Misplaced Pages

#76923

35-750: Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony in 1841 and its subsequent development as a trading centre. Throughout its history, the harbour has seen numerous reclamation projects undertaken on both shores, many of which have caused controversy in recent years. Environmental concerns have been expressed about

70-399: A body of water is protected and deep enough to allow anchorage. Many such harbors are rias . Natural harbors have long been of great strategic naval and economic importance, and many great cities of the world are located on them. Having a protected harbor reduces or eliminates the need for breakwaters as it will result in calmer waves inside the harbor. Some examples are: For harbors near

105-487: A commodities trader (1980–1991), rising to become managing director at Philipp Brothers and Phibro Energy — the physical commodities trading arms of US multinational Salomon, Inc. (now Citicorp) — before joining a Hong Kong company (CIM Co.), where she headed the special projects division between 1992 and 1994. In April 2006, she was elected by shareholders of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) to be

140-591: A comprehensive 17th-century military book. While the harbour was charted in later maps, the first map depicting it in detail is an 1810 marine chart prepared for the East India Company by Daniel Ross and Philip Maughan, lieutenants of the Bombay Marine . Some of the first recreational activities to take place in the harbour were water competitions such as swimming and water polo in the 1850s, undertaken by members of Hong Kong's first sports club,

175-579: A director of the company and served till 2009. Loh was appointed to the Legislative Council (LegCo) in 1992. In 1995 Hong Kong legislative election and 1998 Hong Kong legislative election she ran in two direct elections and won by large margins. She co-founded, in 1995, the Society for Protection of the Harbour and was responsible for creating and sponsoring the historic Protection of

210-484: A terminal for cruises, the Ocean Terminal . Another cruise terminal ( Kai Tak Cruise Terminal ) has recently been opened. Harbor A harbor ( American English ), or harbour ( Australian English , British English , Canadian English , Irish English , New Zealand English ; see spelling differences ), is a sheltered body of water where ships , boats , and barges can be moored . The term harbor

245-653: Is Long Beach Harbor , California , United States, which was an array of salt marshes and tidal flats too shallow for modern merchant ships before it was first dredged in the early 20th century. In contrast, a natural harbor is surrounded on several sides by land. Examples of natural harbors include Sydney Harbour , New South Wales, Australia, Halifax Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia , Canada and Trincomalee Harbour in Sri Lanka. Artificial harbors are frequently built for use as ports. The oldest artificial harbor known

280-604: Is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. Lying in the middle of the territory's dense urban region, the harbour is the site of annual fireworks displays and its promenades are used as gathering places for residents and also tourists. The first reference to what is now called Victoria Harbour is found in Zheng He 's sailing maps of the China coast, dated c.1425, which appear in the Wubei Zhi ( A Treatise on Armament Technology ),

315-417: Is generally considered to be the line formed between the westernmost extremity of Siu Chau Wan (小酒灣) and A Kung Ngam . The western boundary is generally considered to consist of a line drawn from the westernmost point of Hong Kong Island to the westernmost point of Green Island , thence a straight line drawn from the westernmost point of Green Island to the southeasternmost point of Tsing Yi , thence along

350-600: Is intenselly weathered . Victoria Harbour is known for its panoramic night view and skyline, particularly in the direction towards Hong Kong Island where the skyline of skyscrapers is superimposed over the ridges behind. Among the best places to view the harbour are the Peak Tower atop Victoria Peak , or from the piazza at the Cultural Centre or the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon side. Rides on

385-478: Is no bridge crossing the harbour, but there are three cross-harbour road tunnels: Cross-Harbour Tunnel (opened 1972), Eastern Harbour Crossing (1989), and Western Harbour Crossing (1997). The three tunnels act as important linkages between the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Four Mass Transit Railway routes also run under the harbour. From west to east, they are: The Star Ferry has been crossing

SECTION 10

#1732775816077

420-605: Is often used interchangeably with port , which is a man-made facility built for loading and unloading vessels and dropping off and picking up passengers. Harbors usually include one or more ports. Alexandria Port in Egypt, meanwhile, is an example of a port with two harbors. Harbors may be natural or artificial. An artificial harbor can have deliberately constructed breakwaters , sea walls , or jetties or they can be constructed by dredging , which requires maintenance by further periodic dredging. An example of an artificial harbor

