Hong Kong is famous for its ever-changing, ever-growing, modern skyline. While several land reclamation projects have allowed the megacity to develop extensively on both sides of Victoria Harbour, there was a time where the city, then known as Victoria to the British, looked very different. In the picture below taken in the late 1890s from Victoria Peak, Hong Kong had a population of approximately 250,000. Bordering Statue Square next to the Queen's Building, the Prince Building can be seen under construction, steps away from the waters of the busy harbour. It was completed in 1904 then demolished in the 1960s to make way for a larger, taller office and retail complex.

Hong Kong seen from Victoria Peak in the late 1890s, image retrieved via Wikimedia Commons

Fast forward to 2014, Statue Square is completely hidden by a forest of skyscrapers now housing more than 7 million people and countless office workers. Successive land reclamation projects have not only changed the face of the square, now located inland, they have changed the face of the entire Victoria Harbour. While the islands visible in the picture above have been completely swallowed by the city's growth, urbanization has extended towards Kowloon Bay, gradually covering the surrounding mountain slopes. Also visible in the picture are Hong Kong's tallest buildings, with the International Commerce Centre and its 484 metres on the left, the 416-metre 2 International Finance Centre in the middle, just a few blocks from Statue Square, and the iconic Bank of China Tower, whose illuminated acute angles can be seen on the far right of the photograph.

Hong Kong seen from the same point of view on May 26, 2014, image by Flickr user Romain Pontida via Creative Commons

We will be back next week for another look at the past. In the meantime, you can share your impressions about the dramatic change experienced by Hong Kong by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page, or by visiting the forum section dedicated to Hong Kong.