Hong Kong | 香港 & Okatabawashi|蓝龙

[Dantes]

Woah, impressive.  The high-rise buildings give an impression of monumental size and economic growth.  Very Chinese.  I like the traditional corners in the pictures very much. Great details. 

[Tokugawa]

HSBC Main Building / Standard Chartered

The HSBC Main Building (Chinese: 香港滙豐總行大廈) is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Central, Hong Kong. It is located along the southern side of Statue Square near the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong (built in 1869, demolished in 1933). The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and pulled down to make way for the current building. The address remains as 1 Queen's Road Central, Central. The building can be reached from Exit K of Central MTR Station and facing Statue Square.



The new building was designed by the British architect Lord Norman Foster and Civil & Structural Engineers Ove Arup & Partners (J. Roger Preston & Partners Engineering) and was constructed by Wimpey International. From the concept to completion, it took 7 years (1978–1985). The building is 180-metres high with 47 storeys and four basement levels. The building has a module design consisting of five steel modules prefabricated in the UK by Scott Lithgow Shipbuilders near Glasgow, and shipped to Hong Kong. 30,000 tons of steel and 4,500 tons of aluminium were used. It is rumoured that the building's modular design enables it to be dismantled and moved, if there was any possibility of a disrupted handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997.

The new Lobby and its 2-part Asian Story Wall were designed by Greg Pearce, of One Space Limited. Pearce was also the Principal Architect of the Hong Kong Airport Express (MTR) station. Conceived as a minimalist glass envelope, the new lobby is designed to be deferential to Foster's structure and appears almost to be part of the original.This is not to be considered as any part of the original design and build.

The building is also one of the few to not have elevators as the primary carrier of building traffic. Instead, elevators only stop every few floors, and floors are interconnected by escalators.




Standard Chartered Hong Kong (officially Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, Traditional Chinese: 渣打銀行(香港)有限公司) is a licensed bank incorporated in Hong Kong and a subsidiary of Standard Chartered. An office tower, the Standard Chartered Bank Building, in Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong is named after the bank, although it is now owned by Hang Lung Group.

The history of Standard Chartered in Hong Kong dates back to 1859, when The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China opened a branch in Hong Kong. The Bank started issuing banknotes of the Hong Kong dollar in 1862, and still does so today. In 2000, Standard Chartered acquired Hong Kong-based retail banking business of the Chase Manhattan Bank, including Chase Manhattan Card Company Limited.

The Chairperson of the Board is Katherine Tsang, younger sister of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang, and formerly chairwoman for Greater China operations. She took up the top job on 1 January 2011, succeeding Chow Chung-Kong, who held the post from 2004



----------------------Mosaic--------------------------------

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/8867/bigmosaic.jpg

[noahclem]

Really phenomenal work here!    I don't know if I've ever seen such a nice looking (SC4) city full of highrise buildings. Keep up the great work 

Nice music too 

[bat]

Fantastic pictures of your nice cities! Wonderful work on the updates.
And great start on your MD.

[Tokugawa]

[size=36]Shingwa[/size]




Shingwa is a city located in the northeast coast under Renagawa,it is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of Okatabawashi. On December 25, 2010, it merged with Tongjianika County to form a larger municipality.





Shingwa is the fifth largest city in Okatabawashi , with a population around 4,688,560    . It is a center for manufacturing, refining, shipbuilding, and other light and heavy industries. A major port, through which pass most of Okatabawashi's marine imports and exports, is located at the city but is not managed by the city government.





Shingwa International Airport serving the city is the third largest airport in Okatabawashi.

The Shingwa Mayor's house is a place where many economic and diplomatic meetings are held, and where the government of Shingwa is based



Charles Yong is the chief executive of Shingwa since 2008, he is famous for making Shingwa a central city in the north, competing with Renagawa and MingXun Hongpur



And a last mosaic

[noahclem]

Wonderful urban update! That mosaic is really impressive 

[Dantes]

I really like your style.  Your style reminds me of Taiwan. 

