In June, French sculptor Paulo Grangeon’s 1,600 papier mâché pandas, one for each of the 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild, came to Hong Kong as part of a world tour to raise funds for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and to raise awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation. Among the places they visited in Hong Kong was Ocean Park. (Photo courtesy of Ocean Park Hong Kong)

Events i n 2 014

1

5

1. The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung (first left, second row), at the APEC Economic Leaders’ meeting in Beijing in November.

2. The Chief Executive meets the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, at Government House in September.

3. The Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, addresses the 'Think Asia, Think Hong Kong' symposium in Paris in October.

4. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, launches the ‘Bless Hong Kong’ campaign in February.

5. The Chief Executive launches the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect in November.

6. The Secretary for Justice, Mr Rimsky Yuen (third right), at the inauguration of the China Maritime Arbitration Commission's Hong Kong arbitration centre in November.

7. The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing (third left), and the Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Mr John Scanlon (second left), at the launch ceremony for the destruction of confiscated ivory in May.

32

6

7

4

1

2 4

3

1. Stars and crew meet the media at the world premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction in June.

2. The Hong Kong Observation Wheel, a 60-metre high Ferris wheel, opened on the Central waterfront in December.

3. PMQ, a creative industries centre which was previously the Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters, was officially opened in June and staged various activities, including this Night Market.

4. The MTR West Island Line connecting Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town opened in December.

4

3

2

1

1. The Hong Kong team won the FISAC World Rope Skipping Championships in August.

2. Lok Kwan-hoi celebrates winning the Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls at the Asian Games in South Korea in September. (Photo courtesy of Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China)

For 79 days from September to December protesters blocked roads in Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. This is the protest site at Admiralty, with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Central Government Offices (CGO) at the right.

‘Occupy M o v e m e n t’

1

3

2

4

6

4. The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung (third left), and the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam (third right), brief the media at CGO on 28 September.

5. Police and Fire Services Department officers gave regular briefings to the media during the protests.

6. The President of Lingnan University, Professor Leonard K Cheng (centre), chairs a meeting between representatives of the Federation of Students and the Chief Secretary for Administration (third right) and other senior government officials on 21 October.

Demonstrations at (1) Admiralty, (2) Causeway Bay and (3) Mong Kok.

54

6

4. The Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung (third left), and the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam (third right), brief the media at CGO on 28 September.

5. Police and Fire Services Department officers gave regular briefings to the media during the protests.

6. The President of Lingnan University, Professor Leonard K Cheng (centre), chairs a meeting between representatives of the Federation of Students and the Chief Secretary for Administration (third right) and other senior government officials on 21 October.

1

1. A police officer makes an announcement at the clearance of the Mong Kok protest site on 25 November.

2. The Causeway Bay protest site is cleared.

3-4. Barriers erected by protesters at Admiralty are removed, and the clearance of the road nears completion.

2

3

4

H o n g K o n g

atNightHong Kong is truly a ‘city that never sleeps’. Temple Street Night Market in Yau Ma Tei comes alive when the sun goes down.

1

3

1. Morning newspapers are sorted for distribution on the street in Central.

2. Night-time allows essential road maintenance to be carried out on Yuen Long Highway.

3. The fishermen’s catch is unloaded at Aberdeen Pier.

4. Cleaning the Cheung Tsing Tunnel.

4

2

1

2

1. ‘Uncle’ Ray Cordeiro (at 90, the ‘World's Most Durable Radio DJ’ in Guinness World Records) presents his radio programme, ‘All the Way with Ray’, five nights a week on RTHK Radio 3.

2. Participants in the Samaritan Befrienders’ ‘From Darkness to Sunrise’ City Orienteering Competition.

Hong Kong hosts several world-class sports events (such as the Rugby Sevens), but there were also many other outdoor events in 2014. The Red Bull Flugtag saw competitors ‘flying’ their homemade contraptions into the harbour at Central.

OutdoorE v e n t s

1

3 4

4

2

1. The Sedan Chair Race on the Peak attracted 48 teams to raise funds for charity.

2. Some 16,000 people took part in the Colour Run at AsiaWorld-Expo in December.

3. The Hong Kong 24-Hour Charity Pedal Kart Grand Prix in Victoria Park raised more than $1 million.

4. Over 43,000 adults and children enjoyed the events at Freespace Fest 2014 at the West Kowloon Cultural District, including ‘Tangle’ by Polyglot Theatre.

