Star Ferry is Drowning in Debt

How much longer can the Star Ferry continue to operate?

Another victim of the pandemic is the Star Ferry, one of the best known icons of Hong Kong which is now in dire financial straits.

Painted green and white, and chugs across Victoria Harbour between Central Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai, the Star Ferry is having trouble covering employees' salaries and paying down debts, and it even projects it will still be in the red in 2047 after two years of losses totalling a whopping HK$70 million (US$8.9 million).

Passengers have dropped off since 2021

It was affected by the 2019 protests -- though there were a few nights during the occupation of Hong Kong Polytechnic University when tons of people crowded onto the Star Ferries to get across to Hong Kong Island -- and now the pandemic into its third year.

David Chow Cheuk-yin, the Star Ferry company's general manager, said in a statement on Monday that the firm had accumulated losses of more than HK$70 million over the past two years, saying ridership in the first two months of 2022 had plunged by 73 percent compared to the same period in 2019.

Last year the Star Ferry carried only 9.57 million passengers, a sharp drop of 46 percent from 17.97 million passengers in 2019.

"It is disheartening to see our iconic Star Ferry is now a company with negative equity," he said. "In view of the threats posed by the current environment, I am afraid I can't be optimistic, as much as I would love to be, for Star Ferry to survive this wave."

The company is now borrowing to pay its daily expenses, as monthly revenue isn't even enough to cover employees' salaries.

"Enormous losses have far exceeded the company's total assets. The Star Ferry has struggled with negative equity for a long time and now counts completely on loans to cover daily operating expenses," said Chow.

Central ferry pier was at Edinburgh Place

He even hinted the company may not even be able to repay its loans even after 2047.

When a company as famous as the Star Ferry is in negative equity that's tragic. Even worse the government has done nothing to save this traditional form of public transport that has made Hong Kong famous.

If anything some of the budget from the Hong Kong Tourism Board could be funnelled into keeping the Star Ferry literally afloat, as everyone associates the city with the boats crossing the harbour.

It would be an absolute travesty if the government lets this company die because no other company or tycoon would bother taking over a money-losing business.

But let's face it -- the Star Ferry already began dying its slow death back in 2006 when its pier was moved from Edinburgh Place to another 500 metres away on reclaimed land to Man Kwong Street. It used to be so convenient to cross the harbour by Star Ferry, just past the Mandarin Oriental and the Central Post Office. 

Original steamboat from the 1880s

Now it's a commitment to want to take the Star Ferry from either Central or Wan Chai -- where the pier is not close to anything at all.

How can the Star Ferry survive with the odds stacked against it, and yet it is everyone's favourite ride crossing Victoria Harbour. It is the closest people can feel to taking transport back in 1880, when Parsi cook Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala acquired a steamboat to ferry his baked goods across between Kowloon and Central.

Anyone want to start crowdfunding for the Star Ferry? Or is that considered to be violating the national security law?

Thousands More Infected with Covid-19

More than 17,000 people reported infections today

Today Hong Kong logged 8,798 confirmed cases, but there are a whopping 17,279 cases that have been reported -- people either testing preliminary positive through government testing or through rapid antigen tests.

Both these numbers are records and sure to climb even higher in the coming days and weeks. 

In addition 50 people died, only six of whom had two doses of vaccines. One was a nine-year old boy who had a pre-existing genetic disease when he was a toddler, but was not vaccinated.

Hui strongly urges children get vaccinated

"If you are unvaccinated, it is very likely that your condition will deteriorate. With chronic illnesses, it is even more likely that complications will develop. That is why we are asking children to receive vaccines as soon as possible," said Dr David Hui Shu-cheong, a government adviser on Covid-19.

There are also heart-breaking stories of 11-month old babies ]who test positive for the virus but are forcibly separated from their parents and put into isolation. The Hospital Authority will not allow parents who have tested negative to be with the child under any circumstances. 

Another first today was the implementation of the regulation where everyone must scan the Leave Home Safe app that has the person's vaccination status uploaded to enter supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, and wet markets. 

