The Clock Tower A Rare Colonial Landmark In A Futuristic City

Hong Kong, the cultural nexus between the East and the West

, boasts an incomparable city skyline. The mesmerizing cityscape of majestic high-rise buildings thrusting ever-competitively upward is symbolic of the city's futuristic outlook and thriving economy as a global centre of trade and commerce. And yet, standing proud and revered among this morass of modern architecture are interspersed monuments that record the industrial footprints of ages past.

The Clock Tower on the south shores of Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon is one such structure. An anomaly of red brick and granite amid the gleaming steel and glass of its fellows, this 44 meter tower with a 23 ft tall lightning rod was first erected in 1915, shortly before the First World War. This structure, with its four perfectly synchronized clock faces, is a throwback to the era of steam engines and once formed a prominent landmark in the terminus of the now-defunct Kowloon-Canton railway. It was an iconic sight for generations of Chinese migrating into the British Colony of Hong Kong, or simply sailing toward new climes over the Victoria Harbour. Its value as an inter-generational cultural icon made the public declare it a national monument and save it from being demolished along with the obsolete Kowloon Station in 1977. The station has today been replaced by the futuristic Hong Kong Cultural Centre, which makes an incongruent backdrop to the colonial grace of the Clock Tower.

This landmark, which is located at the end of Salisbury Road near the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, is usually open for tourists and the top of the tower is accessible via a wooden staircase.

Despite the proliferation of tourist accommodation in the city, it is not so easy to find a reasonably priced yet quality hotel in Hong Kong that offers easy access to most of the city's main attractions. Hotel Jen is an independent mid-range hotel located in the quaint Chiu Chow district overlooking the Victoria Harbor, which offers a solution to this dilemma. This Hong Kong China hotel enjoys easy transport links to the city's major commercial and entertainment hotspots while providing the maximum of comfort and ease in both accommodation and to your traveling budget.

by: Pushpitha Wijesinghe

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