2

1

1. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra presents the Swire ‘Symphony Under the Stars’ at the Central waterfront. (Photo courtesy of Cheung Chi-wai/ HK Phil)

2. The 10-kilometre AXA Hong Kong Streetathon through Kowloon East started and finished at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.

Traditional signs in Tai Nam Street in Sham Shui Po advertise a range of businesses. In contrast, some of Hong Kong’s streets specialise in particular crafts or products.

Streetscapes

1

3 4

1. Yuen Po Street’s ‘Bird Market’ in Mong Kok.

2. Flower Market Road in Mong Kok.

3. Shanghai Street in Yau Ma Tei is home to numerous shops selling kitchen ware.

4. Fabric for sale in Ki Lung Street in Sham Shui Po.

4

2

2

1

1. Upper Lascar Row (or ‘Cat Street’) in Sheung Wan is well-known for its curio and antique shops.

2. Kiosks in Man Wa Lane (known as ‘Chop Alley’) in Sheung Wan make name chops (seals or stamps) to order.

Hong Kong’s many exhibitions in 2014 included ‘Gaudi Architecture’ at Times Square. It featured 14 models of works designed by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, including his unfinished masterpiece Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

Exhibitions

1

2 4

3

1. ‘City Impression@Connectivity – From Point to Point’, an exhibition at City Gallery about public bus services.

2. ‘A Journey through Hong Kong’s Postal History’, a roving exhibition recorded features of the old General Post Office building from 1911 to 1976.

3. ‘Elephant Parade’, seen here at Pacific Place, featured more than 100 elephant sculptures.

4. ‘The Last Game’ at Harbour City featured sculptures of World Cup footballers.

5. ‘Ju Ming – Sculpting the Living World’ at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

4

5

3

2

1

1. Emperor Alexander II’s coronation carriage, a highlight of the ‘Treasures from Tsarskoye Selo, Residence of the Russian Monarchs’ exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History.

2. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus at the Asia Society Centre.

Over 130 species of trees, both native and introduced, can be seen in Hong Kong’s urban areas. Many, like this Flame Tree (Delonix regia) in Tsz Wan Shan Park, add spectacular colour to their surroundings.

Urban Trees

1

2 4

3

2. Hong Kong’s emblem is the flower of the native Bauhinia x blakeana (or Hong Kong Orchid Tree), here seen in Victoria Park.

1. A Cotton Tree (Bombax ceiba) in Central.

4

3

4. Frangipani (Plumeria rubra) at Lai Chi Kok Park.

3. A Queen Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa) in Wan Chai.

2

3

1

1. A magnificent India-rubber Tree (Ficus elastica) at Lugard Road on the Peak.

2. A Chinese Banyan (Ficus microcarpa) in Shing Wong Street, one of many ‘wall trees’ found in Hong Kong.

3. Camphor trees (Cinnamomum camphora) in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Camera-carrying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, are used by a number of government departments. Here the harbour forms a backdrop to a Lands Department UAV at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.

Drones

5

62

1

4

3

5

6

1-4. Lands Department staff prepare a UAV for take-off.

5. UAV photos such as this of the Tap Mun Public Pier can be used to create 3D animations.

6. UAVs record the progress of projects, in this case the construction of a sewage pumping station in Tuen Mun.

2

1

1. An orthophoto of Tai Tong produced from vertical aerial photos taken by UAV. An orthophoto is an aerial photograph that has been geometrically corrected so that there is no distortion caused by perspective: the photo is like a map and can be used to measure true distances.

2. UAV photos also help monitor the progress of re-vegetation work, such as the Lantau Plantation Enrichment Project.

The Year of the Horse coincided in 2014 with the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s (HKJC’s) 130th anniversary season, a fitting time to celebrate horses in Hong Kong. This is the Longines Hong Kong Masters show jumping competition at AsiaWorld-Expo.

