Events in 2013 The 16.5 metre-high yellow Rubber Duck, a floating sculpture created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, arrives at Ocean Terminal/Harbour City in Kowloon in May on its world tour. 1 1. The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung (second from left), rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in June. 2. The Ceremonial Opening of the Legal Year in January. 3. The Chief Executive meets the President of Mexico, Mr Enrique Peña Nieto, at Government House in April. 4. The Secretary for Justice, Mr Rimsky Yuen, SC (left), the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Raymond Tam, launch the public consultation on electoral reform in December. 5. The Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang (right), meets the French Minister of the 3 Economy and Finance, Mr Pierre Moscovici, in Paris in November. 2 5 4 1 2 1. Sarah Lee Wai-sze wins gold in the Women’s 500 metre time trial race at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Minsk, Belarus, in February. (Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Cycling Association) 2. The Mariner of the Seas is welcomed at the inaugural berthing at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in June. 3. ‘Big Waster’ headlined the year’s ‘Food Wise Hong Kong’ campaign to reduce food waste. 4. The Hong Kong Maritime Museum opened in February. 3 4 4 1 1. Visitors enjoy the ‘Journey to Hong Kong’ exhibition in Moscow in October. 2. Hong Kong cartoon characters McDull and McMug at the City of London Lord Mayor’s Show in November. 2 Hong Kong: Our Home Launched in April with the aim of fostering community spirit, the ‘Hong Kong: Our Home’ campaign attracted tens of thousands to its 1,100 events and activities under four themes: ‘Vibrant’, ‘Hip’, ‘Caring’ and ‘Fresh’ Hong Kong. 4 2 1 3 1. The campaign is launched by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam (eighth from right), and other senior officials. 2-3. Students and guests help paint the backdrop for the launch ceremony. 4. Jackie Cheung (left) and Eason Chan record the campaign theme song. 5. Paintings from the launch ceremony on permanent display at Tung Chung Public Library. 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1. Cathay Pacific unveils its 2. Silvermine Bay Music Festival. 3. Foster Families Service Award ‘Spirit of Hong Kong’ aircraft 5. Opening ceremony of the presentation. livery. 4th Hong Kong Games. 6. Territory-wide Cleansing 4. Sports Day for All. 8. Manchester United v Kitchee. Campaign. 7. Fun Day at the Hong Kong 11. Standard Chartered Arts 9. ‘Hong Kong: Our Home’ Avenue of Comic Stars. in the Park Mardi Gras. Cup race day at Sha Tin. 10. Hong Kong Synergy 24 Drum 12. Stargaze Camp for All Competition. and the Blind. New Facilities A variety of new sports, arts and leisure facilities were completed in 2013. This is the Hong Kong Sports Institute’s Tenpin Bowling Centre, which opened in June. 1 3 2 1. Members of Hong Kong’s cycling team mark the completion of the Hong Kong Velodrome in December. 2. The Hong Kong Sports Institute’s new Rowing Boathouse. 3. The new Victoria Park Swimming Pool Complex opened in September. 4. A cyclist’s performance is monitored at the Hong Kong Sports Institute. 4 1-2. Comix Homebase opened in July in Wan Chai in a group of revitalised tenement buildings, providing exhibition and studio space for comic artists and animators. 3. Oi!, a community art space, opened in May in a historic building in Oil Street in North Point which was originally home to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. 1 2 3 Hong Kong Harbour Hong Kong’s harbour continues to play a vibrant role in both commercial and leisure activities. Lion Rock provides the backdrop as Mariner of the Seas approaches the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in June, the first ship to berth at the new facility. 1 1. The Star Ferry has plied the harbour since 1888. 2. The 92-year old Russian sail training ship Sedov visits Hong Kong in February. 3. The Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan. 4. The container port at Kwai Tsing remains one of the world’s busiest. 3 2 4 1 3 1. The new Central Harbourfront was the 2 site for this year’s Wine & Dine Festival. 2. Waterfront walk in Quarry Bay. 3. Sunset at Kwun Tong Promenade. Exhibitions Exhibitions in Hong Kong in 2013 covered subjects new, old – and prehistoric. The ‘Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs’ exhibition at the Hong Kong Science Museum attracted record crowds to see its more than 190 exhibits, including these life-size models of dinosaur skeletons. 