Then & Now | Hong Kong’s most ‘romantic’ locations through the ages
- Today’s couples may be spoilt for choice but in the past lovers had to literally go the distance to find some privacy
- From Repulse Bay to Castle Peak, these amorous spots have helped many a relationship blossom over the decades
Young couples holding hands and gazing into one another’s eyes are a common sight in Hong Kong. Across socio-economic divides, lovers seek out some time alone together in a crowd whenever the happy opportunity presents itself. Those with more financial resources – then as now – had a greater choice of venues for these magical moments.
But where did Hong Kong’s gilded youth go for a date in earlier times? The need to maintain one’s reputation in a small town meant that many dates were, by necessity, conducted in the open air, where tolerant chaperones could ensure that some semblance of propriety was maintained by a complaisantly distant, watching eye.
Coffee, cream cakes, holding hands and perhaps a shared banana ice cream confection was about “as far as it went” in less permissive times. This was especially the case before reliable contraception made the consequences of a back-seat liaison that got a bit out of hand on the long drive home at night less catastrophic.