Keep it up! 

[Tokugawa]

Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelt Tsun Wan) is a bay in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, opposite to Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged for the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The town is around the present-day Tsuen Wan Station of the MTR. It was extended as far as the reclamation proceeded.

In earlier days, it was known as Tsin Wan (淺灣) which means shallow bay, and later renamed to Tsuen Wan. Another name Tsak Wan (賊灣, Hakka dialect pronunciation: tshet wan), pirate bay, indicates the presence of pirates nearby long ago. In fact, the area around Rambler Channel was known as Sam Pak Tsin (三百錢), literally meaning three hundred coins. There was a legend that pirates would collect three hundred coins should one pass through the area.





A museum of a local settlement village is located in Tsuen Wan Town: Sam Tung Uk Museum. The museum is an effort to preserve one of the heritage villages in Hong Kong. It was restored when Tsuen Wan underwent urban development during the construction of the MTR.





In the 20th century, factories moved in gradually due to its proximity to Kowloon. With the construction of Castle Peak Road, motor vehicles could reach the town in addition to access on foot and by boat. In the 1950s, the Hong Kong Government developed the area with new town concepts. In the 1970s it was developed as part of Tsuen Wan New Town. By 1971 the area housed 400,000 residents. It was one of the last areas in Hong Kong to be developed without the "Colony Outline Plan".





Discovery Park, one of Hong Kong's largest shopping centers, is located in the heart of Tsuen Wan Town. There is a goldsmith street there where jewels can be purchased. Other features include Tsuen Wan Shopping Plaza, Tsuen Wan City Landmark, Citywalk and L'Hotel, The Sam Tung Uk Museum, Tin Hau Temple and The Panda Hotel, one of the biggest hotels in Hong Kong. The Nina Towers, which include an 80-storey tower, rise over Tsuen Wan. Hong Kong's cable TV service company i-CABLE also has their headquarters located in Tsuen Wan at Wharf Cable Tower.

[nbvc]

Fantastic images.

[noahclem]

Another fantastic update! 

Still probably my favorite skycraper MD of all time 

[Tokugawa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qihIVx6WitI

1967

The Hong Kong 1967 riots began in May 1967. They were caused by pro-communist leftists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China (PRC), who turned a labour dispute into large scale demonstrations against British colonial rule. Demonstrators clashed violently with the Hong Kong Police Force. Instigated by events in the PRC, leftists called for massive strikes and organised demonstrations, while the police stormed many of the leftists' strongholds and placed their active leaders under arrest. These riots became still more violent when the leftists resorted to terrorist attacks, planting fake and real bombs in the city and murdering some members of the press who voiced their opposition to the violence.



This fantastic picture was by Riiga



n May, a labour dispute broke out in an artificial flower factory in San Po Kong. Picketing workers clashed with management, and riot police were called in on 6 May. In violent clashes between the police and the picketing workers, 21 workers were arrested; many more were injured. Representatives from the union protested at police stations, but were themselves also arrested. The next day, large-scale demonstrations erupted on the streets of Hong Kong. Many of the pro-communist demonstrators carried Little Red Books in their left hands and shouted communist slogans including demands of "blood for blood". The Hong Kong Police Force engaged with the demonstrators and arrested another 127 people. A curfew was imposed and all police forces were called into duty.



In the PRC, newspapers praised the leftists' activities, calling the British colonial government's actions "fascist atrocities". In Beijing, thousands of people demonstrated outside the office of the British chargé d'affaires. In Hong Kong's downtown Central District, large loudspeakers were placed on the roof of the Bank of China Building, broadcasting pro-communist rhetoric and propaganda, while students distributed newspapers carrying information about the disturbances and pro-communist rhetoric to the public.

