Page 21 - Kyalami Issue 2 2025

Kyalami Estates Corporate Brand Bible Design 26
3.0 Folder (Inner)
TRAVEL

Nan Lian Gardens

A fleeting visit to the world's third-ranked global

financial centre on the South China Sea

s a consequence of the infa- coach to the tram station at Victoria Peak, km of Hong Kong Island, the 47 square
mous opium wars between where we then caught the tram to the look- km of Kowloon and the somewhat larger
Britain and China, Hong out point on the summit. Clearly visible from area of the new territories. Land continues
Kong Island was ceded by the summit were the hundreds of high-rise to be reclaimed from the sea and built
AChina to Britain in 1842. Fur- buildings on either side of the harbour. on in an effort to relieve the problem of
ther territory including the southern part overcrowding.
of the Kowloon peninsula and Stonecut- Hong Kong has an extremely high popula-
ters Island, was ceded in 1860, while the tion density, with some seven and a half Our tour guide advised us that Hong Kong
new territories and 230 offshore islands million people crowded into the 81 square has no government sponsored social
were leased from China for 99 years
from 1898 to 1997. Hong Kong was then
returned to China and became a special
administrative region where trade and
commerce was allowed to continue very
much as it was under British rule.

In March, Sue and I were on a cruise
around South East Asia and one of the
highlights of our trip was visiting Hong
Kong. It was early morning when our ship
motored slowly into the magnificent har-
bour and one could appreciate why, in the
Victorian era, this excellent natural har-
bour was so prized by the British. The har-
bour is well protected by mountains that
include Victoria Peak in the west which
rises to 552 metres, and Mount Parker in
the east, which rises to 531 metres.
Our first excursion in Hong Kong (Chinese Sampan on the waterway
name “fragrant harbour”) was a ride by

KKyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 2 • 2025 21