The smaller domed building is our legislative council HQ - like the parliament - and one of the oldest buildings now still standing - as it was built in 1912 as the Supreme Court, by the architect who also worked on the V&A museum in London, and on a part of the facade of Buckingham Palace.
Slightly to the left, and the water, is the famous Mandarin Oriental, which has just been overhauled, and the truly sky-scraping International Finance Centre - home to banks, offices, luxury shops, restaurants and bars, and the very swanky Four Seasons hotel.
The contrast continues with the pint-sized ex-Bank of China HQ - now home to David Tang's China Club - nestling next to the HSBC Headquarters - my first experience of Sir Norman Foster's design capabilities and which caused quite a stir when it opened in the 80s.
Inside the bank, another relationship of close proximity that caught my eye. Presumably for National Day (October 1st), the bank had hung China and Hong Kong flags side by side across the entrance way. This serves to highlight the planned similarities between the 2 emblems, the colours, the stars, as well as the marked difference. Not the bauhinia, but the size of the HK flag, which must, by law, be smaller that the one of the Mainland.
No comments:
Post a Comment