People need to have at least one jab and scan the QR code of their vaccination record onto the Leave Home Safe app. That way when someone scans the QR code of a premises, the person's vaccination QR code pops up to show they have been vaccinated. 

Diners must upload vaccination status on app

However, according to some restaurant owners, many elderly people did not do this -- they either didn't know or didn't know how to it -- and so restaurant staff had to help them sort this out, or worse, turn them away. People can still get takeaway food if they don't want to scan the app.

Nevertheless, some restaurants have already seen a 40 percent drop in business today. There is also the issue of only having two per table. But another reason is no one wants to inadvertently become positive during universal testing which will begin in the coming weeks.

It probably won't be until after April 20 when the mass exercise is over when people will feel safer to go out to eat. It's a terrible situation, but so is some 17,000 possible infections reported in one day.

Today was also the start of further restrictions, where everyone exercising outside must wear a mask, even in country parks. This evening on my usual walk along the harbourfront most people complied -- only a handful of people had put their mask on their arm as they ran. 

I was shocked to find out today that one of my colleagues hasn't left his flat for two weeks. He is completely paranoid about stepping onto public transport. Another has also sequestered himself inside his flat too, and seems less witty in his messages. 

People must wear a mask exercising outdoors

It isn't really good to be holed up in your home mentally or physically. This fifth wave has made some people extremely scared, and very irrational. On the other hand my relatives still continue to refuse to get the vaccine despite the exponential numbers. I'm amazed they still haven't gotten infected yet. 

They have stashed up as much food as their flat can hold and then maybe when the cupboards and fridges (they have two) become bare then maybe they will get jabbed.

Their inability to rationalise the necessity of getting vaccinated to avoid serious health issues if infected continues to confound me. 

An Omicron New Year

Just as Omicron has entered the Hong Kong community, people gathered in restaurants, hotels and outdoors to ring in 2022.

It has been confirmed there are at least two local cases of Omicron that originated in a Chinese restaurant in Festival Walk shopping mall in Kowloon Tong.

At Moon Palace restaurant, one Cathay Pacific crew member dined with his 76-year-old father, who also tested positive for the variant, as well as a 34-year-old construction worker who was sitting 10 metres away and eating with his family.

At least 3 people were infected at Moon Palace

Two other Cathay crew have tested positive for the virus as well.

Cathay's internal rules are that aircrew staff should only go out briefly for essential items and coronavirus testing during the isolation period. But now it looks like they must quarantine for seven days instead of three, and with not enough crew, flights will be affected, including cargo.

There were concerns on Twitter that the shipments of food at Marks & Spencer would be affected, though as we know, most food in Hong Kong is imported. Mail to various countries will also be affected.

So perhaps we are already in the fifth wave, but for the most part people were out and about tonight to celebrate the end of 2021 and welcome the new year.

While temperatures were mild, the last few days the pollution index has gone up and today was particularly hazy all day. We didn't make it up to the Peak and just as well -- we probably wouldn't have been able to see much -- so we opted the harbourfront instead.

People getting tested for Covid at Festival Walk

And when the countdown to midnight happened, suddenly fireworks exploded from the tops of several buildings nearby which was quite a sight. Hong Kong has hardly had any fireworks for the past two years so it was nice to have 10 minutes of them going off as well as a synchronised drone show.

Here we are in 2022. But now Hong Kong is seeing Omicron spreading in the city -- and hopefully that will spur the unvaccinated to finally get their jabs. It's time to get tough on those not yet vaccinated otherwise the city will never be able to move on.

We need to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

New Harbour Views from Fortress Hill

Another new spot to take fantastic panoramic shots of the city

 

Hong Kong Island's harbour front is slowly opening up more for pedestrians to enjoy the view and new public spaces. The latest one to just open is the East Coast Park Precinct in Fortress Hill.

I checked it out tonight the day after the official opening and luckily there weren't too many people. Some of the fixtures like reclining seats look similar to the ones by the Wan Chai promenade, while the area with benches look like the ones found in Kennedy Town.

Do we really need this redundant sign here?

You can walk right up to where a giant "swirl" is, an air purifier and take some great photos looking towards Causeway Bay, Wan Chai and Central. This place will probably become the next "Instagram Pier" even though it's hardly a pier.

It will also be a very good spot to catch the fireworks -- if Hong Kong ever has them again.

There are also mini slides for young children to play on and spaces for dogs to roam around too. 

One complaint is the gaudy "Victoria Harbour" sign that lights up the area. Really? Do we really need to put that there? It seems whoever approved the place was worried there was too much empty space.

But that's what public spaces are for, for people to decide what they want to do with it in the time that they are there. Maybe they can have a picnic or children can have more space to run around, play games, or draw chalk drawings.

The other thing the government and designers didn't think through properly was the name of the place. Type it into Facebook or Instagram and you get "East Coast Park, Singapore", a well known spot in the Lion City that is a park and beach, as well as recreation area in the southeastern coast of the city.

From the entrance of the park looking west

So it seems in Hong Kong, they added the word "Precinct" to make it different, but when it's not located on social media sites, East Coast Park Precinct won't get the buzz it needs to make people more aware of the place.

For those interested in finding it, from Fortress Hill MTR, walk along Oil Street and Electric Road, and then walk down Watson Road.

Central Post Office's Days are Numbered

The Post Office in Central will most probably be demolished

 

The General Post Office in Hong Kong's Central district may face the wrecking ball soon.

The government is putting out a tender for developers to use the land the post office is on as well as a giant patch of land north of it that could be worth HK$40 billion (US$5.12 billion) to HK$60 billion.

The previous GPO was knocked down in 1976

However, for many people, the GPO is a building worth saving, as they are tired and frustrated of seeing old buildings knocked down without much public discussion.

The GPO was built in 1976 to replace the old colonial-style post office that was also knocked down the same year to make way for the Central MTR station. At the time the new GPO had state-of-the-art mailing facilities, and heritage enthusiasts say the building has a unique post-war modernist design.

There have been repeated calls to save the post office over the past few years, but the government claims preservation would undermine the overall development potential of the site. The government has even said demolishing the building is a condition of the sale.

This is a bizarre reason when compared to Singapore's Fullerton Hotel, that was previously the city state's post office too. Admittedly the former Fullerton Building is much more grand than the GPO, but it was still repurposed to good use.

Meanwhile a few Hong Kong-based architects have proposed a number of ways to reuse the post office building, as it is only a small part of the total plot of land. 

Some architects suggest making it a cultural space

Others suggest keeping the building as a main connection point between the harbourfront areas and MTR station, the Star Ferry and other buildings, or to turn it into a cultural space.

Ivan Ho Man-yiu, an architect appointed to be the technical adviser for the land bid, was not keen on the ideas for conservation that have been proposed so far.

"It seems that nowadays when we think of preserving anything, we think of converting it to a museum," he said. "But with technology nowadays, actually many museums are going virtual... For physical museums, I am not sure what it will end up like in the future."

Ho's dismissive attitude isn't reflective of what many Hongkongers want. The government made a terrible mistake in how it handled the closure of Queen's Pier in 2007 and moved it hundreds of metres away. In fact the bid demands that the future developer will have to reconstruct the old Star Ferry Clock Tower close to its original location, to become the focal point of the new harbourfront and have a visual connection with the harbour.

The grassy land plot is included in the bid

It's a pathetic attempt to go back to right a wrong but build a completely new one, in other words construct a "new antique" much like the reconstructed traditional Chinese buildings in China.

Many people are expecting a monstrosity of a shopping mall there -- but why compete with the giant ifc mall right across the street? The easiest would be to build more offices, though the coronavirus pandemic has changed employees' and employers' minds about going back to the office and needing so much space.

It will be interesting to see what bids come in by the deadline this Friday June 18, and which development plan the government decides to choose in the end. Maybe no one's bids will pique the authorities' interest. 

