Red Lantern: Hong Kong part 3

I mentioned in my last post that the Chinese like Hong Kong and use it as a shopping destination and the foreigners go to Hong Kong either to have a break from the restrictive life in China or to do business. It's not only those groups who like Hong Kong, it's the cineasts, too. There are many films made here and among them are many blockbusters. Most of them are either martial arts, crime or drama. But there are some romantic chick flicks and comedies too. Who doesn't remember Iron Monkey, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and my all time favourite Fallen Angels. Most of those films present Hong Kong as a dark place full of crime. Too dangerous to go there, with killings, shootings, gangsters, drugs, whatever you can imagine. The reality is a different one. Hong Kong is a very safe place with friendly people and tidy streets.

I however wanted to get into a cineast mood and watched Fallen Angels. After watching the film, I feel a bit disappointed seeing everything so tidy, organised and quiet. Where are the gangsters? The drug dealers? The prostitutes? The shootings and killings? I walk through the streets, still in the mood of the film and imagine how a gangster would appear behind the next corner. But of course, no gangster is there. I shouldn't watch that much TV.

Here is a plot summary:

A disillusioned killer embarks on his last hit but first he has to overcome his affections for his cool, detached partner. Thinking it's dangerous and improper to become involved with a colleague he sets out to find a surrogate for his affections. Against the sordid and surreal urban nightscape (set in contemporary Hong Kong), he crosses path with a strange drifter looking for her mysterious ex-boyfriend and an amusing mute trying to get the world's attention in his own unconventional ways.

Source: www.imdb.com

A small temple in the vicinity of the hotel. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out its name, as there are three more temples nearby and the map doesn't give clear information.

Fruit and vegetables near my hotel.

Narrow path with shops.

You have to be fit to walk around Hong Kong.

Entering the financial district

Tram in various colours

cute

Somewhere near the train station

2016 was the year of the monkey.

Statue Square

This square used to house effigies of British royalty. Now it pays tribute to a single sovereign – the founder of HSBC. In the northern area is the Cenotaph, built in 1923 as a memorial to Hong Kong residents killed during the two world wars. On the south side of Chater Rd, Statue Sq has a collection of fountains and seating areas, with tiling that’s strangely reminiscent of a 1980s municipal washroom.

The HSBC Building

The stunning HSBC headquarters, designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster, is a masterpiece of precision, sophistication and innovation. On completion in 1985 it was the world’s most expensive building (costing over US$1 billion). The HSBC Building reflects the architect’s wish to create areas of public and private space, and to break the mould of previous bank architecture. A lighting scheme fitted later enabled the building to stand out at night.
Source: Lonely Planet Hong Kong

It's more impressive at night.

The former legislative council building

This colonnaded and domed building (c 1912) was built of granite quarried on Stonecutters Island, and served as the seat of the Legislative Council from 1985 to 2012. During WWII it was a headquar- ters of the Gendarmerie, the Japanese version of the Gestapo, and many people were executed here. Standing atop the pediment is a blindfolded statue of Themis, the Greek goddess of justice and natural law.
Source: Lonely Planet Hong Kong.