The hoarding next to the old Star Ferry terminal in Central, erected to keep reclamation from prying eyes, has been decorated with appealing drawings by primary schoolchildren expressing their dream of what they wish Hong Kong harbour to look like.
Interestingly, many of these works show dolphins frolicking in the water, reflecting the widespread affection for the marine mammals that inhabit our neighbourhood.
The dolphin was Hong Kong's official mascot of the 1997 handover ceremony. But now that work has officially started on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge - the world's longest sea bridge - the survival of these creatures is in doubt.
Dolphin-watching is a favourite pastime of tourists and locals alike. All too often, the dolphins encountered bear scars - testament to encounters with ships, very likely the high-speed hydrofoils that ply between Hong Kong and Macau.
The ceremony to launch construction of the 50-kilometre-long bridge, held in Zhuhai on December 15, was attended by Vice-Premier Li Keqiang and the chief executives of both Hong Kong and Macau. Li said of the bridge: 'It is of great significance to maintain the long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau, and enhance the overall competitiveness in the region.'
That is undoubtedly true. The bridge's economic value is not in doubt. It will further integrate Hong Kong into the economy of the Pearl River Delta and facilitate development of the western side of the delta.
What is in doubt, however, is the ecological price to be paid by innocent marine life. An Environmental Impact Assessment Report optimistically declared that the impact of this massive construction project on the Chinese pink dolphin in Hong Kong waters was 'insignificant'.