One thing's for sure though -- the public's opinions don't count. Period.

Walking on the Colourful Side

Colourful ribbons shimmering in the wind

My walk along the harbourfront has become more interesting.

Today we saw a lot of new additions, some of which make us question where our taxpayer dollars are going.

Near the PLA dock in Central is a cordoned off space called Design District HK and there is a giant undulating net tied with 18,000 colourful ribbons. It looks like a rainbow-coloured rectangular carpet waving in the breeze.

Swings anchored to the ground

It happened to be the first day today of the event, and we had to use our LeaveHomeSafe app and take our temperature before going into the space free of charge. Inside there are a number of large green (fake grass) circles on the ground, presumably for social distancing.

It was nice to lie under this art installation called River of Light by artist Patrick Shearn, but after a few minutes of admiring it and taking pictures, then what? We walked back to the entrance nearby and they politely told us we had to walk to the far end of the grounds to exit. 

With no signage saying so it was annoying to have to walk all the way to the end.

Nevertheless we continued on our way eastward and saw the water barriers were removed just past the Wan Chai Star Ferry pier. The area near the pier is covered in fake pink roses, and it's pathetic to see this cheesy floral theme is still used and now with some seating in pink complete with flamingos, or decorated with more fake flowers.

In the distance we saw some rubber tire swings (with fake pink grass) seating and thought we could have some fun on it. But when we sat on them, they didn't move! The rubber tire swings were anchored at the bottom with chains.

Why? WHY?

The letters "V" and "H" for Victoria Harbour

Why can't we swing on these swings?! The authorities are probably terrified someone is going to get hurt.

That was really infuriating.

And to complete the area, there was a "V" and "H" to denote "Victoria Harbour" that people could pose with. Whoohoo.

When we finally arrived at the Wan Chai Harbourfront Promenade, there were what looked like giant bendy straws at the end. When we went around them, they made different percussion sounds like synthesizer bells or xylophone which was interesting. 

It's called Sky Castle designed by Australian multimedia design studio Eness in collaboration with Hattrick Creative.  

So we ran around and around these giant archways where senors triggered them to release sounds and would probably make more "music" if more people went around them.

Giant tubes that make sounds! Great for kids

Perhaps the Hong Kong government realizes people need some things to keep them occupied, and this public art will get them out and about discovering the harbourfront. It also helps that there are giant green arrows on the ground pointing to where people should go...

However at the same time each of the sections have wildly different design elements that aren't very consistent or cohesive. It seems no thought was put to having a consistent theme and each section was determined by a singular group or individual. 

This does not work well. The High Line in New York works so well because the overall look is very consistent, even though the plantings may be different. The benches are quite similar or site specific, but still keep with the same kind of minimalist design. 

Instead on the Hong Kong waterfront it's a hodgepodge of different things for different people, which is understandable to a degree, but they vary so much in terms of their overall look that it's hard to believe they are all connected by one path.

But really, can something be done about those swings?

Picture of the Day: Knit-bombing in Kennedy Town

Just a guy and his dinosaur hanging out at the Kennedy Town waterfront

Today Hong Kong recorded 43 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the city's total to a whopping 453, with health officials expecting many more in the coming days.

These fears have spooked people so much, that most bars around town were completely dead or shut, not wanting to be the cause of more infections.

The cutest person knitting with their friend

Meanwhile working from home (WFH), while convenient -- steps away from bed to desk -- being at home all day can be tiring. I stayed home all day yesterday, so I was determined to step outside today.

The Kennedy Town Waterfront area is a small promenade that doesn't connect to anything yet, but it's decorated by a talented knitter who has crochet some cute characters to brighten up the area.

Last year there were other creatures, but recently they have been taken down and replaced with other colourful characters.

Ok ok they aren't practicing social distancing, but you can't help but smile watching them put their arms around each other as they enjoy the view of Victoria Harbour.

