Past Exhibition: From 26 October 1996 to 4 January 1997
As 1997 and the return of Hong Kong to China draws ever closer, the eyes of the World are focused on the tiny territory, where the Pearl River greets the South China Sea.
The Scottish Merchants who helped set up the little trading port, which the
Chinese call 'the fragrant harbour', could never have imagined that it would
grow into a bustling metropolis.
Hong Kong's limited space, and its successive waves of incomers, have driven land reclamation projects and created the necessity for high density living.
How do you squeeze a population greater than Scotland into an area the size of Edinburgh, half of which is preserved as parkland? This is the challenge that has been successfully overcome by Hong Kong. It is one of the safest cities in the world, providing its 6.3 million citizens with a high quality of life.
The experience of working, living, and succeeding, in a high density environment was examined in the exhibition 'Hong Kong -City of Tomorrow' at Edinburgh's City Art Centre.
The exhibition sought to explain why high rise living has been so successful in Hong Kong. Perhaps this will help us to understand the mistakes that have been made with high rise housing in the United Kingdom, and will contribute to the debate about the future shape of cities in the 21st century and beyond.
The exhibition also considered the prospects for Hong Kong, and its people, as it makes the transition from British Crown Colony to Chinese sovereignty.
'Hong Kong - City of Tomorrow' included models, plans, artists impressions and computer simulations of Hong Kong's outstanding buildings, such as the Hongkong Bank and Shun Tak Ferry terminal, and offers an insight into the future with models of the new airport at Click Lap Kok, with its passenger terminal designed by Sir Norman Foster, the Tsing Ma Bridge and Terry Farrell's Kowloon Station.
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While the exhibition was a must for architects and planners, it had much wider appeal. One of the special features of the exhibition was bamboo scaffolding, erected at the City Art Centre. Built by workmen specially flown in from Hong Kong, it was an opportunity to see how some of the tallest modern buildings in the world have been built using a form of scaffolding which has remained unchanged for centuries.
The insights into everyday living included a detailed reconstruction of a typical Hong Kong flat, complete with authentic furniture and fittings. There is also a video account about living in Hong Kong.
A varied associated events programme accompanied the exhibition which was also one of the components of the second Edinburgh International Festival of Architecture, Building and Design.
Concert by Chinese Musicians and Dancers from Hong Kong and Edinburgh 27 October at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh. 1.30pm onwards. Admission free but prior booking is essential. For further details contact Peter Ma. Telephone 0171 290 8202.
Children's Workshops 22 November, 2-4pm at the City Art Centre. Free event but prior booking is essential. 4-8 November and 18-22 November from 9.30am to 12.00pm. Workshops for Primary Schools, organised by the Scottish Architectural Education Trust. Telephone 0131 529 3962.
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