A blog dedicated to exploring Hong Kong’s melting pot history through the lens of its colourful architecture
"Every inch of space was used. As the road narrowed, signs receded upwards and changed to the vertical. To the right, cramped streets sloped down to the harbor. To the left, as we meandered along the tramlines through sudden dense markets of hawkers' barrows, the streets turned abruptly into flights of steps careering upwards into a bluish mist of domestic smoke, clouds of washing on poles, and climbing. Hong Kong had the knack of building where others wouldn't dare."
Jonathan Gash, Author
A City Built on Diversity: Architecture and Urbanism in Hong Kong
Long considered a “heterogenetic city,” Hong Kong’s landscape has adjusted and evolved to meet the demands of a rapidly changing society created out of a juxtaposition between the cultures of the colonizer and colonized. Whether acting as a hotspot for colonial trade and power or as a hub for those fleeing political turmoil, Hong Kong’s role as a heterogeneous mercantile city is evident through its unique spatial story. This blog is dedicated to bringing the history of Hong Kong’s unique architecture and urbanism to light to explain its distinct historical story.