Two mice sitting with flowers in their paws

I really would like to thank whoever has been doing these knit-bombing projects. They are a wonderful addition to the area and I hope more will be added.

Just a quick walk to this area is a good way to boost the spirits, have some fresh air and soak up some Vitamin D!

The Hospitality Industry's Rocky Road

Rech by Alain Ducasse had a great view, good food, but closed last night

Tonight I re-visited a relatively new restaurant in Causeway Bay and it was doing pretty good business. Staff were all wearing masks and hand sanitizer was at the bar for anyone wanting to give their hands a good rubdown.

This evening chefs wearing masks prepare dinner for 12 guests

At dinner the gossip tonight was about Rech by Alain Ducasse's sudden closure last night. The fine-dining contemporary French restaurant seemed to have the right formula -- a stunning view of Victoria Harbour, unpretentious decor and seafood that was fresh and light -- and managed to retain its one Michelin star for three consecutive years.

But yesterday afternoon the staff were told that in a few hours they would be working their last service for dinner, and the restaurant would close. Imagine how shocking that is -- to find out you have no job the next day.

However what happened at Rech is happening all over the city, a lot of restaurants, cafes, shops are closing because they can't financially survive anymore after eight months of protests and now the coronavirus that has morphed into a global pandemic.

People aren't being let go because of their work performance -- it's a collection of forces that are way beyond their control.

Everyone is vulnerable to cuts, including dai pai dongs

When will it all end? No one knows. It's shocking and sad to see so many people unemployed at once, affecting all sectors, but right now it's the survival of the fittest in terms of how deep pockets are...

Picture of the Day: New (Short) Promenade

Cute knit bombing in Western District! Need to go see it during the day

The Hong Kong government claims it wants to make the city more livable by creating more public spaces for people. It is creating promenades along Victoria Harbour so that people can walk, run and play the length of Hong Kong island's north side.

New boardwalk that I stumbled upon near my neighbourhood

After work I went out for a walk in the neighbourhood in Western District and near the main bus depot, I found there was a newly-developed boardwalk. I immediately went to check it out and was amazed to see some yarn bombing -- a knitter or knitters who had created beautiful displays of crochet or knitted yarn on some of the railings and even sitting above low lamps!

The ones on the railings feature creatures sitting in pairs with arms across the others' shoulder. So cute. I was hoping to walk further, but the boardwalk came to an abrupt end after about 200 metres! There was no way of getting past the barrier to get into the well-known "Instagram pier" and continue my walk.

More adorable creatures enjoying the view

So what was the point of these 200 metres then? It just seems ridiculous to not have them all connected. I will have to find a relatively new promenade that has opened east of "Instagram pier" and check it out... But in the meantime will have to check out these yarn bombing creatures again during daylight hours!

Kaws' Hong Kong Holiday

A new guy is in town and he's floating in Victoria Harbour now

We have a new visitor in town. He's a giant 37-metre long inflatable sculpture called Kaws that's literally floating in Victoria Harbour from now until March 31.

Kaws is the nom de plume for artist Brian Donnelly, a New York-based artist and designer who started off doing graffiti in Jersey City, New Jersey. He has admitted in interviews that Kaws doesn't have a particular meaning.

This piece, called Kaws:Holiday, is sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Asia Miles. It is reminiscent of the bright yellow rubber duck by Florentijn Hofman back in 2013, but will this grey-coloured character called Companion upstage the cute duck?

It's strange that Kaws was chosen to do this art installation, when just a few weeks earlier a giant floral statue of Companion was erected in The Landmark's atrium as part of a collaboration with artistic director Kim Jones on French fashion label Dior's summer 2019 collection.

The inflated sculpture is 37 metres long

Kaws seems too commercialized now in terms of artistic merit. Last summer the artist collaborated with Uniqlo for the Kaws x Sesame Street collection, and he has also put his design on reimagined Jordan 4s and Yeezys footwear collection.

But hey does it matter? Our taxpayer dollars are being used to pay in part for Kaws to bring this giant thing over and cheer us up.

