator, what was once a single block of conspicuously expat hangouts has migrated beyond. As property developers and entrepreneurs spread their reach into Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun, it's not hard to imagine what will become of the old neighbourhood.
Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay is an area in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, located in the , Hong Kong.
In 1841, the bay was used as a base by pirates and caused serious concern to foreign merchant ships trading with China. The pirates were subsequently repulsed by the British Fleet; hence the name. Another theory holds that the bay was named after which was stationed at the bay at one point.
In the 1910s, Repulse Bay was developed into a beach, and the Repulse Bay Hotel was built in 1920. To attract swimmers, a bus route from to Repulse Bay was created, and now stands as one of Hong Kong's oldest bus routes. During the Battle of Hong Kong in World War II, Repulse Bay was an important strategic location.
The beach was extended artificially, and thus the sand closer to the shore is coarser than that further away.
The former Repulse Bay Hotel was refurnished to become a shopping mall in 1982, providing coffee shops, boutique stores and up-market restaurants. The hotel's colonial architecture was retained.
On the eastern end of the beach is a temple to Tin Hau, with prominent statues of two goddesses, Kwun Yum and . Also overlooking Repulse Bay, although from higher up, is the famous "building with a hole".
The Repulse Bay area is one of the most expensive housing areas in Hong Kong, due to the nice surroundings. The prices are matched only by the mid-levels at Victoria Peak. In 2006, some property prices reached HK$20,000 per square feet.
Stanley Ho owns both 1 Repulse Bay Road and 4 Repulse Bay Road.
Repulse Bay is served by Repulse Bay Road, which connects Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and Tai Tam Road. It is very convenient for people to travel to Repulse Bay as there many from Central, such as no. 6, 6A, 6X, 260; or the no. 40 . Transportation either takes you express through the Aberdeen Tunnel, or along the slightly longer scenic route.
Beach-goers may also opt to drive there. The beach provides some parking space, and the nearby Repulse Bay Hotel also has parking facilities.
Author Eileen Chang's novel, Love in a Fallen City is set at the Repulse Bay Hotel.
History
In 1841, the bay was used as a base by pirates and caused serious concern to foreign merchant ships trading with China. The pirates were subsequently repulsed by the British Fleet; hence the name. Another theory holds that the bay was named after which was stationed at the bay at one point.
In the 1910s, Repulse Bay was developed into a beach, and the Repulse Bay Hotel was built in 1920. To attract swimmers, a bus route from to Repulse Bay was created, and now stands as one of Hong Kong's oldest bus routes. During the Battle of Hong Kong in World War II, Repulse Bay was an important strategic location.
The beach was extended artificially, and thus the sand closer to the shore is coarser than that further away.
Present
The former Repulse Bay Hotel was refurnished to become a shopping mall in 1982, providing coffee shops, boutique stores and up-market restaurants. The hotel's colonial architecture was retained.
On the eastern end of the beach is a temple to Tin Hau, with prominent statues of two goddesses, Kwun Yum and . Also overlooking Repulse Bay, although from higher up, is the famous "building with a hole".
The Repulse Bay area is one of the most expensive housing areas in Hong Kong, due to the nice surroundings. The prices are matched only by the mid-levels at Victoria Peak. In 2006, some property prices reached HK$20,000 per square feet.
Stanley Ho owns both 1 Repulse Bay Road and 4 Repulse Bay Road.
Transport
Repulse Bay is served by Repulse Bay Road, which connects Wong Nai Chung Gap Road and Tai Tam Road. It is very convenient for people to travel to Repulse Bay as there many from Central, such as no. 6, 6A, 6X, 260; or the no. 40 . Transportation either takes you express through the Aberdeen Tunnel, or along the slightly longer scenic route.
Beach-goers may also opt to drive there. The beach provides some parking space, and the nearby Repulse Bay Hotel also has parking facilities.
Cultural references
Author Eileen Chang's novel, Love in a Fallen City is set at the Repulse Bay Hotel.
Panorama
Ocean Park Hong Kong
Ocean Park Hong Kong is a theme park in the of Hong Kong Island. The marine-themed amusement park covers the area of Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan, and is located in Hong Kong. Public can go to Ocean Park by taxi or .
The park, ranked 7th in 'The World’s Most Popular Amusement Parks’ by Forbes in June 2006, had 4.38 million visitors in the fiscal year 2005/2006. Ocean Park also ranked 16th in the TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report 2007 with approximately 4.9 million visitors, higher than Hong Kong Disneyland at 21st place with 4.1 million visitors. It covers an area of 870,000 square metres. The different parts of the park are connected by a gondola lift system , as well as the world's second longest outdoor escalator.
The theme park currently has over 14 rides and other attractions such as aquariums.
The park was built with donations from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and opened on 10 January,1977. The park is operated by Ocean Park Corporation, which is a statutory board. It offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organisation for commercial purposes.
In the early operation of the park, the main sources of income for the park were the ticket revenues and the fundings from the Jockey Club. Since the ticket price was low, most of the time Ocean Park was operating under deficit. On 1 July, 1987, the government established a 200 million trust from the fundings of Jockey Club, under the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance . This separated Ocean Park from Jockey Club and became a non-profit organisation; it needs to be responsible for its own income and was allowed to use commercial means to operate the park.
It gradually raised its ticket price and the deficit turned into profit. In 1992, 3 million visitors visited the park. Since 1998, the East Asian financial crisis, aging attractions, and the passing away of the killer whale; the park recorded a deficit for a couple of years. Although it was allowed to host 2 pandas in 1999 , the visitor count did not go up and Ocean Park was forced to close its water attractions and the "Old Village" attraction and switched to bring in more rides in an attempt to capture the youth demand. Together with the opening up of mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme, Ocean Park recorded an increase to 4 million visitors in the fiscal year 2004-2005, the highest since the park opened.
In March 2005, Ocean Park revealed its redevelopment plan.
On 23 November, 2006, Ocean Park held a groundbreaking ceremony for its redevelopment. The public believes that the redevelopment is a measure to counter another major theme park Hong Kong Disneyland.
2 more pandas named Le Le and Ying Ying were added to the Ocean Park on May 1, 2007. After quarantine, they made their first public appearance in Ocean Park on July 1, 2007.
Ocean Park introduced a sea lion named Whiskers as the major mascot on December 9, 2000. Whiskers is cute, and has a smile on his face and is always waving a warm welcome with its flippers. There are 5 more members of the Ocean Park family: James Fin H2O ; Jewel ; Swift ; Chief ; Professor .
Headlands Rides
*'''' - A steel roller coaster with a maximum speed of 77 km/h with 842 metres of track. The ride lasts approximately 2.5 minutes.
