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SCMP Reporter

The glory days of the Star Ferry service, the trams and the former airport at Kai Tak are features of a photo exhibition

Those who are already lamenting the impending loss of the Star Ferry pier in Central might find some comfort in a photographic exhibition opening this week showcasing the glory days of the cross-harbour service.

The exhibition in Sai Ying Pun features 30 images of Star Ferry piers and boats down the ages, and another 70 images of two other symbols of Hong Kong - its trams and the former airport at Kai Tak.

Its organisers say that the show offers visitors a trip down memory lane aboard the ever-evolving stalwarts of the city's transport systems.

The photographs belong to Alan Cheung Shun-kwong and James Ng Pong-mau, who began collecting them a decade ago.

Mr Cheung, whose speciality is images of trams and the Star Ferry, said he built up his collection through auctions, buying from specialist shops or swapping pictures with other collectors.

He said it was getting more difficult to find pictures of Hong Kong transport icons, as they were attracting more interest both locally and internationally.

His interest in the Star Ferry pier began with a postcard issued in the 1920s.

'I picked up a postcard with a Victorian-style building on it at a collectors' fair in 1994. I thought it was probably a building in Europe. But when I took a closer look at it, it was indeed the pier in the 1920s before it was demolished,' he said.

Mr Ng, who works at the airport as an assistant duty manager for technical services, said that as a teenager, he was drawn to planes and the unique runway at the old Kai Tak airport. 'I have a natural affinity with planes, as there were always planes flying over my head during my years living in Kowloon City,' he said.

'The 13/31 runway of the old airport is not just an interesting object to me, but to many pilots and people around the world, as it was one of the most challenging runways in the world.' said Roger Ho Yao-sheng, project manager of the Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage, which organised the event. The name 13/31 refers to the runway's orientation, 136.1 degrees and 316.1 degrees. Mr Ho said the exhibition - which is being staged at the centre, a former nurses' dormitory- was intended to take the public back in time to witness the city's development.

'Every picture has its own unique story behind it. They are not only about transport, but how Hong Kong has changed from a fishing village into an important trade centre and how people's lives have also been changed in the process,' he said.

The display, 'Historical Photos - Tram, Star Ferry and Kai Tak Airport' - is open daily (except Sundays and public holidays) from Wednesday until November 22 at the Conservancy Association Centre for Heritage annex,  36A Western Street, Sai Ying Pun, in Western District.



Down memory lane with city's transport