Everyday sights and occurrences in the world's foremost skyscraper city

A pretty common sign in Hong Kong

 

Work going on way up high above the ground!

 

Years ago, I read about how a sure way to tell that someone is a visitor to -- rather than resident of -- New York City is that those who don't live in the Big Apple invariably look up at the tops of the city's skyscrapers they're passing by when they walk through and along the manmade canyons that many of its streets resemble.  But even though I've lived in Hong Kong for some 10 years now and the Big Lychee actually has even more high-rise buildings than the Big Apple (and is the city with the most skyscrapers in the world by a long chalk), I still find myself gazing (up) at quite a number of the tall buildings to be found in the city I'm happy to call home.  

For all of my love of old buildings (including in Hong Kong as well as elsewhere), I also am able to appreciate the design and such of many a skyscraper; with Sir Norman Foster's 44-storey-high HSBC Main Building in Central being a firm favorite to look at and also for its cultural elements (which include such as feng shui principles having been adhered to).  And rather than advise people to not look up when walking around Hong Kong, I often remind visitors to the city to not forget to look up every once in a while: so that they can better appreciate how multi-level a place it really is, and also thereby not miss out on seeing some interesting sights like they might otherwise do!    

In addition to the high-rise structures themselves, there's the interesting establishments that often are to be found on the upper floors (rather than just at ground-floor level, like is often the case in Western and/or lower level towns and cities).  Also often fun check out too is the bamboo scaffolding and nylon netting covering buildings that make them resemble the artistic work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude.  And then there are the daredevil workmen and -women who dangle on the bamboo scaffolding or metal gondola from way up high.  

Earlier this week, I passed a small sealed off area by a tall building that had a sign with the words "Caution" and "Overhead work in progress" in it.  Reflexively, I glanced up to look at the overhead work in progress and found myself having to look way, way upwards before I could spot any signs of work taking place.  And when I finally did, I got to gasping at the sight of workers on a gondola suspended very close to the top of an over 40-storey-high structure!

 

I expect that the fellows working several hundred feet up in the air find their work situation to be everyday and commonplace.  But for someone with a fear of heights like myself (who is the rare Hong Kong resident who's never lived in accomodation higher than eight floors up in the city), I really am in awe of those folks -- be they window cleaners, repairmen, painters or what-have-you! -- who are able to work where they do, never mind do the work that they do.