*''The Abyss Turbo Drop'' - raises the visitors up and drops them straight down in free fall in 5 seconds.
*''Flying Swing''
*''Crazy Galleon''
*''Ferris Wheel''
*''Headland Games''
Adventure Land
* ''Mine Train'' - A steel "mine train" roller coaster with 678 metres of track. Open in 2000.
*''Raging River''
*''Ocean Park Escalator'' - At 224 m , it is the second longest outdoor escalator in the world. It is outdoors, but weatherproof.
Marine Land
*''Pacific Pier'' - California sea lions and different species of seals are displayed
*''Atoll Reef'' - A four-stories aquarium storing more than 2000 fishes in 250 different species
*''Shark Aquarium'' - Another aquarium exclusively for 70 sharks in 35 species
*''Ocean Theatre'' - Performances by dolphins and sea lions can be watched.
*''Ocean Park Tower'' - A sort of observation deck that rises high enough for park-goers to survey the South China Sea.
*''Sea Jelly Spectacular'' - Opened in 2006. An aquarium built to display more than 400 jelly fishes.
Lowland Gardens
*''Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat'' - Home to four giant pandas, Jia Jia and An An as well as Le Le and Ying Ying
*''Sky Fair''
*''Amazing Amazon''
*''The Amazing Birds Show''
*''Caverns of Darkness 3D''
*''Cable Car'' - a gondola lift system that connects the park together.
*''Grand Prix'' - a ride
Kids' World
*''Dolphin University''
*''Whisker's Theatre''
*''Rides for Kids''
*''Tiny Town Games''
Bird Paradise
*''The Aviaries''
*''Flamingo Pond''
In June 2008, Ocean Park came under fire when a Chinese Sturgeon in its possession was found dead. Chinese Sturgeon is critically endangered and five of them were recently bestowed upon Ocean Park. However the smallest of the five was found dead on 21 June 2008, with wounds inflicted by a great barracuda. Ocean Park has been criticized as careless in putting the Chinese Sturgeons in the same aquarium as the aggressive barracudas, but according to a spokesperson from Ocean Park, the decision to put the 2 species in the same aquarium was made by Beijing experts.
Ocean Park announced a redevelopment master plan to redevelop the park into the world's best marine-based theme park, doubling the amount of attractions and firmly establishing itself as a world-class, must-see destination that will further strengthen Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination. In the next few years 5.55 billion will be spent on refurbishing Ocean Park with new rides being installed so that it can compete with .
The new Ocean Park's main two areas shall be renamed as The Waterfront and The Summit . The park will be expanded to almost twice its current size and new attractions will be added including a for transport from The Waterfront to The Summit, 1 new live animal show and an area featuring polar animals.
Ocean Park also announced that there will also be an MTR station, Ocean Park Station, on the South Island Line that will link the current subway system with Ocean Park and the south of Hong Kong Island. This project will therefore attract more visitors.
The first attraction to be opened is the Sky Fair with a large balloon for tourists to fly in.
The park, ranked 7th in 'The World’s Most Popular Amusement Parks’ by Forbes in June 2006, had 4.38 million visitors in the fiscal year 2005/2006. Ocean Park also ranked 16th in the TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report 2007 with approximately 4.9 million visitors, higher than Hong Kong Disneyland at 21st place with 4.1 million visitors. It covers an area of 870,000 square metres. The different parts of the park are connected by a gondola lift system , as well as the world's second longest outdoor escalator.
The theme park currently has over 14 rides and other attractions such as aquariums.
History
The park was built with donations from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and opened on 10 January,1977. The park is operated by Ocean Park Corporation, which is a statutory board. It offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organisation for commercial purposes.
In the early operation of the park, the main sources of income for the park were the ticket revenues and the fundings from the Jockey Club. Since the ticket price was low, most of the time Ocean Park was operating under deficit. On 1 July, 1987, the government established a 200 million trust from the fundings of Jockey Club, under the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance . This separated Ocean Park from Jockey Club and became a non-profit organisation; it needs to be responsible for its own income and was allowed to use commercial means to operate the park.
It gradually raised its ticket price and the deficit turned into profit. In 1992, 3 million visitors visited the park. Since 1998, the East Asian financial crisis, aging attractions, and the passing away of the killer whale; the park recorded a deficit for a couple of years. Although it was allowed to host 2 pandas in 1999 , the visitor count did not go up and Ocean Park was forced to close its water attractions and the "Old Village" attraction and switched to bring in more rides in an attempt to capture the youth demand. Together with the opening up of mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme, Ocean Park recorded an increase to 4 million visitors in the fiscal year 2004-2005, the highest since the park opened.
In March 2005, Ocean Park revealed its redevelopment plan.
On 23 November, 2006, Ocean Park held a groundbreaking ceremony for its redevelopment. The public believes that the redevelopment is a measure to counter another major theme park Hong Kong Disneyland.
2 more pandas named Le Le and Ying Ying were added to the Ocean Park on May 1, 2007. After quarantine, they made their first public appearance in Ocean Park on July 1, 2007.
Mascots
Ocean Park introduced a sea lion named Whiskers as the major mascot on December 9, 2000. Whiskers is cute, and has a smile on his face and is always waving a warm welcome with its flippers. There are 5 more members of the Ocean Park family: James Fin H2O ; Jewel ; Swift ; Chief ; Professor .
Attractions
Headlands Rides
*'''' - A steel roller coaster with a maximum speed of 77 km/h with 842 metres of track. The ride lasts approximately 2.5 minutes.
*''The Abyss Turbo Drop'' - raises the visitors up and drops them straight down in free fall in 5 seconds.
*''Flying Swing''
*''Crazy Galleon''
*''Ferris Wheel''
*''Headland Games''
Adventure Land
* ''Mine Train'' - A steel "mine train" roller coaster with 678 metres of track. Open in 2000.
*''Raging River''
*''Ocean Park Escalator'' - At 224 m , it is the second longest outdoor escalator in the world. It is outdoors, but weatherproof.
Marine Land
*''Pacific Pier'' - California sea lions and different species of seals are displayed
*''Atoll Reef'' - A four-stories aquarium storing more than 2000 fishes in 250 different species
*''Shark Aquarium'' - Another aquarium exclusively for 70 sharks in 35 species
*''Ocean Theatre'' - Performances by dolphins and sea lions can be watched.
*''Ocean Park Tower'' - A sort of observation deck that rises high enough for park-goers to survey the South China Sea.
*''Sea Jelly Spectacular'' - Opened in 2006. An aquarium built to display more than 400 jelly fishes.
