Top Twenty Images
Just want to see the best? I've picked out twenty of my favourite image pairs from the collection.
Probably my favourite set of all: aesthetically pleasing and captures the changing city skyline. The additional boulders have made lining the new shot up a problem - I'd love to know if HK Man took any at a slightly lower angle.
Unknown date and July 2009
This pair of images really captures the transformation of Hong Kong: the dramatic and total change in architecture, and the explosion of towers in the distance. But the much-beloved tram provides some continuity between the two images.
Post-war and Nov 2010
This set shows the intense three dimensionality that I love about Hong Kong. The red and white colour scheme of taxis visible in both images endures today, and inspired the colours of this website.
1964 and Nov 2010
This area of shops and housing on the left was part of Kowloon Walled City. The Walled City was an incredibly dense urban enclave that was essentially self-policing. A maze of alleyways between inter-connected high rise buildings, it was crammed with cheap housing and unregulated businesses. The site was finally cleared in 1994 and is now the home of a park. There's a brilliant book about it by photographer Greg Girard called City of Darkness.
c.1970s and Dec 2008
This is one of the oldest images in HK man's collection. The sign on the left is for the Hong Kong Photographic Rooms, a studio where customers could have portraits taken, or buy prints of scenes of Hong Kong. The original owner was an Emil Riisfeldt, who soon after left for a career in Australia. Unfortunately the negatives of his Hong Kong photography have not been found.
c.1874 and Jan 2010
HK man called this collection '香港在消失ing': Hong Kong is disappearing, and lamented the loss of the many old buildings of the city. He felt that the city was losing its special character, and beginning to look like every other city. Certainly some of his collection make it hard to disagree.
Unknown date and Sept 2009
The old central market buildings was replaced in 1937 with the Bauhaus style building we can see here. It was then closed in 2003, to be destroyed to make room for high rise buildings, but protests won out and the building was granted protected heritage status. It's now undergoing redevelopment, though it's unclear what the future plan for the building is.
Unknown date and Dec 2009
Quite the dramatic contrast here. Note the church has survived the intervening years, and peeks out from behind the new apartment building.
Date unknown and Oct 2010
Another complete transformation, with only the tram lines providing continuity between the two eras.
Possibly around 1920 and July 2009
I love the science fiction styling of the original peak tram building. Thankfully they replaced it with something almost as unusual in shape.
70s or 80s and August 2009
An even older image of the tram. As an integrated part of the public transport system it also has the red and white branding.
1890 and August 2009
An excellent example of land reclamation in the city. The people living in the apartment building must have been disappointed in the change of view. The building also as an interesting and distinctive lean.
Another example of human reconfiguration of Hong Kong's landscape: the hill in the older image was completly removed in the 1980's, making way for the white apartment buildings in the newer photograph.
1980 and Jan 2011
While the bus station remains the same, the skyline behind it has changed dramatically.
1966 and May 2011
A great image showing how the residential architecture of the city has changed.
c.1964 and Nov 2009
HK Man also used stills from films - this colourful scene is taken from 1960's The World of Suzie Wong. The colour scheme of the building seems to have survived, perhaps coincidentally.
1960 and Apr 2010
This is the Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda - the oldest surviving pagoda in Hong Kong.
Unknown date and Sept 2011
The first big renovation to Sha Tin was in 1980, preparing it for electric trains. A few years after that a large shopping centre was built on top of the station - Citylink Plaza.
1976 and Jul 2009
The intervening 55 years have completely changed the atmosphere of the area of these two images. The sign on the right in the older image reads 'Proposed site for government primary school'.
c.1956 and Dec 2008
Most of the collection is made up of street scenes, but there's also some great wide angle images like this. Most evident here is the transformation of the low rise housing into parkland, and the expansion of the high rise buildings. I'd be particularly fascinated to see this scene again in a few decades.
Date unknown and Jun 2009