Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [39]
At the park’s northernmost tip is the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware ( 2869 0690; www.lcsd.gov.hk/ce/museum/arts/english/tea/intro/eintro.html; 10 Cotton Tree Dr; admission free; 10am-5pm Wed-Mon). Built in 1846 as the home of the commander of the British forces, it is the oldest colonial building in Hong Kong still standing in its original spot. The museum, a branch of the Hong Kong Museum of Art ( Click here), houses a collection of antique Chinese tea ware: bowls, teaspoons, brewing trays, sniffing cups (used particularly for enjoying the fragrance of the finest oolong from Taiwan) and, of course, teapots made of porcelain or purple clay from Yixing. The ground-floor cafe is a great place to recharge over a pot of fine tea.
ADMIRALTY
The KS Lo Gallery ( 2869 0690; 10 Cotton Tree Dr; admission free; 10am-5pm Wed-Mon), in a building southeast of the museum, contains rare Chinese ceramics and stone seals collected by the gallery’s eponymous benefactor.
On the eastern edge of the park, the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre ( 2521 3008; 7A Kennedy Rd; admission free; 10am-9pm Wed-Mon), housed in the Cassels Block of the former Victoria Barracks, supports local sculptors, printmakers and potters, and stages exhibitions.
Hong Kong Park is an easy walk from either Central or the Admiralty MTR station.
HONG KONG CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE Map
2582 8888; www.hkcec.com.hk; 1 Expo Dr, Wan Chai; 18
Due north of the Wan Chai MTR station, the Convention & Exhibition Centre, which was built in 1988 and extended onto an artificial island in the harbour for the hand-over in ‘97, has been compared with a bird’s wing, a banana leaf and a lotus petal.
CENTRAL PLAZA Map
18 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai; 18
At just under 374m, Central Plaza, which was completed in 1992, is just 3m shorter than the newer Two IFC ( Click here). The glass skin of the tower has three different colours – gold, silver and terracotta – and the overall impression is rather garish. Central Plaza functions as one of the world’s biggest clocks. There’s method to the madness of the four lines of light shining through the glass pyramid at the top of the building between 6pm and midnight. The bottom level indicates the hour: red is 6pm, white 7pm, purple 8pm, yellow 9pm, pink 10pm and green 11pm. When all four lights are the same colour, it’s right on the hour. When the top light is different from the bottom ones, it’s 15 minutes past the hour. If the top two and bottom two are different, it’s half-past the hour. If the top three match, it’s 45 minutes past the hour. So what time is it now?
GOLDEN BAUHINIA Map
Golden Bauhinia Sq, 1 Expo Dr, Wan Chai; MTR Wan Chai (exit A5), 18
A 6m-tall statue (including pedestal) of Hong Kong’s symbol, called the Forever Blooming Bauhinia, stands on the waterfront promenade just in front of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre to mark the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR. The flag-raising ceremony, held daily at 8am and conducted by the Hong Kong Police, has become a must-see for visiting tourist groups from the mainland. There’s a pipe band on the 1st, 11th and 21st of each month at 7.45am.
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TRANSPORT – ADMIRALTY
Bus Buses to and from destinations throughout Hong Kong Island operate from Admiralty bus station below Queensway Plaza and Admiralty MTR station.
MTR Admiralty station is on the Central and Tsuen Wan lines.
Tram Trams run east along Queensway, Johnston Rd and Hennessy Rd ( Map) to Causeway Bay; and west to Central and Sheung Wan.
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HONG KONG ARTS CENTRE Map
2582 0200; www.hkac.org.hk; 2 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai; MTR Admiralty (exit E2)
Due east of the Academy for the Performing