455-578: Is the Ancient Egyptian site at Wadi al-Jarf , on the Red Sea coast, which is at least 4500 years old (ca. 2600–2550 BCE, reign of King Khufu ). The largest artificially created harbor is Jebel Ali in Dubai . Other large and busy artificial harbors include: The Ancient Carthaginians constructed fortified, artificial harbors called cothons . A natural harbor is a landform where a section of

490-529: The LegCo . She resigned as its chief executive on 11 September 2012 upon her appointment as Undersecretary for the Environment in the administration of CY Leung , taking up her new post the following day. At the same time, she resigned from all her positions in other non-profit organizations, academic affiliations, and non-executive directorships in commercial firms. As Undersecretary for the Environment, Loh

525-464: The North and South poles , being ice-free is an important advantage, especially when it is year-round. Examples of these are: The world's southernmost harbor, located at Antarctica 's Winter Quarters Bay (77° 50′ South), is sometimes ice-free, depending on the summertime pack ice conditions. Although the world's busiest port is a contested title, in 2017 the world's busiest harbor by cargo tonnage

560-555: The Star Ferry , including the route between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui , are another way to view the harbour and cityscape. As the natural centre of the territory, the harbour has played host to many major public shows, including the annual fireworks displays on the second night of the Lunar New Year . These shows are popular with tourists and locals alike, and the display is usually telecast on local television. To enhance

595-867: The Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. Loh attended St. Paul's Convent School in Causeway Bay, and later Island School in Mid-levels, Hong Kong. She then went to Bedford High School in the UK. She later attended the University of Hull , and City University of Hong Kong (Masters of Law in Chinese & Comparative Law) and the University of Hull (Doctor of Law, honoris causa). Loh worked for 12 years as

630-563: The British colonial authorities. These incidents caused rising tension that would eventually lead to the Arrow War . The harbour was originally called "Hong Kong Harbour", but was later renamed to "Victoria Harbour", to assure shelter for the British fleet under Queen Victoria . The subject of pollution came to the fore in the 1970s with the rapid growth of the manufacturing sector. The water club races were stopped in 1973 due to pollution in

665-529: The Division of Environment and Sustainability at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology , and is also Chief Development Strategist at its Institute for the Environment. In 2019 Loh released the second edition of her book Underground Front: The Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong , first published in 2010. Starting in 2018, Loh has been teaching a course on non market risks at

700-509: The Environment 2007" by Time and "Woman Who Makes a Difference 2009" by RBS Coutts/FT in Women of Asia Awards. She has worked in many areas, including law, business, politics, media and the non-profit sector , but is best known as a leading voice in public policy in Hong Kong, particularly in environmental protection, sustainable finance, and governance reform. In 2017, following the end of her official role, she became an adjunct professor in

735-532: The Harbour Ordinance . While part of the democratic camp in LegCo, she took a less confrontational approach than some, preferring to keep open lines of communication with all sides. She has been described as Hong Kong's "reasonable radical". In 2000, she and Lisa Hopkinson co-founded a Hong Kong-based non-profit think tank , Civic Exchange , and once again entered the political spotlight, but outside of

SECTION 20

#1732775816077

770-554: The Victoria Recreation Club. During the Taiping Rebellion , armed rebels paraded the streets of Hong Kong. On 21 December 1854, the Hong Kong police arrested several armed rebels who were about to attack Kowloon City . On 23 January 1855, a fleet of Taiping war boats was on the verge of a naval battle against Chinese imperial war boats defending the harbour. The Chinese defenders were ordered away by

805-399: The eastern and northern coastal lines of Tsing Yi to its westernmost extremity, and thence a straight line drawn true north towards the mainland. There are several islands within the harbour: Due to land reclamation, the following are former islands that are now connected to adjacent lands or larger islands: The geology around of the harbour is made of a granitic copula which in parts

840-400: The effects of these expansions, in terms of water quality and loss of natural habitat. It has also been proposed that benefits of land reclamation may be less than the effects of decreased harbour width, affecting the number of vessels passing through the harbour. Nonetheless Victoria Harbour still retains its founding role as a port for thousands of international vessels each year. The harbour

