Hi Flexers,
While in Hong Kong we were hosted by our son’s investment banker friends to
drinks and dinner at the China Club, owned by Sir David Tang,
and housed in the 13 - 15th floors of the old Bank of China building. There is
a terrace on the 15th floor and we sat out for drinks and I made
the following three vertical panos of the views to the north, south and east
from the Bank of China.
First some information on the China Club:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Club ;
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Club>
And here are the panos:
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Hong+Kong+2016/Lippo3panW.jpg.html
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Hong+Kong+2016/Lippo3panW.jpg.html>>
This one is looking East from the 15 floor balcony of the China Club located in
the old Bank of China building. The new Bank of China building, designed by
Chinese American I.M. Pei,
is to the right of the picture and the Lippo Centre - left centre of the
picture used to be called the Bond Centre after the Australian entrepreneur who
built it. Alan Bond
went to jail for financial skulduggery which resulted in his bankruptcy.
Released from prison he died after open heart surgery.
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Hong+Kong+2016/3PanVertIFCW.jpg.html
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Hong+Kong+2016/3PanVertIFCW.jpg.html>>
This is the view to the North - with the IFC (International Finance Centre) on
the left side and across Hong Kong Harbour the ICC (International Commerce
Centre)
in Kowloon. Both buildings were built by Sun Hung Kai Property - owned by the
Kwok family. The two Kwok brothers have been quarrelling over the control of
the company since their
father died in 1990 and they are ruled by their matriarch mother. The youngest
son, Thomas, is serving 5 years in jail for bribery to the former Hong Kong
Chief Secretary - who is also in jail for accepting the bribe.
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Hong+Kong+2016/3PanMidlevelW.jpg.html
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/Hong+Kong+2016/3PanMidlevelW.jpg.html>>
And this is the view to the south - looking up toward the Mid levels - where we
used to live. In the far left corner is the cupola of the Court of Final Appeal
- which started out as the French Mission
Building in the early 1900’s and in the lower centre of the picture is St.
John’s Cathedral - which has the distinction of sitting on the only freehold
land in all of Hong Kong. All other land is long term leasehold - following old
UK practice.
The panos were taken with the Fuji XT1 and the 35mm f1.4 lens, hand held and
assembled in CS6.
Please view large - C&C always welcome.
Howard