Lowland Gardens
*''Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat'' - Home to four giant pandas, Jia Jia and An An as well as Le Le and Ying Ying
*''Sky Fair''
*''Amazing Amazon''
*''The Amazing Birds Show''
*''Caverns of Darkness 3D''
*''Cable Car'' - a gondola lift system that connects the park together.
*''Grand Prix'' - a ride
Kids' World
*''Dolphin University''
*''Whisker's Theatre''
*''Rides for Kids''
*''Tiny Town Games''
Bird Paradise
*''The Aviaries''
*''Flamingo Pond''
Chinese Sturgeon fatal accident
In June 2008, Ocean Park came under fire when a Chinese Sturgeon in its possession was found dead. Chinese Sturgeon is critically endangered and five of them were recently bestowed upon Ocean Park. However the smallest of the five was found dead on 21 June 2008, with wounds inflicted by a great barracuda. Ocean Park has been criticized as careless in putting the Chinese Sturgeons in the same aquarium as the aggressive barracudas, but according to a spokesperson from Ocean Park, the decision to put the 2 species in the same aquarium was made by Beijing experts.
Further development
Ocean Park announced a redevelopment master plan to redevelop the park into the world's best marine-based theme park, doubling the amount of attractions and firmly establishing itself as a world-class, must-see destination that will further strengthen Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination. In the next few years 5.55 billion will be spent on refurbishing Ocean Park with new rides being installed so that it can compete with .
The new Ocean Park's main two areas shall be renamed as The Waterfront and The Summit . The park will be expanded to almost twice its current size and new attractions will be added including a for transport from The Waterfront to The Summit, 1 new live animal show and an area featuring polar animals.
Ocean Park also announced that there will also be an MTR station, Ocean Park Station, on the South Island Line that will link the current subway system with Ocean Park and the south of Hong Kong Island. This project will therefore attract more visitors.
The first attraction to be opened is the Sky Fair with a large balloon for tourists to fly in.
Gallery
Ocean Park Hong Kong
Ocean Park Hong Kong is a theme park in the of Hong Kong Island. The marine-themed amusement park covers the area of Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan, and is located in Hong Kong. Public can go to Ocean Park by taxi or .
The park, ranked 7th in 'The World’s Most Popular Amusement Parks’ by Forbes in June 2006, had 4.38 million visitors in the fiscal year 2005/2006. Ocean Park also ranked 16th in the TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report 2007 with approximately 4.9 million visitors, higher than Hong Kong Disneyland at 21st place with 4.1 million visitors. It covers an area of 870,000 square metres. The different parts of the park are connected by a gondola lift system , as well as the world's second longest outdoor escalator.
The theme park currently has over 14 rides and other attractions such as aquariums.
The park was built with donations from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and opened on 10 January,1977. The park is operated by Ocean Park Corporation, which is a statutory board. It offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organisation for commercial purposes.
In the early operation of the park, the main sources of income for the park were the ticket revenues and the fundings from the Jockey Club. Since the ticket price was low, most of the time Ocean Park was operating under deficit. On 1 July, 1987, the government established a 200 million trust from the fundings of Jockey Club, under the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance . This separated Ocean Park from Jockey Club and became a non-profit organisation; it needs to be responsible for its own income and was allowed to use commercial means to operate the park.
It gradually raised its ticket price and the deficit turned into profit. In 1992, 3 million visitors visited the park. Since 1998, the East Asian financial crisis, aging attractions, and the passing away of the killer whale; the park recorded a deficit for a couple of years. Although it was allowed to host 2 pandas in 1999 , the visitor count did not go up and Ocean Park was forced to close its water attractions and the "Old Village" attraction and switched to bring in more rides in an attempt to capture the youth demand. Together with the opening up of mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme, Ocean Park recorded an increase to 4 million visitors in the fiscal year 2004-2005, the highest since the park opened.
In March 2005, Ocean Park revealed its redevelopment plan.
On 23 November, 2006, Ocean Park held a groundbreaking ceremony for its redevelopment. The public believes that the redevelopment is a measure to counter another major theme park Hong Kong Disneyland.
2 more pandas named Le Le and Ying Ying were added to the Ocean Park on May 1, 2007. After quarantine, they made their first public appearance in Ocean Park on July 1, 2007.
Ocean Park introduced a sea lion named Whiskers as the major mascot on December 9, 2000. Whiskers is cute, and has a smile on his face and is always waving a warm welcome with its flippers. There are 5 more members of the Ocean Park family: James Fin H2O ; Jewel ; Swift ; Chief ; Professor .
Headlands Rides
*'''' - A steel roller coaster with a maximum speed of 77 km/h with 842 metres of track. The ride lasts approximately 2.5 minutes.
*''The Abyss Turbo Drop'' - raises the visitors up and drops them straight down in free fall in 5 seconds.
*''Flying Swing''
*''Crazy Galleon''
*''Ferris Wheel''
*''Headland Games''
Adventure Land
* ''Mine Train'' - A steel "mine train" roller coaster with 678 metres of track. Open in 2000.
*''Raging River''
*''Ocean Park Escalator'' - At 224 m , it is the second longest outdoor escalator in the world. It is outdoors, but weatherproof.
Marine Land
*''Pacific Pier'' - California sea lions and different species of seals are displayed
*''Atoll Reef'' - A four-stories aquarium storing more than 2000 fishes in 250 different species
*''Shark Aquarium'' - Another aquarium exclusively for 70 sharks in 35 species
*''Ocean Theatre'' - Performances by dolphins and sea lions can be watched.
*''Ocean Park Tower'' - A sort of observation deck that rises high enough for park-goers to survey the South China Sea.
*''Sea Jelly Spectacular'' - Opened in 2006. An aquarium built to display more than 400 jelly fishes.
Lowland Gardens
*''Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat'' - Home to four giant pandas, Jia Jia and An An as well as Le Le and Ying Ying
*''Sky Fair''
*''Amazing Amazon''
*''The Amazing Birds Show''
*''Caverns of Darkness 3D''
*''Cable Car'' - a gondola lift system that connects the park together.
*''Grand Prix'' - a ride
Kids' World
*''Dolphin University''
*''Whisker's Theatre''
*''Rides for Kids''
*''Tiny Town Games''
Bird Paradise
*''The Aviaries''
*''Flamingo Pond''
In June 2008, Ocean Park came under fire when a Chinese Sturgeon in its possession was found dead. Chinese Sturgeon is critically endangered and five of them were recently bestowed upon Ocean Park. However the smallest of the five was found dead on 21 June 2008, with wounds inflicted by a great barracuda. Ocean Park has been criticized as careless in putting the Chinese Sturgeons in the same aquarium as the aggressive barracudas, but according to a spokesperson from Ocean Park, the decision to put the 2 species in the same aquarium was made by Beijing experts.