He also has an exhibition at PMQ until April 14. It's a Kaws invasion of Hong Kong!

Hot Sunset Tip -- Secret Spot at Harbour City

Check out that view of Victoria Harbour on the rooftop at Ocean Terminal

I usually don't like to schlep to Harbour City, a shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, but there has been a slew of restaurant openings there in the new extension designed by Sir Norman Foster. I've visited a few of them, but more seem to be springing up every week.

Invader's giant anchor nearby

My architect cousin who works in China likes to see any newly completed projects when he comes to Hong Kong and asked about this one so we checked it out.

Coming from the Star Ferry in Central the walk to the new area isn't too bad -- it's when you are coming from the MTR that it's a dreaded long walk, battling shoppers and going all the way to Ocean Terminal and then going all the way to the end of it to reach the extension.

Once you get there though, you have unparalleled views of Victoria Harbour. When we looked up at the ceiling we could see people's feet -- so there is a rooftop spot for people to hang out.

Go all the way to the top floor which is the parking lot and then turn around and you will see a terraced viewing area that's perfect for fireworks, but you probably have to sit there all day to keep this coveted spot.

Nevertheless, it's also the ideal place to watch the sunset -- provided you know there's going to be an amazing one coming. The seating here is comfortable and there are staircases on either side to go up or down.

Look! A space invader with a Hong Kong flag

The place could almost be a mini stage for a site-specific performance, or a small cocktail party. It could easily be closed off for a private event.

In addition if you look, you'll find French artist Invader's work -- two mosaic space invaders holding the Hong Kong flag. Also behind by the parking lot is a giant mosaic anchor, and off to the right another space invader on top of an anchor.

Perhaps Harbour City worked with the artist to add these playful details -- they're fun for social media.

Not everyone knows about this spot... yet...

And this viewing area must be one of the best secrets in town -- we even took pictures of the place with no one else there...

A Scenic Way to Get Around Hong Kong

 

Could a hop on, hop off ferry service work on the water in Hong Kong?

The Hong Kong Transport Department has a novel way for people to get around the city -- by the water.

It's proposing a circular ferry route that would have at least five stops: Kai Tak, Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Central and West Kowloon, and it would start service next September.

"The... service aims to respond to suggestions from the community to introduce the 'water taxi' service between different calling points along the waterfront of Victoria Harbour to bring vibrancy to the harbour," the department said in its tendering document, inviting interested bidders.

The Transport Department proposes five piers to stop at

It seems to be pitched as a hop on, hop off service akin to a touring bus rather than a "water taxi" per se,

The 25km circular route would operate between 7am and 11pm on Monday to Saturday, and 8am to 10pm on Sundays and public holidays. The entire journey should not take more than 110 minutes.

Passengers would be able to buy round-trip tickets or half-day tickets and embark and disembark at any stop.

Meanwhile the bidders need to be able to ferry up to 150 passengers at a time, with views on both sides of the vessel. They can also propose other stops other than the five proposed.

Lawmaker Yiu Si-wing who represents the tourism sector, says the proposal looks more like a tour bus than a taxi.

"People expect fast and point-to-point transport from a taxi," Yiu said. "Here the 'water taxi' concept is a little bit confusing. It's more like a tourism project than public transport."

The ferry service would be another way to get around HK

We have to agree, but if you are taking a boat, you aren't going to be in that much of a hurry, are you? Many of the piers are already in out-of-the-way places, so people taking these services are not necessarily rushing. They look at it as another way to get around.

Maybe going from stop to stop will be tedious, but what better way to get around in a leisurely way without having to deal with traffic jams on the road?

Yiu also says having so many piers to maintain will be costly and that may be the case, but tourists would definitely enjoy this service, as the Central to Tsim Sha Tsui route is so short -- a 25km route would be a nice way to spend some time looking at Hong Kong from the water.

I hope the proposal does materialize -- surely not only tourists but residents would use the service too. And there's nothing wrong with tweaking it once it starts. The service at least deserves a chance.

