Nowadays, there are still a lot of those pictures around, but the images of skyscrapers, busy crowds, The Peak and all the other 'tourist' scenes seem to be slowly replacing the formerly popular harbour photos.

Victoria Harbour seems to have diminished not just in size, but also in significance recently. Before, the name 'Hong Kong' conjured up the familiar Central/Tsim Sha Tsui coastline. The image appeared on all goods, from stamps to T-shirts sold in Stanley Market.

Now the harbour has shrunk to a shadow of the wide channel it once was, and it's increasingly difficult to see it.

Yet the harbour is still a distinguishing feature of the Pearl of the Orient. Tourists still flock to see it, developers still scramble to build within view of it and people still love to take pictures of it.

Though tourists may look for more in Hong Kong now, there's no denying the harbour's importance. The two coasts with their beautifully lit buildings and all the boats in the middle perfectly illustrate Hong Kong's never-ending pulse.

Maybe there will be more and more places and things that can represent Hong Kong in the future, but Victoria Harbour will prevail as a major distinguishing feature of Hong Kong for a long time yet. After all, the city is named after the harbour!

Dennis Wu, 17, St Joseph's College

The people of Hong Kong have always assumed that Victoria Harbour is the most prominent feature of Hong Kong. Perhaps the time has come for us to start questioning what we've believed for years.

Several land reclamation projects in the past few decades have repeatedly transformed the shoreline of the harbour.

A distinguishing feature of a city should make people relate to the place in an instant, but the skyscrapers that are being built at a staggering pace, and the ever-changing view of the harbour, could only remind people of a city of ample business opportunities. At a glance, our skyline could be anywhere: Sydney, Shanghai or Tokyo.

A city's major landmark should be lasting, like Big Ben in London and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They have both stood for over a century and it is likely they will stand for at least another. On the other hand, the development history of our harbour is nothing but a monument to the capricious

and money-making nature of Hong Kong.

Citizens living in metropolises all over the world take great pride in the history and cultural heritage of their cities. Sadly, as Hongkongers, we have been robbed of that privilege. There's a general lack of awareness of such issues.

As the harbour shrinks further, we have no choice but to imagine how important it could have been to the city had we stood up for what we believed in.