875-535: The end of November every year, the outer walls of buildings in the central business districts on both sides of the harbours are dressed with Christmas-related decorations, and replaced with Lunar New Year -related ones by January. Victoria Harbour is home to most of the port facilities of Hong Kong , making Hong Kong amongst the world's busiest . An average of 220,000 ships visit the harbour each year, including both oceangoing vessels and river vessels, for both goods and passengers. The Kwai Tsing Container Terminals in

910-497: The harbour since the late 19th century. The operated ferry routes today are: Central to Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai to Tsim Sha Tsui, the Wan Chai/Central to Hung Hom services closing in 2011 for lack of patronage. Other regular ferry services also operate in the harbour. The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company used to operate numerous cross-harbour routes between various piers of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Many of

945-865: The harbour, a year after the former RMS Queen Elizabeth burned and sank at the Tsing Yi island anchorage. Studies also showed excessive nitrogen input from discharges of the Pearl River Delta into the harbour for decades. After completion of the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation Feasibility Study in 1989, the Land Development Policy Committee endorsed a concept for gradual implementation of this additional reclamation. It consists of three district development cells separated by parks, namely, Central , Tamar and Exhibition . The latest proposed reclamation, extending along

980-646: The popularity of the harbour as a sightseeing location, the government introduced a show dubbed A Symphony of Lights . Also recently opened was the Avenue of Stars , built along the promenade outside the New World Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui . Modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , it honours the most illustrious people the Hong Kong film industry has produced over the past decades. By

1015-503: The routes are now operated by First Ferry . Some of the piers no longer exist because of reclamation projects, or many of the routes became unprofitable. Currently, the company continues to operate vehicular ferry services for vehicles carrying dangerous goods that are prohibited within tunnel crossings. For international passenger traffic and traffic to mainland China and Macau , there are two ferry terminals, namely Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal and Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal , and

1050-573: The size of the waterbody, with its chairman, Christine Loh , quoted as saying that the harbour "...is a precious national asset and we must preserve it for future generations. I believe an insightful and visionary chief executive would support our stance and work with us to protect the harbour". Reclamation work also led to the demolition of Queen's Pier and Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier , structures of historic significance, to massive public opposition. Victoria Harbour covered an area of about 41.88 km (16.17 sq mi) in 2004. The eastern boundary

1085-454: The waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay , faced public opposition, as the harbour has become a pivotal location to Hongkongers in general. Activists have denounced the government's actions as destructive not only to the natural environment, but also to what is widely considered one of the most prized natural assets of the territory. NGOs, including the Society for Protection of the Harbour , were formed to resist further attempts to reduce

Victoria Harbour - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-475: The western part of the harbour is the main container handling facility, operating round the clock. Some 19.8 million containers (measured in TEUs ) were handled by the region in 2016. Some 400 container ships serve Hong Kong weekly, connecting to over 500 destinations around the world. For many years until 2004, Hong Kong handled the most containers TEUs but slipped to sixth place on declining volumes by 2016. There

1155-800: Was Under Secretary for the Environment in the government of CY Leung . From April 2019 to March 2020, she was Special Consultant to the HKSAR Chief Executive of Ecological Civilization and the Greater Bay Area, attached to the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office . Until her appointment as Undersecretary for the Environment, Loh was CEO of Civic Exchange, the Hong Kong think tank that she co-founded in 2000. She received many awards, including "Stars of Asia" in 1998 and again in 2000 by BusinessWeek, "Hero of

1190-431: Was responsible for drafting policy documents, including on air quality, energy, and climate change. She was responsible for stakeholder engagement in such matters as biodiversity and energy saving in buildings. Loh was also responsible for changing Hong Kong's shipping emissions regulation, which resulted in mainland China changing its policy, as well as playing a crucial role in ending the local trading of ivory. She left

1225-521: Was the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan . The following are large natural harbors: Christine Loh Christine Loh Kung-wai , SBS , OBE , JP , Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (born 1 February 1956), is a former Hong Kong Legislative Councillor, founder and CEO of Civic Exchange , founder of the Citizens Party , and founder of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor . From 2012 to 2017, she

#76923