HEARTPATRICK CITY GUIDES • APR 2017• HONG KONG

The Pearl of the Orient may be yet another tiny dot in the world map, but the land-starved city packs the highest number of skyscrapers in the world, and that translates to a treasure trove of interesting urbanscapes for explorers to uncover. Here is a list of instagram architectural hotspots that have fascinated locals and travelers alike.

01/ YICK FAT BUILDING @ QUARRY BAY

This unlikely icon of the city's urban mess may be seen crumbling into pieces in Michael Bay's Transformers, but it is very much still standing proud and tall, its number 1 position on the must-shoot list for any avid urban explorer seemingly sealed, as a steady flow of photographers and instagrammers continue to marvel at its organised vertical chaos. While you're here, you may also want to check out Montane Mansion, the building next door which has a similar design, though not as colorful.

LOCATION: 1048-1056, King's Road, Quarry Bay

02/ HILL ROAD FLYOVER @ SHEK TONG TSUI

A visual feast that is the perfect showcase of the scarcity of land in HK, the Hill Road Flyover was completed in 1981 with an unusually tall and curvy route that snakes around existing apartment buildings. The best vantage point would be right below the highway at a spot which is a short walk from intersection of Hill Road and Queen's Road West. Follow the google map link below for the exact location of this spot.

LOCATION: 38 Hill Road

03/ RUN RUN SHAW CREATIVE MEDIA CENTRE (CMC) @ KOWLOON TONG

The CMC is an academic building on the campus of the City University of Hong Kong, built in year 2011 with its signature crystalline shape of which design elements also extend to its interior especially the stairway. The narrow strips of windows may not provide sufficient inflow of natural lighting especially around the lower floors so shots including the brighter upper floors may work. The strip of garden near the entrance is by far the most popular photo spots with its strips of concrete benches against the backdrop of the building.

LOCATION: Beacon Hill

04/ CHINA HONG KONG CITY @ TSIM SHA TSUI

This collection of squarish, gold-tinted buildings may look dated against the other modern architecture styles, but their tight, perfectly aligned arrangements make for some seriously beautiful-looking upward shots that will please even the most OCD of instagrammers. Once you reach the place, take the escalators in front of the main entrance upwards to the rooftop of the mall.

The hotspots where avid urban explorers can be found are really right in the middle of the access roads which are thankfully not that busy. This is highlighted in the diagram below. Do look out for passing vehicles though. Best time to shoot would be on a sunny evening, when the sunlight really brings out the glorious golden hues.

LOCATION: Tsim Sha Tsui

05/ WESTERN DISTRICT PUBLIC CARGO PIER (INSTAGRAM PIER) @ SAI WAN

This spot is so popular among instagrammers that it's been given the nickname Instagram Pier, and one can immediately see why locals who are used to living out in cramped spaces would appreciate a quiet, wide spot that boasts a nice minimalist view of the sea and the Kowloon urbanscape not far away. Take as much time as you need to perfect your poses against an assortment of props at your disposal, ranging from stacks of pallets, used bamboos, ventilation blocks, bamboo construction poles to containers and machineries.

LOCATION: Shek Tong Tsui

06/ CHOI HUNG ESTATE @ NGAU CHI WAN

Considered as one of the oldest public housing estates in Hong Kong, Choi Hung literally means 'rainbow' in Cantonese, and the manifestation of this is realised through the multi-colored playground and basketball courts, against the backdrop of the apartment blocks, also dressed in layers of pretty pastel colors. The sweetest spot to take in this beautiful sight will have to be on top of the Choi Hung estate carpark where locals congregate for some outdoor activities. Take the MRT to Choi Hung station and follow the google map link below to reach the carpark.

LOCATION: Choi Hung Estate carpark, Ngau Chi Wan

07/ LAI TAK TSUEN ESTATE @ TAI HANG

Built in year 1975 as one of Hong Kong's first public housing developments, this estate certainly has some foresight into what modern instagrammers may come to appreciate nowadays. The estate may consists of three buildings, but it is really the Lai Kit and Tak Tsuen buildings that are attracting all the attention, being the only two public rental buildings in Hong Kong featuring the unique bicyclindrical design. The circular stacked inner rings are immediately obvious as soon as you enter the buildings, and can be appreciated in various vantage points, including from its base and from the upper floors where natural lighting improves.

LOCATION: Tak Tsuen Building, Tai Hang

08/ JOCKEY CLUB INNOVATION TOWER @ HONG HUM

Urban explorers on a trail of Zaha Hadid's work will definitely not miss this futuristic-looking building. Completed in year 2013, the Innovation Tower is situated within the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Zaha's signature lines and curves are seen extending from the exterior facade to the interior which is equally impressive with its criss-crossing central stairways. Photography is thankfully allowed, with no staff or students seeing the need to intervene with your quest for that perfect instagram shot.

LOCATION: Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom

09/ NAM SHAN ESTATE @ SHEK KIP MEI

Urban explorers heading to this estate only has one objective, to pose at the rooftop of the Nam Shan Estate market building, where a minimalist playground setup consisting of three semi-circular rings exists. The shot is made perfect with the backdrop of the organised apartment building behind, painted in a few delightful shades of green. The google map link below has the exact location of this market building.

LOCATION: Nam Shan Estate market

10/ HIGH ISLAND RESERVOIR @ SAI KUNG

Slightly thrown off center is an archi spot that is unlike the busy bundle of urban chaos that is Hong Kong. The High Island Reservoir, part of the Hong Kong National Geopark, has an extra interesting instagram-friendly spot. While most tourists are here for the nature sights, explorers have found joy in capturing the marvels of the spread of 7000 concrete dolos along a strip at the base of the reservoir facing the sea. The dolos serve of course to protect the reservoir from storm waves, but has now found an alternative purpose as the perfect spot to pose for your next instagram hit.

LOCATION: High Island Reservoir

11/ OI MAN ESTATE @ KOWLOON CITY

Oi Man Estate was completed between 1974 and 1975, and has a set of apartment blocks that feature the interesting design of interlinked double square hollow blocks., so you can imagine the most popular shot of this place being from the center of the hollow. This may not be the only housing estate in Hong Kong with the same design, but it is certainly the largest, with five of such interlinked blocks in total. The approach of capturing the magic of this place would be similar to that of the Lai Tak Tsuen buildings, ie from its base, mid levels to the upper floors.

LOCATION: Oi Man Estate, Tak Man House

(BONUS) TEMPLE STREET NIGHT MARKET TOP VIEW @ MONG KOK

Hong Kong's dizzying night shopping activities are aptly summed up in the breath-taking view of the Temple Street night market from above. While this will technically not be an architectural shot, the gorgeous view is too precious to omit, and so we have decided to include them here. There are two vantage points to get this view, each located at the opposite end of the straight stretch of the market.

The first vantage point is from the Yaumatei carpark building. Follow the google map link below to get to the carpark building. Locate the main entrance where the carpark office is, then use the elevators to go up to the upper levels. The slanted orientation of the buidling against Temple Street unfortunately means that you'll not be able to get the perfectly aligned shot, but you can try to get really close to this at one sweet spot where the composition is more balanced. Do experiment with taking the same shots from different levels to get a change of perspective.

The second vantage point is from the rooftop of Siu Hing Building. This may be a private property, but some resourceful instagrammers have already made it there with photos as proof. So do give it a try.

Best time to shoot would be right after sunset, when the darkened evening sky is balanced with the lights from the busy street vendors.

VANTAGE POINT 1: Yaumatei carpark building, Mong Kok

VANTAGE POINT 2: Siu Hing Building, Mong Kok

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