While Kwan Yin, the goddess of mercy, may watch over Hong Kong,
its destiny is tied more directly to the ebb and flow of an
earthly asset: its harbor. Over time, clippers loaded with opium
and tea have given way to container ships and luxury liners.
Skyscrapers now form a gleaming wall on the water's edge,
replacing the Victorian godowns and minimalist fishing villages
of yesteryear. While typhoons still sometimes batter the
enclave, the harbor faces greater threats from man-made forces.
Pollution chokes its once-pristine waters, where swimmers now
suffer skin rashes and the famed pink dolphin dwindles toward
extinction. Land reclamation eats away at the harbor, leaving
top hotels that once boasted sea views with panoramas of
construction sites. Still, Hong Kong remains one of the world's
most vibrant ports. More than 100 ships arrive each day, along
with hundreds of illegal aliens, sneaking in aboard speedboats,
seeking a new life. The tide isn't turning on Hong Kong--yet.
--By Hannah Beech
BERTHING RITES
Trade is still the lifeblood of this metropolis--and a lifeline
to the mainland: 65% of cargo reaching Victoria Harbor is then
routed to China. Hong Kong boasts the world's busiest container
port, and it's soon to get busier. In one of the largest civil
engineering projects anywhere, the territory is building a
container hub on Lantau island, with twice the capacity of the
current facility at Kwai Chung, above
BEAMING NIGHT AND DAY
The cruiser Rotterdam, berthed at Ocean Terminal, pumps out
enough wattage to rival the bright lights of the city skyline.
And at right, from the top: a member of a daily swimming club
takes a dawn dip near Kennedy Town; Causeway Bay's typhoon
shelter provides refuge for small craft; youngsters discover the
quiet pleasures of a Star Ferry crossing or a fishing expedition
on the Kowloon waterfront
NEVER A DULL MOMENT
Clockwise, from left: customs officers search for contraband in
the hold of one of the 37,000 vessels that dock in Victoria
Harbor each year; officials check out the deck of a container
ship; anti-pollution vessel scoops up garbage from the harbor;
mainland sailors load secondhand electrical goods bound for
resale in China and Vietnam; a vendor sells snacks to barge
workers at a Yaumatei typhoon shelter
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