Hong Kong Museum of Art

Peninsula Hotel 1881 Heritage

We will visit two exhibition halls:

1. Fantastic Creatures from the British Museum, 2/F

You can create your own fantastic creature on the computer inside the exhibition hall or fold an origami just outside the hall.

2. Cruising the Universe: Fantastic Animals in the Arts of China, 3/F

3. Other exhibitions of interest - Chinese gold ornaments and accessories, 1/F

- Chinese calligraphy works, 2/F

- Artistic Inclusion of the East and West, 3/F - Wu Guanzhong: Painting, Dance, Music (Fine art), 4/F

People around the world make creatures for purposes. Can you sketch two creatures that are cool to you below? Where are

they from? For what purposes did people make them?

This creature is from This creature is from

People made it to/for People made it to/for

Animals, real or legendary, depicted in the Chinese art, symbolize the best wishes of Chinese people. Let’s do a scavenger hunt to see how many animals you can find in your visit today.

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Eagle: Strength

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Fish: Abundance

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Tomb guardian:

Dispersion of evil spirits

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Crab: Prosperity and status

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Crane: Long life

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Pair of mandarin ducks:

Married bliss

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Bat: Long life

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Phoenix: Virtue, symbol for Empress

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Cat: Dispersion of evil spirits

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Auspicious beast: Guardian

of home, protection,

wisdom, good will

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Dragon: Male vigor,

symbol for Emperor

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Lion: Holy being,

strength, protection, valor, energy

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Mantis: Mystery

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Horse: Quick

advancement in rank and

strength

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Toad: Protection against misfortune

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Tiger: Dignity, ferocity, sternness, courage,

protection

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Bull: Springtime

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Elephant: Strength and cleverness

Which animal do you like most? Can you sketch it below?

• Opened in 1928 by the Kadoorie family, expanded in 1994, and is the oldest hotel in Hong Kong.

• Belongs to the Hong Kong and Shanghai

Hotels, Limited, which also owns The Repulse Bay Complex, The Peak Tower, Peak Tramways, St. John’s Building in

Hong Kong. • Meant to be the finest hotel for wealthy

visitors from around the world due to its

closeness to Victoria Harbor and last stop on the trans-Siberian rail link.

• Has a fleet of 14 Long Wheelbase Rolls-

Royce Phantoms painted in the hotel’s

signature green. • Serves traditional English-style afternoon

tea in the lobby. • Has hosted world renowned brands in the

hotel’s arcade.

• The Main Block of the former Marine Police Headquarters was built in the Victorian

Colonial Neo-Classical style in the early 1880s. • All the buildings, except the Former Kowloon Fire Station, were declared monuments

by the Hong Kong Government in 1996.

• The restoration was carried out by Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited in 2003. While the exterior was preserved, the buildings were transformed to hotels, shops and

restaurants.

Former Marine Police

Headquarters, Main

Building, built in the

early 1880s

Former Kowloon Fire

Station, Main Block,

built in 1920

Dennis Fire Engine

Main Block (1920 – 1971)

• The ground floor was used as a duty

room and as a garage for fire engines. • The family of a senior officer lived on

the first floor.

Can you imagine fire engines going in

and coming out from the fire station?

Accommodation Block (1922 – 1971)

It housed the 30 local firefighters serving the Kowloon

Fire Station.

Fireman’s Pole

It was connected to the

quarters on 1/F for

firefighters’ speedy

descent to G/F.

When the fire station was relocated to Canton Road, it was used by a number of government

departments as a storehouse or an office.

In the 1880s, Hong Kong’s

harbor was a very busy port.

Imagine you were a shipmaster

at that time. You sailed among

others from England, arrived

at Hong Kong, and then

journeyed on to China.

A trading ship commonly seen in the Hong Kong

Harbor in the 19th century

Knowing the location at

sea is extremely

important. Sailing

“blind” will end up lost

at best and shipwrecked

at worst. How did

shipmasters know their

locations at sea before

advanced technology

was introduced?

Latitude and Longitude

The position of any point on earth can be identified by its latitude and longitude.

Latitude (Horizontal imaginary lines)

Longitude (Vertical imaginary lines)

Hong Kong: 22° N

GMT 0, 0° Greenwich, England

GMT +8, 114° E Hong Kong

GMT -5, 74° W New York City, USA

In the Old Days…… Shipmasters could determine the latitude

quite easily. They used special instruments to measure the noon sun above the horizon.

Then they would know their ships’ position

relative to the Equator.

New York City: 40° N

Rotation of Earth

W E

Hong Kong 22° N, 114° E

E, Latitude

Longitude

N

• 360° = 24 hours, 180° = 12 hours, 15° = 1 hour • In 1884 (contemporary with the completion of the Marine

Police Headquarters), the international community adopted a standard time based on that of Greenwich, England to be called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), whereby the meridian (the imaginary vertical line) along Greenwich became zero degree.

• The longitude of “1881 Heritage” is 7 hours 46 minutes and 12 seconds east or ahead of GMT.

• In 1904, Hong Kong’s time was adjusted to 8 hours east or ahead of GMT (GMT +8).

• New York City’s time is 5 hours west or behind of GMT (GMT -5). The time lag between HK and New York City is 13 hours. If it is 9am in Hong Kong, Greenwich’s time is 1am, and New York City’s time is 8pm.

7 hours 46 minutes and 12 seconds east or ahead of GMT

Time Ball Tower (1884 - 1907) • Built in 1884, the same year when GMT was

adopted. • The ball was raised manually and dropped at 1pm

sharp.

• Shipmasters at the harbor could re-set their sea clocks (GMT 5:13:48am) at the sight of the

drop of the ball.

• The time accuracy was checked by the HK Observatory and

transmitted to this tower by

telegraph wire. • The location was chosen as the

ideal most-prominent location, being visible from most part of the harbor.

• In 1907, the time ball was moved

to Signal Hill in Tsim Tsui Shui.

In the Old Days…… There was a chronometer (sea clock) which indicated GMT on your ship. You also had a special

instrument to know the time of your current

location (local time) by observing the moment of

true “noon” when the sun was directly overhead.

As said, knowing the location of your ship is extremely important to you. Let’s say, you sailed to

Hong Kong at the local time 1pm. What time would be shown on your sea clock (GMT)? It would be 5

hours 13 minutes 48 seconds in the morning.

But you had traveled long distances over various

time zones and varying weather conditions. Your

sea clock might be inaccurate – slower or faster. How could you sail safely when you journeyed to

China or back home with a different time zone?

• Built in the early 1880s

• Victorian colonial neo-classical style

• No steel used, only bricks and timber

• The entire ground floor was elevated 3-4

feet above ground for the airflow and the

prevention of the decay of timber. • Very high windows and ceilings for cold

breezes in the hot and humid summer

Ventilation Portals Signal Gun: Telling time Indian Balcony

3 Pigeon Houses Piegon Courtyard Security Window for weapons

Motor vehicles were not introduced until 1907. Rickshaws and sedan chairs

were the most popular means of transportation.

For the police force, horses

were used. The Stable Block was built to house the

horses and was later

transformed into garages when motor vehicles were

introduced.

The windows of the Stable Block are fixed at an

elevated level reflecting the

original use of the building.

This door is large for

the passage of horses.

Can you find a smaller

door for the passage of

people?