1 1. ’The Splendours of Royal Costume: Qing Court Attire’ at the Hong Kong Museum of History. 2. ‘Bruce Lee: Kung Fu • Art • Life’ at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. 3. Sandro Botticelli’s Venus at the University of Hong Kong’s University Museum and Art Gallery. 4. ‘The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia’ at the Hong Kong Museum of History. 5. ‘Fabergé: Legacy of Imperial Russia’ at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. 3 2 4 5 1 2 1. Sacrilege, a full-size inflatable replica of Stonehenge, at West Kowloon Cultural District. 2. ‘Gundam Docks at Hong Kong’ at Times Square in Causeway Bay. Long-Distance Hiking Trails Hong Kong’s four long-distance hiking trails (Hong Kong, Lantau, MacLehose and Wilson) offer a striking contrast to the urban area. The annual Oxfam Trailwalker sees participants hike non-stop the entire 100 kilometres of the MacLehose Trail in the New Territories to raise funds for charity. 1 1. The Dragon’s Back forms part of Hong Kong Island’s 50 kilometre Hong Kong Trail. 2. Hikers on the Dragon’s Back, with Shek O below. 3. Originally built as holiday retreats for missionaries in China, these shelters are on Sunset Peak on the 70 kilometre Lantau Trail. 4. Grassy Hill on the MacLehose Trail. 3 2 4 1 1. Violet Hill on Hong Kong Island on the 78 kilometre Wilson Trail, starting near Stanley on Hong Kong Island and ending at Nam Chung in the northern New Territories. 2. Near Shing Mun Reservoir on the Wilson Trail. 2 Beneath Hong Kong Underground facilities in Hong Kong are extensive and varied. This is Hong Kong University station under construction on the new MTR West Island Line. 3 1 2 1-2. Tunnelling work for the Central- Wan Chai Bypass. 3-4. Construction works in progress in the tunnels of the Guangzhou- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link. (Photos courtesy of the MTR Corporation Limited) 4 1 2 3 1. Tai Hang Tung underground flood storage tank in Sham Shui Po. 2. Underground sewage treatment works in Stanley, constructed in a cavern. 3. Part of the North Point-Wan Chai section of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme’s Deep Sewage Tunnel. Rail Transport Then and Now Rail transport has always played an important role in Hong Kong. This is the Sir Alexander, a diesel electric engine formerly used by the Kowloon and Canton Railway, at the Hong Kong Railway Museum in Tai Po. 1-2. Only the clock tower now remains of the old Kowloon railway station at Tsim Sha Tsui. The station was demolished in 1978 and replaced with a new terminal further to the east at Hung Hom. 3-4. Opened in 1888 as the first cable funicular in Asia, the Peak Tram today continues to transport visitors and residents to and from the Peak. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5-6. The light rail system in Yuen Long and Tuen Mun opened 25 years ago. 7-8. The first through-train to resume passenger service from Canton (Guangzhou today) to Kowloon was met by crowds at Lo Wu Bridge in 1979. There are now frequent cross-border trains. 1 1-2. The cityscape of Hong Kong Island has changed dramatically since the 1930s but the tramway (opened in 1904) still provides a valuable transport service. 2 Birds Over 500 species of birds have been recorded in Hong Kong, some resident and others migrant. Many species can be readily seen in the urban areas, like this pair of Spotted Doves. 3 1 2 1. Every winter, some 60,000 migratory waterbirds visit the wetland habitats of Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay, designated a ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention. 2. White-throated Kingfisher. 3. Black Kite. (Photo courtesy of Ken Wong /Hong Kong Bird Watching Society) 4. Little Egret. 4 1 4 2 5 1. Daurian Redstart. 2. Red-billed Blue Magpie. (Photo courtesy of Eric Mok/Hong Kong Bird Watching Society) 3. Red-whiskered Bulbul. 4. Chinese Bulbul. 3 5. Oriental Magpie Robin. Specialist Vehicles Various working vehicles in Hong Kong are designed for particular tasks or for a particular operating environment. The Fire Services Department’s mini fire truck and mini rescue vans on Peng Chau are able to negotiate the island’s narrow lanes. 1. A Fire Services Department Rapid Intervention Vehicle at Hong Kong International Airport. 2. One of the vehicles used by the Police’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau. 3. E-scooters are used by cleaners at the Hong Kong International Airport terminals. 4. A Village Ambulance on Lamma Island, small enough to reach areas which a standard ambulance could not. 3 1 2 4 1 1. A bridge inspection vehicle at work on Tsing Ma Bridge. 2.