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July 1997 was the end of an era – 150 years of colonial rule had just ended, the British Hong Kong “dragon and lion” flag was lowered to make way for not one, but two flags under the “one country, two systems” principle to be hoisted over the SAR. Every morning since then, China’s five-starred red flag and Hong Kong’s five-petalled, white bauhinia flower against the red backdrop, fly over the autonomous state.
The British colony-turned-Special Administrative Region of China has never flown an independent flag, but flags have played an integral role in its politics and history. Seven years ahead of the handover, the white bauhinia flower emblem was selected from thousands of submissions to be the centrepiece of the new Hong Kong flag.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65283" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc.jpg" alt="The making of Hong Kong's national flag gafencu feature local culture " width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc-600x399.jpg 600w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pink-bauhinia-flower-2021-08-29-07-35-58-utc-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
The bauhinia – a genus of five-petalled flowering plants – already enjoyed an elevated status in the city, with our very own hybrid cultivar being the official flower since 1965. Named in the early 20th century after Sir Henry Blake, the 1898-1903 botany-loving Governor, it was deemed an apt representation of the place itself – a conglomeration of backgrounds and contrasts.
<blockquote>
&#8220;The hybrid nature of the plant is seen as symbolic of Hong Kong’s history and how the colony had drawn its strength first from Britain and then China&#8221;
</blockquote>
Bauhinia blakeana, or Hong Kong orchid tree, is distinguished by intense, pinkish-purple flowers that bloom from November to March. The fragrant, semi-evergreen flowering plant is an ideal streetscaping solution, but in a region which boasts a diverse flora including some 390 native tree species, the elevation to national emblem of a sterile cultivar of non-indigenous parents that propagates only by hand-grafting was met with some puzzlement. In Portraits of Trees of Hong Kong and Southern China, co-author Richard Saunders described this barren badge as an “arguably inauspicious” choice for a “city built on mixed Chinese and British heritage”.
Flag History
<figure id="attachment_65277" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65277" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65277" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/golden-bauhinia-sculpture-2021-08-29-13-29-02-utc.jpg" alt="Golden Bauhinia sculpture the making of Hong Kong's national flag gafencu feature local culture" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/golden-bauhinia-sculpture-2021-08-29-13-29-02-utc.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/golden-bauhinia-sculpture-2021-08-29-13-29-02-utc-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/golden-bauhinia-sculpture-2021-08-29-13-29-02-utc-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/golden-bauhinia-sculpture-2021-08-29-13-29-02-utc-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/golden-bauhinia-sculpture-2021-08-29-13-29-02-utc-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65277" class="wp-caption-text">The national flags of Hong Kong and China by the Golden Bauhinia Sculpture</figcaption></figure>
The new flag was on the drawing board as early as 1984, when the government called for design concepts that best reflected “the spirit of ‘one country, two systems’”. From among more than 7,000 submissions – many littered with dragons and stars – six sketches were shortlisted by a panel of judges, but they fell short of expectations. Thus, three of the jurists – architect Tao Ho, designer Hon Bing-wah and sculptor Van Lau – were asked to remedy the situation and submit a proposal.
<blockquote>
&#8220;The stylised flower is asymmetrical, and therefore its form implies movement, alluding to Hong Kong’s democratic energy and economic vitality&#8221;
</blockquote>
They put their heads together to envision an abstract design of white bauhinia petals in a clockwise motion on a red background, and it received the resounding approval of China’s National People’s Congress in 1990. Unlike the static symbol of the Urban Council, the post-handover emblem was admired for its lyrical, poetic interpretation of Hong Kong’s native flower.
“We had to avoid certain shapes like the crescent, which could be religiously sensitive,” explained Hon, fittingly a Bronze Bauhinia Star-winning artist. “A triangle enclosing a circle that suggests Lion Rock wasn’t lively enough. A sailboat couldn’t represent the whole of Hong Kong’s diverse communities. A dolphin wasn’t appropriate enough, while a dragon had varied resonances across cultures.”
<figure id="attachment_65279" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65279" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65279" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah.jpg" alt="The making of Hong Kong's national flag gafencu feature local culture" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah-600x399.jpg 600w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hand-drawn-designs-of-HK-Flag-2-Pic-Courtesy-Hon-Bing-Wah-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65279" class="wp-caption-text">Hand drawn designs of the Hong Kong Flag. Photo courtesy: Hon-Bing-Wah</figcaption></figure>
Settling on the flower as a “neutral” choice, Hon has related that they were “inspired by the auspicious spiral patterns found in Chinese paper-cutting aesthetics” that thus “arranged the bauhinia flower’s five petals like a windmill, incorporating movements to symbolise that Hong Kong is an energetic city that never stops progressing forward.”
Shanghai-born, Harvard-educated Ho, whose legacy also includes the Arts Centre and the panda enclosure at Ocean Park, concurred. He wrote on his website: “The stylised flower is asymmetrical, and therefore its form implies movement, alluding to Hong Kong’s democratic energy and economic vitality. The red background represents China, and the five stars&#8230; hint at the integration of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy.” The respected architect passed away two years ago this month at the age of 82.
Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/culturere-claiming-hongkong-a-history-changing-coastline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reclaiming Hong Kong: A history of the changing coastline</a>
Flower Power
<figure id="attachment_65281" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65281" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-65281" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag.jpg" alt="legco building The making of Hong Kong's national flag gafencu feature local culture" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag-600x399.jpg 600w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Legco-Flag-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65281" class="wp-caption-text">The national flag of Hong Kong and China side-by-side at the LegCo building</figcaption></figure>
Despite the name and appearance, the Hong Kong bauhinia isn’t an orchid, but rather a tree from the legume family, which includes the likes of peas and beans. The undoubtedly pretty petals were accidently discovered in 1880 by French Catholic missionary Jean-Marie Delavay while hiking in Pok Fu Lam. Fascinated by the brilliant magenta of its flowers, Delavay took a cutting and propagated it near Béthanie, then a sanatorium belonging to the French Mission. A few years later, the plant was offered to the Botanical Gardens.
Now abundant, it has been planted extensively throughout the territory since 1914. All Bauhinia blakeana are believed to have hailed from the French missionary’s ancestor tree, and since the Hong Kong orchid tree is sterile (bearing no seeds or fruit), each was cultivated by hand by someone who took the stock of an old tree, stuck it onto another root, and let the descendants grow from there.
Foreign Roots
<figure id="attachment_65278" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65278" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-65278 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG.jpg" alt="The making of Hong Kong's national flag gafencu feature local culture" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG-600x399.jpg 600w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Government-House-FLAG-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65278" class="wp-caption-text">Government House on Government Hill in Central, the official residence of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong</figcaption></figure>
It’s not just this barren nature that makes the flower seem an unlikely choice as a symbol of Hong Kong; its parents also have no ties to the city. In 2005, Saunders traced the origins of Bauhinia blakeana by comparing its breeding system with those of other bauhinias. He confirmed that the cultivar is the result of hybridisation between two exotic plants: Bauhinia purpurea (the purple bauhinia or camel’s foot), a native of the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and Bauhinia variegata (the orchid tree or mountain ebony), found abundantly in China and East Asia.
Though its rise from flower pot to flag pole may have had some detractors, the fact that our bauhinia flourished in Hong Kong from overseas heritage will endear it to many citizens who share a similar origin story. The stylised white five-petal bauhinia flower amid a red field has fluttered in the morning breeze more often of late – in schools as well as government landmarks – flies over the city in a symbolic representation of the region’s ‘one country, two systems’ governing principle.
One person’s trash is another’s treasure. While Saunders and others may have objected to its selection, the Urban Council, which oversaw public services and facilities under British rule, unanimously praised the decision. Indeed, the body had adopted the bauhinia as its logo 25 years previously. The hybrid nature of the plant is seen as symbolic of Hong Kong’s history and how the city had drawn its strength first from Britain and then China.
Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/the-peak-chronicling-the-ascent-of-asias-oldest-furnicular/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pulse of the Peak: Chronicling the ascent of Asia’s oldest furnicular</a>
&nbsp;
(Text: Nikita Mishra Photos: Hon-Bing-Wah)

Culture Conversations History of Hong Kong's bauhinia flag gafencu culture

Culture Conversations: History of Hong Kong’s bauhinia flag

After almost a year of waiting, the sixth generation Peak Tram is set to launch by summer 2022 — trundling up and down the heavily forested slopes of Victoria Peak for 133 years, we look back at colourful history and the old world charm of this meticulously designed modern classic…<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61053" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening.jpg" alt="gafencu the peak tram reopening" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gafencu-the-peak-tram-reopening-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
Trundling up and down the densely forested slopes of Victoria Peak for 133 years, the tramcar has long been the best way to see the sights from atop, to soak up the panoramic vistas and to absorb the boundless energy of a sleepless city that rises from sea level to Mid-Levels. For generations of families and millions of visitors, doing a weather check and then hopping on Asia’s oldest funicular railway to creak up to the Peak has been a holiday ritual.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61059" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu.jpg" alt="the history of the peak tram hong kong gafencu" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-history-of-the-peak-tram-hong-kong-gafencu-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
Humble Beginnings 
Altitude is affluence in Hong Kong. By default, the higher you live, the wealthier you are. Mansions on the elite Victoria Peak make for some of the costliest real estate in the world. In the early years before the Peak Tram was constructed, just 30 or 40 well-heeled British families were in residence. From 1904 for nearly half a century, under a racially discriminatory ordinance passed by the colonial government, Chinese nationals were banned from living there unless they were domestic workers. Once that abhorrent European privilege changed in 1947, navigating the heavily forested slopes of the Peak was unequivocally possible because of the Peak Tram.
