In 1952 the Central waterfront still looked like a colonial port: a long arcaded block along the Praya, its ground floor in deep shade, the upper floors catching the sun. The painted sign high on the corner reads CABLE & WIRELESS — the company that kept Hong Kong connected to the rest of the world by telegraph and radio.
What you can see in the photograph
- The arcade columns and the shaded walkway they create along the front of the building.
- The CABLE & WIRELESS lettering, painted large enough to be read from a ship.
- Pedestrians in light-coloured shirts and wide-brimmed hats, and lorries parked nose to tail.
- Behind the buildings, the slope of the Peak — the shape of Central before reclamation moved it inland.
About this print
This is a reproduction print of an old Hong Kong photograph, not the original print or negative. The source image comes from data.gov.hk open data; the photograph is published here under the DATA.GOV.HK Terms of Use, with intellectual property held by the Government of the Hong Kong SAR and the relevant bodies. Printed full-bleed on cotton art paper in A4, A3 and 60 × 90 cm, with an optional solid wood frame in black, natural wood or white.