Picture of the Day: Sunset by Victoria Harbour

Taken between Shun Tak Ferry Terminal and Dr Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Park

The other day my colleague and I finished work in Tsim Sha Tsui and then took the Star Ferry back to Central. She walked back to Wan Chai and I headed back by foot to Western on foot, taking the scenic route.

The sun was just setting and it was a beautiful view looking west out onto the water. You would never know that Super Typhoon Maria was approaching Taiwan, except that it was quite humid.

It isn't often I get to walk so close to the water -- it had such a calming effect that put me in a good mood. This is why I love Hong Kong and also living close to the water!

Jaw-Dropping Studio Flats

Victoria Harbour flats in North point are very, very expensive...

The other day my friend YTSL passed me a story that made my jaw drop -- a 286-square-foot studio in North Point was sold for HK$10 million.

HK$10 million! (US$1.27 million)!

That's HK$10,000,000.00.

It's a new flat from developer Sun Hung Kai Properties as part of its Victoria Harbour luxury project.

"I think it will be a record for a studio flat in North Point," said Sammy Po, chief executive at Midland Realty's residential department.

Studio flats here are priced at HK$10 million

Sun Hung Kai Properties had the gall to say one of the reasons for the flat's high price was because of its relatively larger size of not even 300 square feet.

All of its 16 studio flats for sale are priced at more than HK$10 million each, an average square foot of HK$36,000.

To compare, a 181 sq-ft flat at Novum Point, also in North Point, was sold for HK$5.87 million.

The Victoria Harbour flats are more expensive not only because they have sea views, but also a number of amenities will be available, including a shopping mall and hotel.

Still -- we are gobsmacked at the price and that someone was willing to pay that much for such a small space.

But perhaps this is the new normal and we should start getting used to it...

Procrastination at its Finest

The government still can't decide what to do with areas near the waterfront

For years there have been talks about what to do with Hong Kong's harbourfront, particularly on the Hong Kong Island side. The Harbourfront Commission was established in 2010 and essentially advises the government on what to do with the land that lines Victoria Harbour.

It was previously called the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee.

The group had already spent six years studying how best the government could develop the 73km waterfront, and suggested a statutory authority needed to be set up to centralize responsibilities for related matters.

There were big hopes that when Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor became Chief Executive, she would be more active in moving forward with the commission's recommendations.

Harbourfront Commission chairman Nicholas Brooke

However, last October she did a complete U-turn and said she did not intend to set up the HK$10 billion harbourfront authority.

The most recent news is that members of the Harbourfront Commission were flabbergasted when Rosalind Cheung Man-yee, the Development Bureau's principal assistant secretary for the harbour, proposed a plan to use some of the HK$500 million fund earmarked for harbourfront enhancement to conduct a two-year study exploring various management models, such as cooperating with district-based non-governmental groups and private companies, using overseas examples.

Commission member Vincent Ng Wing-shun, a leading architect was "confused" as to what the study would achieve. He said back in 2008 the commission set up a task force that spent three years looking at suitable models and referenced overseas examples from visiting such places as Sydney, Singapore, Liverpool, London, Vancouver and San Francisco.

"We had been studying it for six years but the government ended up discarding our suggestion," Ng said. "If we now study again... I don't know what exactly we want to achieve in the end. I put a very big question mark on that."

Residents are waiting to enjoy the harbourfront

The commission's chairman, Nicholas Brooke, urged the government to review the plan.

"I sense it's going to be difficult for this commission to endorse this study, if they believe for the right way forward is the harbourfront authority," he said. "How can we support something which we don't think is necessarily the right answer?"

Did Cheung think the commission would readily accept yet another study and allow officials to go travel around -- at taxpayers' expense -- and then write yet another report that would not be heeded?

What we don't understand is what all this foot-dragging is about. Surely developing the harbourfront is in the best interests of the city -- particularly for tourism? The other benefit is more public space for residents to enjoy. Surely they are entitled to access to the harbourfront so that it's not just office buildings and hotels that get the prime spots?

