Religion

Door Shrine commonly found outside homes.

The teachings of Buddha and of Tao are followed by many believers in Hong Kong. Most Chinese homes have a small shrine honouring a particular god. Households put themselves under the protection of special gods, logevity, prosperity and good fortune. Temples can be small and simple or huge with elaboate decorations. Inside these temples inscense fills the air, red candles are lit with an array of statues and gold carvings.

Tian Tan Buddha on lantau island, Hong Kong it is 112ft tall.

 



Wooden Buddha photograph taken from my
house, it looks very similar to the TianTan Buddha.





Koi Fish

Koi fish symbolism came from the Chinese legend of the Dragon gate where the Koi triumphantly swam up a waterfall and transformed to a dragon afterward. Koi stands for good fortune, prosperity and good luck. This comes from the Chinese belief that seven gold Koi will bring good luck to the household and the dragon gate legend itself. For the Chinese, Koi symbolises success just like when the Koi reached the top of the waterfall and became a dragon.





 



Fish!

In China, fish is symbolic of unity and fidelity in particular Koi fish. With this in mind fish are often given as wedding gifts in the form of charms or figurines to represent fidelity and union.

Chinese painting of a leaping carp also an ancient symbol of wealth,
 by contemporary Chinese artist Zhou Wen Xi.

Thought Shower/ Collage

Here is a photo out of my sketchbook of a thought shower/collage just to start off my initial research. I decided to use a collection of images that related to Hong Kong that I found interesting.

Areas of Hong Kong

Hong Kong can be divided into three main parts,


Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island is the glitzy big brother of Kowloon tightly packed, its loyalty to market capitalism hasn't been dented one bit by Chinese rule. The bustle of people living and working is the biggest attraction on the island.

Kowloon

The name Kowloon stands for 9 dragons: that is the 8 peaks or mountains that are overlooking Kowloon and the emperor, the city of Kowloon is a small place in size, but it is one of the most populated in the world.

New Territories (including 235 outlying islands)

Until some years ago, the New Territories were an idyllic rural area with lovely mountain scenery, peaceful forests, lots of agriculture and only a few small villages. There has been a strong population growth in the territory of Hong Kong that has led to more and more suburban housing areas being built in the New Territories, the so-called New Towns. Outside the New Towns, however, beautiful mountains and hills reside. Large parts of the New Territories are Country  Parks where you can take walks in the forests and observe 

butterflies.

 

Nathan Road, Kowloon



A Brief Introduction

Hong Kong also known as the 'City of Life' has been described as mysterious, glamourous and exciting with a fusion of east meets west. Handed back to the Chinese in 1997 after 150 years of British colonial influence it boast some of the most fascinating culture.

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong