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Hong Kong on a Sunny Day: An Awesome Panoramic View [PIC]

farm4.static.flickr.com — A great panoramic shot of Hong Kong on a sunny day.

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  • shaynemckay, on 07/14/2008, -4/+52Wow, it seems almost fake until you zoom in.
    • MagnumVP, on 07/14/2008, -5/+1Looks nothing like their smog cam. Perhaps putting on a good face for the Olympics?
      Where is all the smog and bad air quality that hits the news?
      http://www.greentaxi.com/?p=287
      • chungmaster, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1How often does bad air quality get put on the news? Pretty much anywhere you go has bad air quality.
      • kiwifish, on 07/14/2008, -0/+0True, but having lived in Hong Kong for a little while – I've never seen HK with air that clear. And while a lot of places have bad air quality, few have to close schools and advise people to stay indoors on a regular basis.
      • Terr01, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1It's been a while since I lived there, but IMO the air clarity had a lot more to do with the weather and season than anything else.
  • andjew, on 07/14/2008, -23/+6population density much?
  • FBomb11, on 07/14/2008, -3/+18Beautiful
    • Iknockstuffdown, on 07/14/2008, -11/+1Who would have thought that communism could be so beautiful?
    • Chadbr0chill17, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1It's beautiful for sure, but it's lacking a soul
      • dariendynamite, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1You know, I can only imagine what its like to be standing on that hill and looking at it with your own eyes...Cameras don't come close.
  • MrThirsty, on 07/14/2008, -1/+22Incredible Picture.
  • nicmakaveli, on 07/14/2008, -3/+30one of the best cities in the world, great diversity, friendly people and beautiful weather.
    • RebeL5K, on 07/14/2008, -18/+3Hong Kong is a country, not a city.
      • chungmaster, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2haha good one. That was joke right?
      • heliox, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1KH is a dependent state. Not a country, not a city.
      • nicmakaveli, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1one party two systems? dude..... get your politics straight.
      • wafflepiano, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1You're a funny guy.
      • Terr01, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Speaking as someone who lived there for a decade...

        It's not a country.

        Sure, "Hong Kong" can mean the urban zone (including Kowloon).

        It can mean the island itself.

        Or it can mean the entire area up to the New Territories and including Launtau Island etc.

        But on the whole it is not a country, but (for another few decades) a bizarro special-case protectorate territory thumgimmy established through treaty which happens to belong to China.
    • transform100, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3and yet I'll never get to go there, thank you ***** part of Texas =)
    • kanariya, on 07/14/2008, -6/+1HK is a country? That's new to me.
    • spoogieking012, on 07/14/2008, -7/+5and wonderful prostitutes!
      • twigboy, on 07/14/2008, -3/+1that wasn't necessary...
        way to spoil a great thing.
      • Heavypettingzoo, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3no no, he's right.
      • BabyWookie, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1The cleanest ones in South Asia!
    • quamb, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5Live there on and off - super humidity, thick smog, intense heat and complete lack of a breeze is not my idea of beautiful weather! And that's hong kong on a good day!

      Seriously though - awesome pic. HK rox!
    • smashhell, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3It "was" a country.

      Hong Kong was claimed by the UK 100 years ago, they signed a contract with China that they'll own and run that part of land for 100 years.

      Than it became the most develop and richest place in Asia.

      So In 1997, China took back Hong Kong as a special region of China, that it will become part of China but they can have their own government system(Democratic of course), so it became kinda like a "State" now.
      • bryano, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2Sorry to correct you, but Hong Kong is hardly democratic, as the chief executive is chosen by the mainland chinese government without any input from the people of Hong Kong, who have been clamouring for universal suffrage for aeons now.
      • emrldwpn, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2There is some democracy, as half of the representatives are voted in (the rest appointed by mainland China), but still a long way to go.
      • Terr01, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1AFAIK the idea was that existing governing systems would be in place for 50 years post-handover...

        So before, wasn't the difference that the country appointing half of the representatives and the governor was Britain rather than China?
    • jnoodles, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3Great weather? The pollution is so thick you never get to see the weather
      • brotherfranciz, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1You'd be pleasantly surprised then: I've lived in HK for about half my life and lucky for me, I lived in the "countryside" - a town called Sai Kung, approximately 1 hour from the city thanks to the flawless public transport system.

        The pollution is minimal in Sai Kung thanks to some mountain range creating a natural barrier to the west and the north-west, which blocks pollution from the city and more importantly the pollution blown down from the Pearl River Delta, which is actually the main culprit why HK has a bad name in terms of pollution.

        Of course, it doesn't help having so many skyscrapers that trap the pollution...
      • benliong, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1Well, I'm in Hong Kong right now, born here, left for a little bit and then been back for a good 5 years now. Pollution is getting worse, but I agree, the air in Sai Kung is still fine, which is why I chose to live there.

        People are a little more friendly in Taxes than in Hong Kong though I'd have to say.
    • elmerfudd, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1If you think it has great weather, I suspect you never lived there. I like the people and diversity. I'm not much of a shopper but it's one the best best cities in the world for food.
  • MercFox1, on 07/14/2008, -5/+28Looks awesome, too bad the pollution there can get pretty nasty.
    • ornitier, on 07/14/2008, -1/+6I don't think the air pollution here is that bad at all nowadays. Certainly so much better than it used to be 12 years ago. Also ever since the SARs outbreak, the streets are regularly cleaned. Even the dirtiest back streets get washed very thoroughly.
      • norman619, on 07/14/2008, -5/+4I think he's talking about your air pollution.
      • ornitier, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3I mentioned air pollution.
      • jattea, on 07/14/2008, -3/+1air pollution.

        air pollution air pollution airpollutionpollution
    • Heavypettingzoo, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3Ive been in HK for a year...pollution doesnt bother me at all. Just makes everything outside dusty.
  • Detry, on 07/14/2008, -13/+18My first thought...

    Why don't they build a ***** bridge?
    • bigballerrob22, on 07/14/2008, -2/+40because they already have a tunnel.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-Harbour_Tunnel
    • feh1325, on 07/14/2008, -1/+14because the Star Ferry is awesome
    • echan, on 07/14/2008, -0/+18because it's the world famous victoria harbor where large ships go through. and there are 3 underground tunnels and ferries.
    • terencec, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4it would destroy the view (and perhaps fung shui concerns) so they went and build tunnels and ferry routes
      • rosshk, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Sorry to be a know it all, but what you see there is in fact the site of the West Kowloon Cultural District. The photo is looking north, and Kai Tak is more to the east and harder to see as it is further away. The top of IFC II (the large building in the foreground) covers part of the Kai Tak runway in the background.

        Landing at Kai Tak was something tho...
      • terencec, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1yeah i noticed that, so i guess my edit didnt make it before you posted your reply =P... but I remember that when I was young i would go to the Kai Tak Carpark 5th floor area with my parents and just watch airplanes land for an hour.
    • mypreciousss, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5Because there are three tunnels (Cross-Harbour, Eastern & Western Harbour Crossing), three metro lines, and a ferry that connect the two land masses.
    • slstsang, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3because HK already have one of the longest suspension bridge in the world on the other side of HK connecting the airport.
  • DLRULZ, on 07/14/2008, -2/+19a little too wide screen to be my wallpaper.
    • DentThat, on 07/14/2008, -16/+1dual right here :P

      eat a dick


      jk


      haha wtf?
  • zephyrnug, on 07/14/2008, -1/+6nice, nice. wish i had dual monitors, but, this'll have to do!
    • say592, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1Although, in Windows, the picture doesnt stretch, it repeats on each monitor.

      Still, get dual monitors if you ever can. Its amazing.
  • Taiyaki, on 07/14/2008, -5/+5hawt
  • blademanx, on 07/14/2008, -1/+13Wow, its amazing to see so much green so close to a city's downtown.
  • dd240sx, on 07/14/2008, -2/+4that is one sweet picture
  • MiaTaylor, on 07/14/2008, -2/+6From the top of Victoria Peak, wish my pictures came out as beautiful from up there! GORGEOUS!
  • FoxOrian, on 07/14/2008, -1/+52Don't forget these great night shots as well, taken from pretty near the same location:
    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18 ...
    [This one above is an example a truly well done HDR photo.]

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23 ...

    These make incredible wallpapers
    • chungmaster, on 07/14/2008, -0/+13Damn that's such sharp quality I can see someone changing in the apartment.
    • DamnMan, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1you wouldn't happen to know a source for the real HDRI/RAW/Exposure sequence instead of a tweaked jpeg? Not to get into semantics over the definition of HDR. I'm just saying that would be a righteous light-map to play around with in a ray tracer. Asuming the photographer was kind enough to post it somewhere in a CC like license.
      • FoxOrian, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1You can't get an exposure like this out of just tweaking a JPEG or RAW.
        To see the brightest brights and the darkest darks [the mountains FAR off in the distance] is definitely far beyond the sensors capability to just capture this all in one shot.

        This photo is actually a panorama of about 70 to 80 photos taken with an EOS 5D. Each individual photo was metered for a proper exposure, meaning the final product stitched together has properly exposed darks all the way up to properly exposed lights. If it were all done at a single go shot, say, exposed for the mountains in the back, the buildings up front would be GROSSLY over exposed. No post-processing would save them.

        Rather than taking three or five exposes of each area, the proper metering of each area is good enough to make this HDR. [The proper goal of HDR photograohy is to attempt to make it mimick how it would appear to human eyes, if not even better. In computer graphics, such as the work of Paul Debevec, the goal of these photos is to store a hightened range of light values to properly reproduce the desired lighting effect on a 3D stage. A true .HDR file differs from a photo taken to be HDR in range.]
      • FoxOrian, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Ah, to actually answer, this kind of photo can't be used as a light map since it's only displaying a greater number of exposure stops all at once. It doesn't actually contain the light data to illuminate a 3D stage.

        If the original artist actually did use multiple exposures to create this image, then there really would be the proper data to create an .HDR file. In which case yes, this would make an insane image for some renderings.
  • cubbiesx, on 07/14/2008, -9/+4I had no idea Hong Kong's tallest building looked so much like a vibrator!
  • earther, on 07/14/2008, -11/+3And to imagine, one day this all will be dust.
    • norman619, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5It's a wonder you actually know how to use a computer.
  • 180andback, on 07/14/2008, -11/+9A lot of things look that nice from a thousand feet up. Once you get down at ground level, you're sweating bullets and crowd surfing. But other than the muslims who did not appreciate seeing my mother, the locals were absolutely friendly and accomodating. Culture shock to the max when the nice lady you just saw speak Cantonese begins speaking to you in British English. Sniff. I miss HK.
    • 180andback, on 07/14/2008, -4/+6If you've been to or are from Hong Kong, digg me down. Otherwise... ***** it, you're going to digg me down anyway. Cheers!
    • RebeL5K, on 07/14/2008, -1/+9English is their official language, in addition to Cantonese - it shouldn't come as a shock at all.
      • 180andback, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2It's the accent, not the language. I'm American.
  • oveedrx, on 07/14/2008, -7/+9shop'd... No smog

    /sarcasm
    • drpaidout, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5why is this dug down?

      i live in HK and there's like massive smog 90% of the time
      • Heavypettingzoo, on 07/14/2008, -2/+1Oh its not THAT bad. Maybe if you have asthma. Pollution is similar to most major cities.
  • Trav3133, on 07/14/2008, -6/+3AWESOME
  • wukillabee, on 07/14/2008, -8/+3wtf is hong kong, a city or a damn country
    • Woggers, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4its a city and a special administrative region of China (kind of like a state or province), there are urban areas on Hong Kong Island and on the Kowloon peninsula (Hong Kong Island is in the foreground of picture, Kowloon peninsula is the background), but the Hong Kong region includes 236 (i think) islands and the new territories (less urbanized of the Kowloon peninsula)
    • vmlinuz, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the PRC - it's a largely-autonomous area on the edge of a very large country. Hong Kong is both the name of the territory and the second-largest, but most-developed, island. It has one very dense urban area, the main 'city' area, on both sides of the harbour, which doesn't really have a name, as well as a lot of smaller towns and villages, spread over Hong Kong Island, the mainland, and the other islands.

      Clear now?
    • Norseman, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2It's a city in China.
    • smashhell, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1It "was" a country.

      Hong Kong was claimed by the UK 100 years ago, they signed a contract with China that they'll own and run that part of land for 100 years.

      Than it became the most develop and richest place in Asia.

      So In 1997, China took back Hong Kong as a special region of China, that it will become part of China but they can have their own government system(Democratic of course), so it became kinda like a "State" now.
      • vmlinuz, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Er, no... Hong Kong has never been a country. It used to be a colony of the UK, and it's now an SAR. The colony was established much longer than 100 years ago, although the New Territories - effectively the 'rural' part of HK - was leased from China for 99 years. The expiration of that lease and the return of the NT was what triggered the handover in 1997.

        It's also not democratic, never was - although it's a pretty free place, in general, we don't get to pick our government.
  • Chainheart, on 07/14/2008, -4/+4Wait, is this where "Mirror's Edge" is taking place?
  • AshamedAmerican, on 07/14/2008, -2/+14Christian Bale standing on the ledge of the tallest building in that photo:

    http://www.batmanunmasked.com/displayimage.php?alb ...

    Looks like a nice view from up there.
  • scumblz, on 07/14/2008, -5/+4Pictures like these make me want to invest in a dual monitor setup.
  • coconew, on 07/14/2008, -2/+16Different HongKong:http://www.picsyard.info/static/_Different_Beautif ...
    • e68895f, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1hmm, that last picture looks like the end of the world...
    • elmerfudd, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0Very nice! Views of Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, Central, Midlevels and the Peak. I'm guessing they were taken from the Citicorp building north of Victoria Park, or someplace close to there.
  • egthareal, on 07/14/2008, -8/+3This must be the 1 day a year that hong kong is sunny.
    • moonmonkey, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1??? Its sunny for most of the spring and summer, absolutely gorgeous day today.
  • gbrmn, on 07/14/2008, -0/+8A link to the photographers page would have been nice.
  • mfc5200, on 07/14/2008, -2/+4Awww the PRC inherited a great city, 2047 could potentially be a sad year, lets hope though that by that time China will bring itself up to Hong Kong political and government standards.
    • smashhell, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1Yep, China regain government control in 2047, I can already imagine how corrupt it will be.
      Heck, I can already imagine how the Upper people in the PRC fighting to decide who gets to get a hand on Hong Kong. =(
    • mypetridish, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2of course, that's how China mismanages itself. Look at how China handles their earthquake victims as opposed to how we handles our Katrina victims.

      China is teh corrupt!!!
      • mfc5200, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1Did I say anything about the US government being good? No I didn't, now shutup. I just said the HK government was good.
  • deathfix, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4It still makes a great desktop background if you crop to a nice portion of the picture.

    Thanks for the upload.
  • oric, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3Great other photos of HK:
    http://www.fotegrafik.com/gallery/hong+kong
  • Koushiro, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2Wow, that is a really awesome view!
  • branndon, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2Amazing picture! With all those large buildings, I'd hate to see the traffic jam in the streets. There doesn't seem to be much land for roads left over.
  • Slicer, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1I believe this is from "the peak" or close to it. It's along the ridge which runs above the Hong Kong side of the harbour. When I was there, it was sunny, too, but the smog reduced the clarity and colour of my shots.

    You look across to Kowloon, both sides having lots of reclaimed land. They fear that eventually the harbour will fill in entirely, making the bridge idea above moot.
  • Seann7656, on 07/14/2008, -1/+3Is it usually not sunny there? Why the specification?
    • terencec, on 07/14/2008, -0/+4usually the entire city is engulfed in a thick yellow smog as a result of the industries in the "pearl delta" area, the winds blow the pollution down and makes the air disgusting. It is also for this reason that Hong Kong has an infamous daily "Air Pollution Rating" much like daily UV ratings elsewhere in the world.
  • terencec, on 07/14/2008, -0/+6damn do i love my home city when the air is nice... too bad you don't see too many of these days unless there's a national holiday in China
  • denshvalaunt, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3*sniff, I love my hometown. I haven't seen too many days with such great visibility; you can see straight into 新界
  • Osahar, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5that's ***** beautiful.
  • Zyvo, on 07/14/2008, -0/+5Hong Kong really does have one of the prettiest skylines. Sydney is gorgeous as well.
    • smashhell, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2Of course, it have more Skyscraper than New York.
      It IS the most develop city in the world. =)
  • choiand1, on 07/14/2008, -0/+6Hong Kong is the best! 852 represent
    • Heavypettingzoo, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1what what, you on the island?
  • Sylphic, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Wow this picture makes me homesick. I even signed up to Digg to digg this up :) Moar diggs make it into the top for the last 7 days at least please!
  • smashhell, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2This is also my Hometown.
    I really miss it, been away for too long. =)
  • tsowangtat, on 07/14/2008, -0/+0is it taken by the Lomo Horizon?
  • cyberdork, on 07/14/2008, -1/+2Yeah, great. How about you link to the page of the photographer instead of directly linking to the jpg? One reason why I don't like making original size jpgs available on my flickr page.
  • flamov, on 07/14/2008, -0/+6Trust me guys, it's usually never like this here (in Hong Kong). :-(
    • moonmonkey, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Look out the window!!!
    • flamov, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1It was raining earlier, and now it's pretty humid (as it is in Hong Kong)
  • IronGoldfish, on 07/14/2008, -0/+3Wow, it reminds me of Vancouver, except far more developed.
    • cdigioia, on 07/14/2008, -0/+2Me too, I always though Vancouver was underrated as a skyline - it's much prettier than anything on the US West coast I think (where I grew up).
  • crazzy88ss, on 07/14/2008, -1/+1No bridges? Seems odd.
  • Farmer77, on 07/14/2008, -3/+2Will be heading to HK in late Sept. for my cousin's wedding. It's gonna rock.
  • TotallyInfected, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Taken in late 2003 or early 2004 (based on buildings there, not there, and partially there (Four Seasons and Langham Place)
    • TotallyInfected, on 07/14/2008, -0/+0I only mention that because another clear day should come back around in a year or two! ha
  • urgeigh, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1That looks like something I made playing Sim City.
  • hkrob, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Great pic, just too bad it's so old (as TotallyInfected pointed out), the picture was taken while the ICC was still a dream...
    http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=331 ...

    Why no bridge? because there are a couple of tunnels already.. :)
  • indie1982, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1It's a pity that Hong Kong doesn't always look like that. I was lucky enough to be there during Golden Week so most of the industry had closed down and there was very little pollution hanging in the air. Looked just like that panorama.
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