Ocean Park announced a redevelopment master plan to redevelop the park into the world's best marine-based theme park, doubling the amount of attractions and firmly establishing itself as a world-class, must-see destination that will further strengthen Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination. In the next few years 5.55 billion will be spent on refurbishing Ocean Park with new rides being installed so that it can compete with .
The new Ocean Park's main two areas shall be renamed as The Waterfront and The Summit . The park will be expanded to almost twice its current size and new attractions will be added including a for transport from The Waterfront to The Summit, 1 new live animal show and an area featuring polar animals.
Ocean Park also announced that there will also be an MTR station, Ocean Park Station, on the South Island Line that will link the current subway system with Ocean Park and the south of Hong Kong Island. This project will therefore attract more visitors.
The first attraction to be opened is the Sky Fair with a large balloon for tourists to fly in.
The park, ranked 7th in 'The World’s Most Popular Amusement Parks’ by Forbes in June 2006, had 4.38 million visitors in the fiscal year 2005/2006. Ocean Park also ranked 16th in the TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report 2007 with approximately 4.9 million visitors, higher than Hong Kong Disneyland at 21st place with 4.1 million visitors. It covers an area of 870,000 square metres. The different parts of the park are connected by a gondola lift system , as well as the world's second longest outdoor escalator.
The theme park currently has over 14 rides and other attractions such as aquariums.
History
The park was built with donations from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and opened on 10 January,1977. The park is operated by Ocean Park Corporation, which is a statutory board. It offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organisation for commercial purposes.
In the early operation of the park, the main sources of income for the park were the ticket revenues and the fundings from the Jockey Club. Since the ticket price was low, most of the time Ocean Park was operating under deficit. On 1 July, 1987, the government established a 200 million trust from the fundings of Jockey Club, under the Ocean Park Corporation Ordinance . This separated Ocean Park from Jockey Club and became a non-profit organisation; it needs to be responsible for its own income and was allowed to use commercial means to operate the park.
It gradually raised its ticket price and the deficit turned into profit. In 1992, 3 million visitors visited the park. Since 1998, the East Asian financial crisis, aging attractions, and the passing away of the killer whale; the park recorded a deficit for a couple of years. Although it was allowed to host 2 pandas in 1999 , the visitor count did not go up and Ocean Park was forced to close its water attractions and the "Old Village" attraction and switched to bring in more rides in an attempt to capture the youth demand. Together with the opening up of mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme, Ocean Park recorded an increase to 4 million visitors in the fiscal year 2004-2005, the highest since the park opened.
In March 2005, Ocean Park revealed its redevelopment plan.
On 23 November, 2006, Ocean Park held a groundbreaking ceremony for its redevelopment. The public believes that the redevelopment is a measure to counter another major theme park Hong Kong Disneyland.
2 more pandas named Le Le and Ying Ying were added to the Ocean Park on May 1, 2007. After quarantine, they made their first public appearance in Ocean Park on July 1, 2007.
Mascots
Ocean Park introduced a sea lion named Whiskers as the major mascot on December 9, 2000. Whiskers is cute, and has a smile on his face and is always waving a warm welcome with its flippers. There are 5 more members of the Ocean Park family: James Fin H2O ; Jewel ; Swift ; Chief ; Professor .
Attractions
Headlands Rides
*'''' - A steel roller coaster with a maximum speed of 77 km/h with 842 metres of track. The ride lasts approximately 2.5 minutes.
*''The Abyss Turbo Drop'' - raises the visitors up and drops them straight down in free fall in 5 seconds.
*''Flying Swing''
*''Crazy Galleon''
*''Ferris Wheel''
*''Headland Games''
Adventure Land
* ''Mine Train'' - A steel "mine train" roller coaster with 678 metres of track. Open in 2000.
*''Raging River''
*''Ocean Park Escalator'' - At 224 m , it is the second longest outdoor escalator in the world. It is outdoors, but weatherproof.
Marine Land
*''Pacific Pier'' - California sea lions and different species of seals are displayed
*''Atoll Reef'' - A four-stories aquarium storing more than 2000 fishes in 250 different species
*''Shark Aquarium'' - Another aquarium exclusively for 70 sharks in 35 species
*''Ocean Theatre'' - Performances by dolphins and sea lions can be watched.
*''Ocean Park Tower'' - A sort of observation deck that rises high enough for park-goers to survey the South China Sea.
*''Sea Jelly Spectacular'' - Opened in 2006. An aquarium built to display more than 400 jelly fishes.
Lowland Gardens
*''Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Habitat'' - Home to four giant pandas, Jia Jia and An An as well as Le Le and Ying Ying
*''Sky Fair''
*''Amazing Amazon''
*''The Amazing Birds Show''
*''Caverns of Darkness 3D''
*''Cable Car'' - a gondola lift system that connects the park together.
*''Grand Prix'' - a ride
Kids' World
*''Dolphin University''
*''Whisker's Theatre''
*''Rides for Kids''
*''Tiny Town Games''
Bird Paradise
*''The Aviaries''
*''Flamingo Pond''
Chinese Sturgeon fatal accident
In June 2008, Ocean Park came under fire when a Chinese Sturgeon in its possession was found dead. Chinese Sturgeon is critically endangered and five of them were recently bestowed upon Ocean Park. However the smallest of the five was found dead on 21 June 2008, with wounds inflicted by a great barracuda. Ocean Park has been criticized as careless in putting the Chinese Sturgeons in the same aquarium as the aggressive barracudas, but according to a spokesperson from Ocean Park, the decision to put the 2 species in the same aquarium was made by Beijing experts.
Further development
Ocean Park announced a redevelopment master plan to redevelop the park into the world's best marine-based theme park, doubling the amount of attractions and firmly establishing itself as a world-class, must-see destination that will further strengthen Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination. In the next few years 5.55 billion will be spent on refurbishing Ocean Park with new rides being installed so that it can compete with .
The new Ocean Park's main two areas shall be renamed as The Waterfront and The Summit . The park will be expanded to almost twice its current size and new attractions will be added including a for transport from The Waterfront to The Summit, 1 new live animal show and an area featuring polar animals.
Ocean Park also announced that there will also be an MTR station, Ocean Park Station, on the South Island Line that will link the current subway system with Ocean Park and the south of Hong Kong Island. This project will therefore attract more visitors.
The first attraction to be opened is the Sky Fair with a large balloon for tourists to fly in.