Pause for a moment and wonder how the people of the Peak functioned before the tram. With no speeding cars, mass transit system or fossil-fuelled vehicles, hauling up and down that staggering height for an arduous hour or more in sedan chairs, on horses, mules or on foot would undoubtedly have required beastly strength and, in the summer, buckets of sweat.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61055" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu.jpg" alt="hong kong history of the peak tram victoria peak gafencu" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-history-of-the-peak-tram-victoria-peak-gafencu-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
More of a tourist attraction than a commuter train in today’s world, the Peak Tram climbs the 1.4km from Central in eight to 10 minutes, ascending a dizzying height of almost 400m, and navigating a 27-degree gradient on the most thrilling stretch of its single-track route. It is not only the most efficient route to the top but also the most picturesque. The journey in a boxy, burgundy carriage to the city’s best vantage points is a visual and visceral feast, revealing spellbinding views.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61058" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong.jpg" alt="hong kong the peak tram history reopening sixth generation hong kong" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-history-reopening-sixth-generation-hong-kong-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
Most of the credit for the gravity-defying funicular goes to an enterprising Scot, Alexander Findlay Smith. A young entrepreneur with a background in railways, Smith arrived in Hong Kong in the 1860s and built the prestigious Peak Hotel atop the Victoria Peak in 1873. Fascinated by the potential of combining rails and wheels, he suggested the ambitious plan for a tramcar to increase trade for his hotel. 
Approval for the construction of tracks across the mountainous terrain was granted in 1882, allowing the colossal work of laying track to begin. Machine parts often weighing up to 136kg each were carried uphill by brute manpower. Six years of blood, sweat and tears later, the first generation of the Peak Tram was ready for its inaugural ascent.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61062" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu.jpg" alt="the peak tram gafencu" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-gafencu-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
Crafted from varnished timber, the car had a seating capacity of 30 passengers; for many years the first two seats were reserved for the Governor of Hong Kong, whose summer house, Mountain Lodge, was then on the Peak. Some 800 passengers rode the tram on the first day, and 150,000 in the first year – to put this number into perspective, in 1888 that was the entire population of Hong Kong.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61057" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu.jpg" alt="hong kong the peak tram gafencu" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-gafencu-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
A Slice of History 
A revolutionary feat of engineering for a genius mode of transport, the first Peak tramcars were powered by coal-fired steam. The original price for a first-class ride was 30 cents, with 20 cents for second-class seats and 10 cents for third class, and tickets for the return journey slashed by half. At the last count this year, a single ticket was HK$37, thousands of times higher than the early fare, but only the cost of a Starbucks latte for a vintage Hong Kong experience.
The nostalgic, colonial vibe of the tramway, with its characteristic wooden benches, hasn’t really changed in 133 years, nor indeed the necessity of queuing for hours at peak times to board a crammed carriage. But in tandem with the extraordinary vertical growth of the majestic city skyline, the technology and structure of the funicular itself has undergone a series of makeovers since it first set wheels on the hilly terrain. The power system switched to electric in 1926; the tramcars began their shift from wood to metal in 1948; and the colour of the carriages went from deep red to green and then back to burgundy. Since the fifth-generation Peak Tram (car capacity: 120) was rolled out in 1989, it has carried some 140 million people up and down for day trips, evening dinners and scenic strolls around the summit.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61061" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu.jpg" alt="the peak tram debut hong kong gafencu" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/the-peak-tram-debut-hong-kong-gafencu-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
A Tramcar Called Nostalgia 
A further, highly anticipated modernisation has been underway. The massive HK$700 million facelift during the last eight months will reveal a passenger-capacity uptick to 210 and a weekend waiting-time cut from 90 minutes to a mere 17 minutes. The upper and lower terminuses will be extensively renovated to accommodate the bigger cars, and the control and signalling systems completely overhauled.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-65121" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022.png" alt="hong kong the peak tram 6th generation 2022" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022.png 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022-200x133.png 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022-600x399.png 600w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022-421x280.png 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022-120x80.png 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022-500x333.png 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hong-kong-the-peak-tram-6th-generation-2022-400x266.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
An emblem of Hong Kong, the Peak Tram has withstood the ruins of the Second World War, survived epic hillside floods and braved the current pandemic. Before 2019, it recorded an annual ridership of six million – roughly 17,000 passengers a day – and even during the peak of Covid-19, patronage stood steady at one million. It’s one of the oldest forms of public transport and a slice of local history. 
Owned by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels since 1971, the tramway is a landmark in the same ilk as the group’s grand-dame property, The Peninsula Hong Kong. It takes a place of pride in Hongkongers’ hearts. Hundreds of people queued for hours to ride in those iconic burgundy carriages one last time before the service closed at the end of June.
In a futuristic megapolis, the humble carriages of the Peak Tram are a reminder of the contrasts that define Hong Kong – of old and new, gritty and glossy – and they serve as a social bridge between the rich and the poor. Yes, you can whoosh to the top of the Peak in your Ferrari, but is it as enriching as chugging up in an ancient time capsule, wind caressing the hair as you reminiscence about the first tram journey you took as a child? The 10-minute ride to the top brings awe and perspective, changing more than just how you travel.
(Text: Nikita Mishra)

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