Map showing 38 years of landscape change in Hong Kong
Despite political changes, this is how much Hong Kong has changed physically since 1984
In a recent conversation with a friend who works as a podcast co-host with strong pro-democracy leanings, we discussed the implications of remaining in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover. In the current state of absurdity — there is still changing coastline of the city which have narrated through the interfacing of geographic data, newspapers and historic photos he showed me.
As we talked about the history of Hong Kong, our conversation evolves a great deal to the story of the hidden — Hong Kong’s fading attractions. He gave me an insight of spatial and temporal reference to land reclamation area that has been altering Hong Kong significantly.
After two years of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and with Beijing’s increasing grip over Hong Kong’s democracy advocates, it has led to major changes in the city’s physical landscape.
So in this reason, I’ve gathered some of the changes now consuming Hong Kong, from rural areas near China’s border to the skyscrapers towering over Victoria Harbour.
To begin with, here’s also some facts about Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is extremely hilly so it has low rate of developable lands. Because of this, there’s around a third of the city’s population residing on reclaimed land, and as much as 70% of Hong Kong’s commercial activities take place on it, too. In total, reclaimed land in Hong Kong takes up 7,000 hectares of land, which is half the size of Lantau Island. Chances are that where you live or where you go to work five days a week may have been part of the ocean just a few decades ago.
Land Reclamation
Since 1841 when the British called Hong Kong a “Barren Rock” it has depended largely on land reclamation. As Hong Kong has very little vegetation and flat land for building, reclamation has enabled it to grow from a tiny fishing village to a world class city. It has also been a big factor in the growth of population. Once only a city of just over 7,000 people it is now home to a population of 7.5 million (or more).
A host of commercial and other important administrative buildings were erected on the coast as the city prospered, and the reclaimed land held many classic colonial-style buildings of the Central District, such as the High Court/ the Statue Square/ and the General Post Office, buildings that continue to exist today. In this manner, the coast from Kennedy Town all the way to Causeway Bay kept on expanding from 1851 all the way to the early twentieth century.
New Town
Land reclamation projects paused briefly during World War II but resumed with renewed vigour shortly after as immigrants from mainland China poured into the city. It was no longer enough to slowly reclaim small bits of the waterfront — instead, entire towns needed to be built quickly to meet the need for housing and improve living conditions.
This is why the majority of the area was reclaimed in the New Territories and its islands. Land reclamation has enabled exponential population and economic growth in the New Towns, and appears to be the developmental instrument of choice for the city’s leadership moving forward.
In the 1950s, Hong Kong’s population began growing at exponential rates, which was largely due to a massive influx of migrants from mainland China. As a response, the Hong Kong government forgoed the private enterprise-driven approach to land reclamation, and intervened directly to create new habitable land to accommodate the city’s rapidly growing population.
This led to a spate of new towns under the New Town Development Programme beginning in 1973. Soon, six towns — Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O, and Tung Chung — were built on the reclaimed land, with a common method being to extract parts of a nearby mountain and dump the debris into the sea, creating a flatter terrain to develop on.
Hong Kong Island
The skyline of Hong Kong’s glitzy main island is famous across the world — a shifting landscape that increasingly reflects China’s influence.
And the most iconic reclamation so far in Hong Kong has been the Central and Wanchai Harbour-front. Over the past 3 decades approximately 67km2 of sea and swamp has been turned into prime real estate including the IFC, Central Ferry Piers and the Wan Chai Convention Centre. It is the single most impactful reclamation that has dramatically changed the look of Hong Kong. Victoria Harbour has shrunk and the iconic skyline changed beyond recognition.
The history of modern land reclamation as a policy measure in Hong Kong Island dates back to the late 1851. In December of that year, a fire consumed 450 homes in the Sheung Wan neighbourhood, leaving behind mounds of rubble and debris alongside Hong Kong Island’s western harbourfront. The territory’s British rulers opted to combine the rubble with soil from nearby hill slopes and deposit it in the harbour to create a new roadway along the coastline. This first land reclamation project extended the shoreline by 15 metres.
Between 1851 and the early 20th century, most land reclamation projects took place off the northern coast of Hong Kong Island where the British colonial offices were located, primarily between what are now the Kennedy Town and Causeway Bay neighbourhoods. Reclamation also took place on the southern end of the Kowloon peninsula. Early reclamation projects were welcomed by the government, as they alleviated health and safety concerns in overcrowded neighbourhoods and homes. Additionally, reclamation works were designed to lower coastal seabeds and allow larger ships to dock in the harbour.
Despite being a fixture in the history of Hong Kong’s development, land reclamation as a practice has recently been met with public criticism towards its impact on the city’s natural and cultural heritage.
Public Attitude?
Public attitude towards reclamation grew sour at the turn of the century, just as the city was preparing for its handover to China. The Victoria Harbour has shrunk to almost half its original size by now and, strengthened by a heightened consciousness of the Hong Kong identity, the public clamoured to preserve the natural heritage. The Protection of the Harbour Ordinance was then passed in 1997, but by then, the Central and Wan Chai reclamation project was already well underway.
Modern landmarks such as IFC, the Hong Kong MTR station, the government headquarters at Tamar, and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre at Wan Chai were all built on newly reclaimed land, but none were as controversial as the establishment of the new Central Ferry Piers. Locals and conservationists alike protested against demolishing the old Star Ferry pier at Central — Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier — and its signature clock tower, but to no avail. After servicing thousands of commuters daily for half a century, the historic building was demolished to make way for land reclamation, which nibbled away at Hong Kong’s heritage.
Final Thoughts
It’s clear to see that land reclamation has been an integral component of Hong Kong’s development since the territory’s colonial era, as the practice has permitted the city to accommodate its population and foster economic growth.
Since the 1997 handover, the implementation of Hong Kong’s new political identity by the Chinese Communist Party has undoubtedly been the catalyst spurring sweeping internal and external changes in the city. The Hong Kong government has adapted its land reclamation policies to different economic needs over the decades; moving forward, the city will also have to consider the needs and demands of its citizenry.
From a distance, it might seem Hong Kong’s turmoil and chaos have lessened as the political crackdown and the outbreak in Wuhan of Covid-19 that rocked the city last year. In reality, since coming into effect, the city is being reshaped by Beijing.