Gallery
Noonday Gun
The Noonday Gun is a former naval gun mounted on a small enclosed site near the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. A gun has been mounted in this area since the 1860s. The original location was at , which has long since disappeared due to on the north side of the island.
The tradition seems to have originated over an incident in the 1860s when , who had their main godowns and offices at East Point, had their private militia fire a gun salute to welcome the tai pans arrival by sea. The Royal Navy thought that such a salute should be reserved only for government officials or senior of the armed services. In penance, Jardines has been required to fire a gun at noon ever since, to serve as a time signal.
In 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army Hong Kong and dismantled the cannon. When Hong Kong was liberated in 1945, the Royal Navy gave Jardines another cannon, so that the noon-day gun tradition could continue. On July 1, 1947, the Noon-day gun was back in operation. The current gun is a that saw action in the First World War during the Battle of Jutland.
Although British rule ended in Hong Kong in 1997, the tradition of the noonday gun is continued by Jardines in perpetuity. A small crowd usually gathers for this daily event. Apart from noon, the only other time the gun is fired is at midnight on new year's eve. During this event, employees of Jardine Matheson and invited guests attend and partake in Scottish highland dancing, which reflect the cultural origins of the firm.
To watch the event, people must make their way to the enclosure - the easiest way to get there is to take the tunnel under the road from the basement car park in hotel - ask at reception if you cannot find it as the signage is poor. The Excelsior itself is owned by Mandarin Oriental hotels, which itself is a part of Jardines. At the event, the Jardines man, who wears a Jardines uniform, hands out leaflets to those gathered which describe Jardines version of the background to the gun firing.
The firing of the gun was famously mentioned in Noel Coward's humorous song "".
Origin
The tradition seems to have originated over an incident in the 1860s when , who had their main godowns and offices at East Point, had their private militia fire a gun salute to welcome the tai pans arrival by sea. The Royal Navy thought that such a salute should be reserved only for government officials or senior of the armed services. In penance, Jardines has been required to fire a gun at noon ever since, to serve as a time signal.
In 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army Hong Kong and dismantled the cannon. When Hong Kong was liberated in 1945, the Royal Navy gave Jardines another cannon, so that the noon-day gun tradition could continue. On July 1, 1947, the Noon-day gun was back in operation. The current gun is a that saw action in the First World War during the Battle of Jutland.
Tourist attraction
Although British rule ended in Hong Kong in 1997, the tradition of the noonday gun is continued by Jardines in perpetuity. A small crowd usually gathers for this daily event. Apart from noon, the only other time the gun is fired is at midnight on new year's eve. During this event, employees of Jardine Matheson and invited guests attend and partake in Scottish highland dancing, which reflect the cultural origins of the firm.
To watch the event, people must make their way to the enclosure - the easiest way to get there is to take the tunnel under the road from the basement car park in hotel - ask at reception if you cannot find it as the signage is poor. The Excelsior itself is owned by Mandarin Oriental hotels, which itself is a part of Jardines. At the event, the Jardines man, who wears a Jardines uniform, hands out leaflets to those gathered which describe Jardines version of the background to the gun firing.
Trivia
The firing of the gun was famously mentioned in Noel Coward's humorous song "".
Ngong Ping 360
Ngong Ping 360 is a tourism project in Lantau Island, Hong Kong, consisting of Ngong Ping and Ngong Ping Village. It is owned by the MTR Corporation, built and originally operated by Skyrail-ITM until it was sacked after an investigation following an incident where a cable car plunged 50m to the ground. The project was previously known as Tung Chung Cable Car Project before branded as such in April 2005.
Ngong Ping Cable Car is a 5.7 long bi-cable gondola lift system linking between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping . Between the two terminals at Tung Chung and Ngong Ping, the lift system runs across the southern shore of the Hong Kong International Airport and Nei Lak Shan, with eight towers including the stations.
The system was originally scheduled to open on 24 June, 2006. However, due to the incident on 17 June, 2006, , Skyrail-ITM postponed the opening day to fix the technical problems. After two months of improvement works and repair for the damages made by in August 2006, Ngong Ping 360 resumed a trial-run of 7 days from 30 August, 2006. It was opened on 18 September, 2006. However, there have already been several reports of technical problems, some of them caused by strong winds.
The cable car journey offers a 25 minute aerial alternative to the current one-hour journey by Tung Chung Road, allowing visitors to glide across Tung Chung Bay and up to Lantau Island towards Ngong Ping Plateau.
The cableway starts at the Tung Chung Terminal, runs across Tung Chung Bay to an angle station on , where it turns through about 60 degrees before returning across Tung Chung Bay. It then runs up the Lantau North Country Park to another angle station near Nei Lak Shan, before finally descending to the Ngong Ping Terminal.
During the 25 minute journey, travelers can see panoramic views over the North Lantau Country Park, the South China Sea, Hong Kong International Airport, the Tung Chung valley, Ngong Ping Plateau and surrounding terrain and waterways. As visitors approach Ngong Ping, they can see The Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery.
The corporation has adopted a continuous circulating bi-cable aerial ropeway system for the Project. Between the Tung Chung and Ngong Ping Terminals, the 5.7 km cableway changes direction twice at the two angle stations, one on the south shore of Chek Lap Kok; the other west of Nei Lak Shan within the Lantau North Country Park.
A lot of emphasis was placed during the design development stage on harmonising the cable car development with the surrounding environment. As a result, all the terminals and angle stations are designed with unique character to blend in with the ambiance. The themed village has been designed to reflect and maintain the cultural and spiritual integrity of the Ngong Ping area, and to complement the existing attractions in the area and the cable car ride.
The cableway and the cabins come from the Leitner Group. A continuous circulating bi-cable aerial ropeway system, where the track cable acts as a rail in the sky and the haul cable pulls the cabins, allows long spans between towers. It is the first of its type to be installed in Hong Kong.
The cableway is supported by 8 towers. The cabin has a modern design with seating for 10 and standing room for another 7. It also incorporates features to meet the needs of disabled passengers, including elderly and wheelchair users. The system has a capacity of 3,500 people per hour in each direction.
Construction of the Cable Car Project started at the beginning of 2004. The cableway has 8 towers, 5 of them located within the country park. The project was completed and started running on 18 September 2006.
On 17 June, 2006, during the trial-run with the maximum of 109 gondola cabins on the ropeway, a cabin arriving Ngong Ping station had a slight collision with a late departing cabin. The entire system was automatically halted by the safety system. 500 people in the cabin were trapped for three hours. A further 600 visitors were trapped at the Ngong Ping station. After the incident, all trial-runs were canceled, and the commencement date of the system was postponed.