Or is it because Beijing may want control of the harbourfront -- perhaps for security reasons -- and so the government is dragging things on as long as it can so that people will hopefully forget about it?

It's very strange for the government not to move on something as important as this when tourism is considered one of its four economic pillars. This would also be a make-work project, employing construction workers and later establishing businesses along the harbourfront.

Sounds like there's now a stalemate between the commission and government officials, with the latter winning this round...

Fact of the Day: Star Ferry Names

The Star Ferry is a relaxing way to cross the harbour -- and cheap too

The word "iconic" is overused a lot these days, but when it comes to the Star Ferry in Hong Kong, it really is iconic.

It has been an integral part of Victoria Harbour for 120 years, ferrying people from Tsim Sha Tsui to either Central or Wan Chai and back, and it's still the cheapest form of transport in the city.

The ferry service started back in 1888 when Parsee merchant Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala founded the Kowloon Ferry Company. Ten years later British businessman Sir Catchick Paul Chater bought the fleet of four ferries under the Star Ferry Company.

But did you know the original meaning of their names, Morning Star, Evening Star, Rising Star and Guiding Star?

They were all inspired by British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, whose poem, Crossing the Bar has the opening line: "Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me!"

Picture of the Day: Typhoon 3

Dramatic clouds over Victoria Harbour this afternoon

These few days we have had a lot of rain thanks to a typhoon called Ewiniar that missed Hong Kong and made landfall in Guangdong.

Typhoon signal No. 1 was hoisted yesterday and then it rose to No. 3 this afternoon, with heavy rainstorms.

I had an appointment at The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong and took this picture around 5pm overlooking Victoria Harbour from the 102nd floor of ICC tower.

What a dramatic sight!

Picture of the Day: Sevva

How can you not resist photographing this view from the 25th floor?

Today a well known high-end restaurant called Sevva is celebrating its 10th anniversary tonight and its founder Bonnae Gokson held a memorable celebration.

At first it seemed like it was just cocktails but she had other plans up her sleeve. Three Chinese lions appeared to do the traditional dance complete with the cabbage wrapped with lai see (one for each!) and confetti spewed everywhere.

But that wasn't all -- with the brigade of chefs came a singer who would only give us his name as Robert, who used to perform in musicals in London. He belted out Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast and Memory from Cats.

Gokson was so relieved the weather cooperated and so are we! The view from the 25th floor of Prince's Building was fantastic.

So here's a panoramic shot from tonight, starting all the way from Victoria Harbour to HSBC headquarters.

Jaw-Dropping Real Estate

A rendering of what Victoria Harbour (the development) will look like

The other day I met up with an acquaintance I haven't seen in a while. She told me she was working on a property development called Victoria Harbour. It's being developed by Sun Hung Kai in North Point and apparently has unobstructed views of the water, hence the name.

What's the price per square foot? A whopping HK$40,000 (US$5,113) per square foot.

My jaw fell to the floor when she told me.

There are studio flats all the way to five-bedroom ones. I can't even imagine how much those would cost.

Construction of the buildings is already underway

Back in November, Sun Hung Kai Properties only released 10 units for sale, and prospective buyers had to hand over a HK$7 million cheque just to be able to view the units. If they decided not to buy, then the money would be refunded.

Victor Lui Ting, deputy managing director at SHKP said at the time that demanding the money up front was an "appropriate practice", as flats at Victoria Harbour are considered rare products.

The fact that developers can legally do this is outrageous -- the price per square foot is already a deterrent for most buyers anyway!

Included in the development will be a hotel and shopping mall of course that will be anchored by the largest Yata department store in the city. The hotel will apparently be young and hip with an all-day dining restaurant and a bar. Wonder what rents will be like for retail spaces there.

And apparently the owners (the Kwok family, now run by Raymond Kwok Ping-luen as his brother Thomas is in jail for bribery) aren't in a hurry to sell because they'd like to have some of those flats for themselves.

My jaw is still on the floor from hearing the price her square foot...