Horses

1

2

3

1. The HKJC’s equine swimming pool at Sha Tin, part of the club’s extensive care facilities for its horses. (Photo courtesy of the HKJC)

2. HKJC veterinary staff use an endoscopy machine to monitor a horse’s condition. (Photo courtesy of the HKJC)

3. A farrier fits a new horseshoe at the Sha Tin stable. (Photo courtesy of the HKJC)

4. Early morning training at Sha Tin Racecourse.

5. A night race meeting at Happy Valley Racecourse.

4

5

2

1

1. Supported by the HKJC, Hong Kong Riding for the Disabled (RDA) provides riding opportunities for the disabled. (Photo courtesy of the RDA)

2. The HKJC Riding School in Tuen Mun.

ICACThe Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) marked its 40th anniversary in 2014. The ICAC’s booth at the Hong Kong Book Fair in July helped promote its anti-corruption message.

1 52

7

4

3

1. The ICAC’s Regional Office in Kowloon Central in the 1970s.

2. Today’s ICAC Regional Office in Yau Ma Tei.

3. A press conference in 1974 with the first ICAC Commissioner, Mr Jack Cater (second from right).

4. A press conference in 2014 with ICAC Commissioner, Mr Simon Peh Yun-lu.

5 6

7

8

5. ‘ICAC Investigators’, a 2014 TV drama.

6. The ICAC produced TV dramas such as this in the 1970s and 80s.

7. An ICAC poster in 2014.

8. ICAC posters from 1974.

1

2

3

1-3. The ICAC’s 40th Anniversary Open Day in February: the ICAC exhibition hall; the identity parade suite; and the firearms display room.

Promoting H o n g K o n gThe government helps promote Hong Kong by organising or participating in a variety of events around the world. These kung fu performers in front of St Paul’s Cathedral in London were part of Hong Kong’s float at the Lord Mayor’s Show in November.

1

3 4

1. The ‘Hong Kong in Miniature’ exhibition in Tokyo.

2. Film director Tsui Hark (right) pays tribute to fellow Hong Kong director Patrick Lung Kong (seated) at a film retrospective in New York.

3. Composer and performer Ng Cheuk-yin (right) with students at a charity concert in Chongqing in the Mainland.

4. ‘Hong Kong’s Evolving Harbour’ exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.

4

2

1

3

2

1. A huge Hong Kong flower plaque at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC. (Photo courtesy of Heather Caverhill, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution)

2. ‘Hong Kong Week 2014 @ Taipei’ gave Taiwanese audiences a taste of Hong Kong life and culture, including this demonstration of making milk tea.

In addition to performances at conventional theatres, Chinese opera is also presented at a variety of venues across Hong Kong, some put up temporarily for the occasion. This is a performance at the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre, erected on the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade.

Chinese Opera

1

2 4

3

1-2. Interior and exterior of a temporary theatre in Sai Kung in the New Territories.

3. A temporary theatre under construction at Hau Wong Temple in Tung Chung on Lantau Island.

4. A performance at the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre.

4

3

2

4

1

3

1-4. Behind the scenes at the temporary theatre at Hau Wong Temple.

The brick-built Lei Cheng Uk tomb, dating to the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25 – 220), is one of Hong Kong’s 108 declared monuments.

Monuments

1

3 4

1. Now the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, this 1906 building was originally the Bacteriological Institute, Hong Kong’s first purpose-built medical laboratory.

2. The Tsui Sing Lau pagoda in Ping Shan was built to improve the locality’s fung shui more than 600 years ago.

3. Built in 1841, Victoria Prison was decommissioned in 2006.

4. Cheung Shan Monastery, probably first constructed in 1789 and rebuilt in 1868.

4

2

2

1

1. King Yin Lei, built around 1937, blends elements of Chinese and Western design.

2. The Lands Department uses 3D laser scanners to record the features of Hong Kong’s heritage buildings, as seen here at the entrance hall of King Ying Lei.

01_Events 2014_e02_Occupy Movement_e03_HK at Night_e04_Outdoor Events_e05-Streetscapes-e-Output06_Exhibition_e-output07_Urban_Trees_e-output08-Drones-e-Output09-Horses-e-Output10_ICAC_e11_Overseas Promotion_e12_Chinese_Opera_e-output13_Monuments_e