After service commencement, system failures still occur occasionally.
At about 8:20 p.m. of 11 June, 2007, a gondola cabin fell off the ropeway and crashed into a hilly area near Chek Lap Kok South Road during a brake test which was part of the annual examination of the ropeway. There were no passengers inside the cabin when it fell down and no one was injured on the ground.
After an investigation, a cable car worker was charged with criminal negligence related to the incident, and Skyrail-ITM was sacked from operating the service. The cable car service was halted indefinitely until 23 December where it underwent one week of trial run involving 40,000 visitors riding for free. MTR Corporation took over the operations of Ngong Ping 360 and it reopened officially on 31 December, 2007.
The Ngong Ping Village is built next to the Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal, occupies a 15,000 square metre site and has been designed to mirror and uphold the cultural and spiritual veracity of the Ngong Ping area. Traditional are a feature of the Ngong Ping Village, which contains an assortment of shopping and dining experiences, on top of a number of key attractions including Walking with Buddha, the Monkey's Tale Theatre and the Ngong Ping Tea House.
Ngong Ping Cable Car
Ngong Ping Cable Car is a 5.7 long bi-cable gondola lift system linking between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping . Between the two terminals at Tung Chung and Ngong Ping, the lift system runs across the southern shore of the Hong Kong International Airport and Nei Lak Shan, with eight towers including the stations.
The system was originally scheduled to open on 24 June, 2006. However, due to the incident on 17 June, 2006, , Skyrail-ITM postponed the opening day to fix the technical problems. After two months of improvement works and repair for the damages made by in August 2006, Ngong Ping 360 resumed a trial-run of 7 days from 30 August, 2006. It was opened on 18 September, 2006. However, there have already been several reports of technical problems, some of them caused by strong winds.
Stations
The cable car journey offers a 25 minute aerial alternative to the current one-hour journey by Tung Chung Road, allowing visitors to glide across Tung Chung Bay and up to Lantau Island towards Ngong Ping Plateau.
The cableway starts at the Tung Chung Terminal, runs across Tung Chung Bay to an angle station on , where it turns through about 60 degrees before returning across Tung Chung Bay. It then runs up the Lantau North Country Park to another angle station near Nei Lak Shan, before finally descending to the Ngong Ping Terminal.
During the 25 minute journey, travelers can see panoramic views over the North Lantau Country Park, the South China Sea, Hong Kong International Airport, the Tung Chung valley, Ngong Ping Plateau and surrounding terrain and waterways. As visitors approach Ngong Ping, they can see The Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery.
Selection and design
The corporation has adopted a continuous circulating bi-cable aerial ropeway system for the Project. Between the Tung Chung and Ngong Ping Terminals, the 5.7 km cableway changes direction twice at the two angle stations, one on the south shore of Chek Lap Kok; the other west of Nei Lak Shan within the Lantau North Country Park.
A lot of emphasis was placed during the design development stage on harmonising the cable car development with the surrounding environment. As a result, all the terminals and angle stations are designed with unique character to blend in with the ambiance. The themed village has been designed to reflect and maintain the cultural and spiritual integrity of the Ngong Ping area, and to complement the existing attractions in the area and the cable car ride.
The cableway and the cabins come from the Leitner Group. A continuous circulating bi-cable aerial ropeway system, where the track cable acts as a rail in the sky and the haul cable pulls the cabins, allows long spans between towers. It is the first of its type to be installed in Hong Kong.
The cableway is supported by 8 towers. The cabin has a modern design with seating for 10 and standing room for another 7. It also incorporates features to meet the needs of disabled passengers, including elderly and wheelchair users. The system has a capacity of 3,500 people per hour in each direction.
Construction history
Construction of the Cable Car Project started at the beginning of 2004. The cableway has 8 towers, 5 of them located within the country park. The project was completed and started running on 18 September 2006.
Incidents
On 17 June, 2006, during the trial-run with the maximum of 109 gondola cabins on the ropeway, a cabin arriving Ngong Ping station had a slight collision with a late departing cabin. The entire system was automatically halted by the safety system. 500 people in the cabin were trapped for three hours. A further 600 visitors were trapped at the Ngong Ping station. After the incident, all trial-runs were canceled, and the commencement date of the system was postponed.
After service commencement, system failures still occur occasionally.
At about 8:20 p.m. of 11 June, 2007, a gondola cabin fell off the ropeway and crashed into a hilly area near Chek Lap Kok South Road during a brake test which was part of the annual examination of the ropeway. There were no passengers inside the cabin when it fell down and no one was injured on the ground.
After an investigation, a cable car worker was charged with criminal negligence related to the incident, and Skyrail-ITM was sacked from operating the service. The cable car service was halted indefinitely until 23 December where it underwent one week of trial run involving 40,000 visitors riding for free. MTR Corporation took over the operations of Ngong Ping 360 and it reopened officially on 31 December, 2007.
Ngong Ping Village
The Ngong Ping Village is built next to the Ngong Ping Cable Car Terminal, occupies a 15,000 square metre site and has been designed to mirror and uphold the cultural and spiritual veracity of the Ngong Ping area. Traditional are a feature of the Ngong Ping Village, which contains an assortment of shopping and dining experiences, on top of a number of key attractions including Walking with Buddha, the Monkey's Tale Theatre and the Ngong Ping Tea House.
Murray House
Murray House is a -era building in in Hong Kong. The building is relocated from . Built in 1844, it is part of Murray Barracks when Hong Kong was under the 4th year of as a crown colony. It was named after Sir George Murray, the British Master-General of the Ordnance at the time of construction. The designer and constructor are Major Aldrich and Lieutenant Collinson of the Royal Engineers. It was initially used as barracks by the .
Murray House was the oldest surviving public building in Hong Kong. Similar to many of its "contemporaries" from the early colonial era, it was designed in style. The heavy stone walls are located on ground floor to give sense of stability; while the lighter and columns are placed on the floors above to allow better ventilation. The building also adopted some measures such as putting verandas on all sides and each floors to response to the local subtropical/monsoons climate.
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the building was used as the command centre by the Japanese military police. It was a venue for executing Chinese citizens during the 44 month Japanese occupation. After World War II, several government departments used the building as office, including the Rating and Valuation department headquarters, starting in 1975. The building was believed to be haunted and was officially exorcised twice by the government.
In 1982, the historical landmark was dismantled to yield to the new Bank of China Tower. Over 3,000 building blocks were labelled and catalogued for future restoration. In 1990, the Housing Department proposed to resurrect the building in Stanley. The building was restored in 1998 and reopened in 1999.
Hong Kong Maritime Museum is located on the ground floor, Murray House.