On 16 May, the leftists formed the Hong Kong and Kowloon Committee for Anti-Hong Kong British Persecution Struggle (港九各界反抗港英迫害鬥爭委員會) and appointed Yeung Kwong (楊光) of the Federation of Trade Unions as the chairman of the committee. The committee organised and coordinated a series of large demonstrations. Hundreds of supporters from various leftist organisations demonstrated outside Government House, chanting communist slogans and wielding placards. At the same time, many workers took strike action, with Hong Kong's transport services being particularly badly disrupted.

More violence erupted on 22 May, with another 167 people being arrested. The rioters began to adopt more sophisticated tactics, such as throwing stones at police or vehicles passing by, before retreating into leftist "strongholds" such as newspaper offices, banks or department stores once the police arrived.



By the time the riots subsided at the end of the year, 51 people were killed, including five police officers. Eleven officers were wounded. A British Army explosives disposal expert (Sgt. Charlie Workman of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps) and a firefighter were killed in the riots. In addition, more than 800 people sustained injuries, including 200 law enforcement personnel; 5000 people were arrested. Bombings killed 15 people, and injured 340 others. There were millions of dollars in property damage, measured in US$ – many times greater than the 1956 riot. Confidence in the colony's future declined among some of Hong Kong's populace, and many residents sold their property and relocated overseas. Some 2000 people were convicted after the arrests.

[noahclem]

Awesome update again    The first SimCity picture is just spectacular 

[art128]

Great update! As Noah said, I really like the first picture as there's a nice composition with the high rise at the right hand side.

[Battlecat]

Fantastic, you're building a gorgeous urban region! 

[rooker1]

I love the look of your city.  All those tall buildings, just the right amount of parks and the mix of real life pics makes for a great read.

Robin

[Tokugawa]

Taikoo Shing

The entire Taikoo Shing estate covers 3.5 hectares (8.5 acres), and consist of 61 residential towers, with a total of 12,698 apartment flats that ranges anywhere between 585 square feet (54.3 m2) to 1,237 square feet (114.9 m2).



The Taikoo Shing estate was once the site of Taikoo Dockyard, whose foundation stone now lies beside Cityplaza. The dockyard moved to United Dockyards at the west shore of the Tsing Yi Island in late 1970s, and Taikoo Shing was constructed over the site in stages, with constructions of all main residential buildings complete by the early 1990s.



As part of the business strategy, Swire Properties was established in 1972 immediately after the closing of the dockyard. Taikoo Shing became one of Hong Kong's first major private housing estates. Completing in 1986, Swire immediately became one of the largest property companies doing the construction themselves. The area was designed to maximise middle-class residential capacity.



Development of commercial areas still continues today. After the completion of Cityplaza 3 and 4 as office buildings, the original Cityplaza 1 was demolished in the mid-90s for redevelopment. As of 2007, the food market that was originally constructed was demolished to make room for a hotel.



More than 60,000 people live in Taikoo Shing, a moderately concentrated area by Hong Kong standards.

Apartment flats in Taikoo Shing are popular amongst buyers and speculators, and for a significant time in the 80's and 90's, Taikoo Shing's housing price is a general indicator of the of Hong Kong's housing market health in general. Although in recent years, newer housing developments have eroded a bit of Taikoo Shing's once prominent status.



The estate is also a very sought-after place to live for the Japanese and Korean expatriate communities in Hong Kong, most of which are staffed in multinational corporations based in Hong Kong. As a result of this significant Korean and Japanese settlement, the area has many Korean and Japanese-themed service establishments

[Dantes]

A great residential area.  Typical of this region and very nicely designed.  The parks are very decorative.   I still need car parks and bus stops and subway stations for many commuters. 

[Swordmaster]

Great stuff, but Big Traffic seems to be really missing here. You could use traffic generators if you must.

Cheers,
Willy

[Earth quake]

Beautiful images and a very great update. The Comments you provided with the pictures are very interesting on the history of Hong Kong. Excellent work.

[Tokugawa]

Just a quick teaser, there is still much more to come