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Hong Kong’s cultural heritage celebrated with winning photograph

Date
09 August 2023

ICE Hong Kong Association (HKA) announced Alan Cheng as the winner of its 2023 photography competition.

Hong Kong’s cultural heritage celebrated with winning photograph
The cultural centre Tai Kwun in central Hong Kong. Image credit: Alan Cheng

A photograph of Tai Kwun, a centre for heritage and arts in Hong Kong, and the former Central Police Station, has won this year’s ICE HKA photo competition.

The winning photo, taken by Alan Cheng, depicts the light trails of passing vehicles next to the building’s façade.

Fitting this year’s theme of ‘legacy engineering’, Cheng explains the photo “[symbolises that] the building has witnessed the speedy development of the city over the years.”

Tai Kwun was previously the Central Police Station compound, which included the police station, the Central Magistracy and Victoria Prison – all three declared monuments of Hong Kong.

The compound was revitalised and opened as a cultural destination in May 2018. It was awarded the 2019 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

As the competition’s winner, Cheng was awarded HK$2,000 and a certificate.

Runners-up

Monster Building HK
The 'Monster Building' in Quarry Bay. Image credit: Chad Ludwig

The first runner-up was Chad Ludwig for a photograph entitled ‘Monster Mansion’.

It depicts Monster Building (Yik Cheong Building), a group of five connected residential complexes in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.

Known for its ‘incredibly dense and stacked flats’, it’s a popular location for photography.

Ludwig explained: “Space might be tight, but Hong Konger's have made a way to live together with very little space.

“This photo captures the colourful urban density of Hong Kong on a warm and humid summer night.”

Ludwig was awarded HK$1,000 and a certificate.

Tai O Chung Footbridge
The Tai O Chung Footbridge. Image credit: Felix Fernaldy

A photo entitled ‘A Bridge to the Heart of Tai O’s Heritage’ has won Felix Fernaldy the second runner-up spot in the competition.

The image depicts Tai O Chung Footbridge, which connects the two sides of Tai O’s main canal.

Also known as Tai Creek Footbridge, Fernaldy said that it’s “a symbol of the city’s engineering ingenuity.”

Every year, the bridge is pulled up during the Dragon Boat Festival to provide space for the boats to pass through, reflecting the importance of community celebrations in Hong Kong.

Fernaldy was awarded HK$500 and a certificate.

Three entries were awarded a ‘Merit’. They were submitted by Michelle Cheung, Norman Sum and Philip Fan. They were presented with a certificate and souvenir.

The ICE HKA photography competition

The photography competition aims to improve the image of the civil engineering profession by demonstrating its contributions to society.

The theme of ‘legacy engineering’ sought artful portraits of historical structures in Hong Kong.

The photographs entered were reviewed by the judging panel, made up of HKA committee members and senior members:

  • Louis Wong
  • Raymond Tang
  • Chevy Chan
  • Patrick Chan
  • Kai Hong Wan

The panel gave their individual marks based on the following criteria:

  • Skill of photography
  • Visual impact/presentation quality of the photograph
  • Creativity and innovation
  • Originality of subject
  • Relevance to the theme
  • Mr Y C Lam, co-opted member