Reclamations in Hong Kong always occasion demolitions, which produce fill materials and also flatlands for development in one fell swoop. Since the first land auction took place in 1841, both the government and the private sector began to work on the Central and Sheung Wan waterfronts. In the 1850s, the first reclamation project of Hong Kong was set off at the Bonham waterfront in Sheung Wan. The scale of reclamation only grew larger with time, and in the 1990s we had the New Airport Project and the Ten Major Infrastructure Projects. Counting in the many ongoing reclamation schemes, Hong Kong has a total reclaimed land area of about 6,000 hectare, making up 5.4% of its total land area. In the 20th century the city is on a par with Netherland, equally short of land supply, in topping the world’s reclamation list. What an incredible fact!

Reclamation has been affecting our citizens for 170 years — a blessing for some, a curse for others. Oh, please excuse us!