Architecture
Murray House was the oldest surviving public building in Hong Kong. Similar to many of its "contemporaries" from the early colonial era, it was designed in style. The heavy stone walls are located on ground floor to give sense of stability; while the lighter and columns are placed on the floors above to allow better ventilation. The building also adopted some measures such as putting verandas on all sides and each floors to response to the local subtropical/monsoons climate.
During the era of Japanese occupation
During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the building was used as the command centre by the Japanese military police. It was a venue for executing Chinese citizens during the 44 month Japanese occupation. After World War II, several government departments used the building as office, including the Rating and Valuation department headquarters, starting in 1975. The building was believed to be haunted and was officially exorcised twice by the government.
Relocation of the building in Stanley
In 1982, the historical landmark was dismantled to yield to the new Bank of China Tower. Over 3,000 building blocks were labelled and catalogued for future restoration. In 1990, the Housing Department proposed to resurrect the building in Stanley. The building was restored in 1998 and reopened in 1999.
Hong Kong Maritime Museum
Hong Kong Maritime Museum is located on the ground floor, Murray House.
Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong is a small square of streets in , Central and Western district, Hong Kong. The area was dedicated to hawkers before the Second World War, but underwent a renaissance in the mid 1980s. It is now a popular expatriate haunt in Hong Kong for drinking, clubbing and dining. The street Lan Kwai Fong is an L-shape with two ends joining with D'Aguilar Street.
Before the Second World War, Lan Kwai Fong was previously dedicated to hawkers.
In early days, the square housed many mui yan , or marriage arrangers, a role exclusively held by females. Mui yan was a marriage medium between two families in the olden days. It was thus known as Mui Yan Hong or Hong Leung Hong .
In 1980s, German-Canadian businessman Allan Zeman, also known as the father of Lan Kwai Fong, invested 32 million Hong Kong dollars to buy a whole building and renovate it as Western restaurants. The place soon became a meeting place for foreigners in Hong Kong. The square, together with a homosexual disco Disco Disco founded earlier in 1978 in D'Aguilar Street, made Lan Kwai Fong and its surroundings a famous spot for night life.
Lan Kwai Fong as an area is defined by D'Aguilar Street and the smaller lane, Lan Kwai Fong, an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane. Both streets turn 90 degrees to form a rectangle. From the west side of the rectangle, Wo On Lane and Wing Wah Lane extend to host several more spots for drinks and food. The area arguably extends to and Wyndham Street, through to the Hong Kong Fringe Club. It is also home to a small number of art galleries.
Lan Kwai Fong is perhaps Hong Kong's most popular and well known area for a night out. Boasting numerous bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, it is a popular choice for the well off locals, expatriates and tourists. The high costs associated with the area makes this a relatively high class location, although the quality and reputation of this area is obvious virtually every night. Visiting on a Friday or Saturday night you may be overwhelmed by the enormous crowds that fill the streets , with all bars having only standing room. It is interesting to see that, as mentioned, a majority of the crowds are in fact expatriates or international students. It is one of the few places where is the overwhelmingly predominant language, although many of the who are there are most likely to be bilingual.
The crowds during special occasions such as Halloween or New Year's Eve put the place at a literal standstill with the large numbers. control is guaranteed, to manage the crowds. On January 1 1993, 21 people were killed and 48 injured in a large-scale human stampede whilst celebrating the New Year's Day in Lan Kwai Fong. The location's narrow streets and a sloped gradient, poor police planning and bad weather all contributed to this disaster.
There are several ways to access Lan Kwai Fong other than taxi, which include:
Public transport
*MTR, , Exit "D2"
*Airport Express, , Exit "B2"
*, route no. 12m, 13, 23A and 40M
*Green , route no. 10A & 10B
Car park, 2 nearest car parks around Lan Kwai Fong include:
*The Centrium, 10-12 Arbuthnot Road
*Universal Trade Centre, 3 Arbuthnot Road
History
Before the Second World War, Lan Kwai Fong was previously dedicated to hawkers.
In early days, the square housed many mui yan , or marriage arrangers, a role exclusively held by females. Mui yan was a marriage medium between two families in the olden days. It was thus known as Mui Yan Hong or Hong Leung Hong .
In 1980s, German-Canadian businessman Allan Zeman, also known as the father of Lan Kwai Fong, invested 32 million Hong Kong dollars to buy a whole building and renovate it as Western restaurants. The place soon became a meeting place for foreigners in Hong Kong. The square, together with a homosexual disco Disco Disco founded earlier in 1978 in D'Aguilar Street, made Lan Kwai Fong and its surroundings a famous spot for night life.
Location
Lan Kwai Fong as an area is defined by D'Aguilar Street and the smaller lane, Lan Kwai Fong, an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane. Both streets turn 90 degrees to form a rectangle. From the west side of the rectangle, Wo On Lane and Wing Wah Lane extend to host several more spots for drinks and food. The area arguably extends to and Wyndham Street, through to the Hong Kong Fringe Club. It is also home to a small number of art galleries.
Features
Lan Kwai Fong is perhaps Hong Kong's most popular and well known area for a night out. Boasting numerous bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, it is a popular choice for the well off locals, expatriates and tourists. The high costs associated with the area makes this a relatively high class location, although the quality and reputation of this area is obvious virtually every night. Visiting on a Friday or Saturday night you may be overwhelmed by the enormous crowds that fill the streets , with all bars having only standing room. It is interesting to see that, as mentioned, a majority of the crowds are in fact expatriates or international students. It is one of the few places where is the overwhelmingly predominant language, although many of the who are there are most likely to be bilingual.
Special occasions
The crowds during special occasions such as Halloween or New Year's Eve put the place at a literal standstill with the large numbers. control is guaranteed, to manage the crowds. On January 1 1993, 21 people were killed and 48 injured in a large-scale human stampede whilst celebrating the New Year's Day in Lan Kwai Fong. The location's narrow streets and a sloped gradient, poor police planning and bad weather all contributed to this disaster.
Transport
There are several ways to access Lan Kwai Fong other than taxi, which include:
Public transport
*MTR, , Exit "D2"
*Airport Express, , Exit "B2"
*, route no. 12m, 13, 23A and 40M
*Green , route no. 10A & 10B
Car park, 2 nearest car parks around Lan Kwai Fong include:
*The Centrium, 10-12 Arbuthnot Road
*Universal Trade Centre, 3 Arbuthnot Road
Hong Kong Wetland Park
Hong Kong Wetland Park is a conservation, education and tourism facility, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long. It was intended to be an ecological mitigation area for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New town development.
