Ap Lei Chau Promenade, Hong Kong

By admin
Posted in World Gardens
On February 1, 2015
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Cities that offer gorgeous public spaces for their own citizens are delightful destinations for visitors. When you are visiting in an exotic locale, and finding your way around a big city, whether trekking around with friends or venturing on your own, there’s something deeply attractive about a place that looks after its green spaces within local neighbourhoods.

Ap Lei Chau Promenade, Hong Kong, is one of countless walkways along the beautiful shorelines of the Hong Kong islands. This particular Promenade, across the harbour from Aberdeen, was a few short blocks from our friends’ apartment in Ap Lei Chau. The promenade will be extended to start even closer to their daily walking route once construction on the Ap Lei Chau bridge is completed.

I visited the Ap Lei Chau Promenade twice, first with our friends and hosts John and Nancy, and later on my own, taking time on my second visit to capture the variety of features and plantings along this beautiful public walkway.

First and foremost, and what adds to the attraction of this walkway, is the fact that the view is both gorgeous and interesting. The Promenade hugs the shore of Aberdeen’s Typhoon Harbour. The harbour, packed with small fishing boats, sampans, high-speed motorboats, and luxury yachts, is a village all of its own complete with its own floating Chinese restaurant. Within the harbour, fishermen and boating enthusiasts share the waterways, with many folks both working and living on their boats. When high winds become dangerous for travel on the open seas, the harbour provides a safe haven for the local community.

Coming into Ap Lei Chau Park from under the island bridge, we were soon into the heart of the Hung Shing Street Rest Garden and close to the Hung Shing Temple. I loved this little rest garden. Its interconnecting walkways were dotted with benches and places to relax in the shade or in the sunshine, and the small, well-kept Hung Shing Temple was lovely to see.

For us, travelling from Canada in December, the weather was delightful and perfect. I was amazed at the attractive array of flowers in bloom during Hong Kong’s winter season when temperatures were dropping into the Celsius teens. Bougainvillea is at its best here at this time of year, but so were many other flowers. I was grateful not to miss out on seeing flowers common to this area in full bloom.

Walking further along, we passed alongside the well-maintained and smartly laid out Ap Lei Chau Waterfront Promenade Community Garden. You will see two images of the community garden in the accompanying photograph gallery. With most residents in Hong Kong living in high-rise apartments and condominiums, this dedication of space for urban gardening is heartening to see.

The Promenade stretches for a good distance along the shoreline of Aberdeen Typhoon Harbour. I was impressed by the Garden for the Elderly with its built-in exercise features, including a stone walkway for barefoot exercise, sit-up benches, and a martial arts exercise area where members of the public gather to stretch and perform their routines. Yes, everyone could use the area if they wished to, but naming it for the senior citizens clarified the priority users and ensured that visitors to these outdoor facilities respected the rights of seniors. Garden display areas in Ap Lei Chau Park were beautifully designed, from the dragon-boat-shaped garden, miniature lighthouse, cushioned floor areas in the exercise spaces, through to the immaculate public washrooms. Everything about the Promenade made the visitor feel welcome, and care of the facility was excellent.

When you visit Hong Kong, take time to stroll in the local neighbourhood where you are staying. I am sure you will encounter your own community promenade not far from your doorstep, where you can lose yourself for a time in this sub-tropical island landscape.

Photography Gallery

Click on any photograph to enlarge the image, and click again on the image to advance through the series.