In 1998, a project named International Wetland Park and Visitor Centre Feasibility Study was initiated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Hong Kong Tourism Board with a view to expanding the EMA to a wetland ecotourism attraction. After concluding that it was feasible to develop a Wetland Park at the EMA site without compromising its intended ecological mitigation functions and the development of the Wetland Park will also enhance the ecological function of the EMA to a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility, the concerned parties started the Wetland Park Project, which is one of the Millennium projects by the Administrations.
The Hong Kong Wetland Park comprises a 10,000 square meter large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve. The Wetland Interactive World has themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area and a resource centre. The themed exhibition galleries with gross floor area ranging from 250 meter square to 1,200 meter square showcase the importance of wetland on biodiversity, civilization and . Visitors can learn more about the native flora and fauna of Hong Kong through the animals and models displayed in the Living Wetland Gallery, such as False gharial, mouse deer and green turtle.
The Wetland Reserve consists of re-created habitats specially designed for water fowls and other wildlife. The Wetland Discovery Centre, located in the Wetland Reserve, provides visitors more hands-on experience on local wetlands. Other facilities include Stream Walk, Succession Walk, Mangrove Boardwalk and three Bird Hides situated next to the fish pond, mudflat and riverside, leading visitors to venture different habitats of various wildlife such as Fiddler Crab, Mudskipper and the rare Black-faced Spoonbill.
* To demonstrate the diversity of Hong Kong's wetland ecosystem and highlight the need to conserve them;
* To create a visitor attraction of international status, catering both for the general public and visitors, and also for those with special interest in wildlife and ecology;
* To provide an attraction which will diversify the range of visitor experience in Hong Kong for visitors from abroad;
* To serve the recreational needs of local residents of the adjoining urban areas in the Northwest New Territories;
* To provide a facility that will both complement and supplement those offered at the ;
* To provide opportunities for education and public awareness.
To reduce pollution
"Pui Pui" is a transliteration of the Chinese characters in the crocodile's Chinese name, which is a pun indicating that it came from Shan Pui River and is the apple of the public's eye.
On 29 August 2006 she was moved into her landscaped enclosure and can be easily viewed by the public. Pui Pui’s Home was designed to provide the reptile with a healthy and comfortable living environment.
The outdoor enclosure is about 8 metres by 9 metres, of which 70% is pool area. With a maximum depth of one metre, the pool is landscaped with plants to provide sheltered areas, hiding places and basking areas for the reptile. Outdoor facilities include infra-red heaters, a heat pad and a weighing scale. Water in the pool is continuously circulated through a filtration system.
Wetlands Park is served by the KCR Light Rail, and the Wetlands station belongs to Zone 5A for single-ride ticket.
*705: Tin Shui Wai Circular
*706: Tin Shui Wai Circular
* 761P: to Tin Wing
In 1998, a project named International Wetland Park and Visitor Centre Feasibility Study was initiated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Hong Kong Tourism Board with a view to expanding the EMA to a wetland ecotourism attraction. After concluding that it was feasible to develop a Wetland Park at the EMA site without compromising its intended ecological mitigation functions and the development of the Wetland Park will also enhance the ecological function of the EMA to a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility, the concerned parties started the Wetland Park Project, which is one of the Millennium projects by the Administrations.
Overview
The Hong Kong Wetland Park comprises a 10,000 square meter large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve. The Wetland Interactive World has themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area and a resource centre. The themed exhibition galleries with gross floor area ranging from 250 meter square to 1,200 meter square showcase the importance of wetland on biodiversity, civilization and . Visitors can learn more about the native flora and fauna of Hong Kong through the animals and models displayed in the Living Wetland Gallery, such as False gharial, mouse deer and green turtle.
The Wetland Reserve consists of re-created habitats specially designed for water fowls and other wildlife. The Wetland Discovery Centre, located in the Wetland Reserve, provides visitors more hands-on experience on local wetlands. Other facilities include Stream Walk, Succession Walk, Mangrove Boardwalk and three Bird Hides situated next to the fish pond, mudflat and riverside, leading visitors to venture different habitats of various wildlife such as Fiddler Crab, Mudskipper and the rare Black-faced Spoonbill.
Objectives
* To demonstrate the diversity of Hong Kong's wetland ecosystem and highlight the need to conserve them;
* To create a visitor attraction of international status, catering both for the general public and visitors, and also for those with special interest in wildlife and ecology;
* To provide an attraction which will diversify the range of visitor experience in Hong Kong for visitors from abroad;
* To serve the recreational needs of local residents of the adjoining urban areas in the Northwest New Territories;
* To provide a facility that will both complement and supplement those offered at the ;
* To provide opportunities for education and public awareness.
To reduce pollution
Pui Pui' Home
"Pui Pui" is a transliteration of the Chinese characters in the crocodile's Chinese name, which is a pun indicating that it came from Shan Pui River and is the apple of the public's eye.
On 29 August 2006 she was moved into her landscaped enclosure and can be easily viewed by the public. Pui Pui’s Home was designed to provide the reptile with a healthy and comfortable living environment.
The outdoor enclosure is about 8 metres by 9 metres, of which 70% is pool area. With a maximum depth of one metre, the pool is landscaped with plants to provide sheltered areas, hiding places and basking areas for the reptile. Outdoor facilities include infra-red heaters, a heat pad and a weighing scale. Water in the pool is continuously circulated through a filtration system.
Transportation
Wetlands Park is served by the KCR Light Rail, and the Wetlands station belongs to Zone 5A for single-ride ticket.
Routes
*705: Tin Shui Wai Circular
*706: Tin Shui Wai Circular
* 761P: to Tin Wing
Gallery
Bottoms Up Club
The Bottoms Up Club is a girlie bar in Wanchai, Hong Kong. The bar is famous for its appearance in the James Bond film . The interior of the club evokes the interior of the club as seen in the film.
At the time of the film, the club was located in Tsim Sha Tsui and only moved to Wanchai in 2004. This gave rise to a famous movie blooper when Bond, played by Roger Moore, is picked up outside the club by British agents posing as police, and told he is being taken to a police station on the Kowloon side , when in fact he is already there.
The club also appeared in the 1994 Wong Kar Wai movie ''Chungking Express''. Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin have drinks there before going to a hotel room.
At the time of the film, the club was located in Tsim Sha Tsui and only moved to Wanchai in 2004. This gave rise to a famous movie blooper when Bond, played by Roger Moore, is picked up outside the club by British agents posing as police, and told he is being taken to a police station on the Kowloon side , when in fact he is already there.
The club also appeared in the 1994 Wong Kar Wai movie ''Chungking Express''. Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin have drinks there before going to a hotel room.
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