Come and Go

Before the Cross-harbour Tunnel was completed, Queen’s Pier (皇后碼頭) used to be the pier for the British Governors, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Diana, Princess of Wales and all important people of the British throne to step ashore or leave Hong Kong Island. This symbolized that Hong Kong was under the British rule.

Apart from these official “come and go” of Governors, rich people usually use this public pier to go on board their luxurious launch boats for touring round the harbour or to outskirts of Hong Kong to enjoy swimming or skiing.

Throughout the first ten years or so of the establishment of CCSC, our supervisor, Mr. Y. L. Cheung, invited all the teaching staff to a launch picnic in summer so that the new and the old teachers could get to know one another. We boarded his launch boat (金枝玉葉) by this pier and the boat usually sailed its way to the bay at Po Toi O (布袋澳) or Clear Water Bay (清水灣) and anchored there. People who were good at swimming could jump into the water. Others could row a small sampan or even rode on a speed boat. The rest would chat or play card games on deck, sipping drinks at the same time. Towards evening, a buffet dinner was served. Through this kind of picnic, we teachers knew one another well and worked better together at school.

As a matter of fact, not only rich people used the pier, but also the employees of big firms, banks and other organizations who joined similar launch picnics organized by their bosses at different times of the year.

This Friday, April 27^th, 2007, my wife and I went to Central to have tea lunch with our friends and I suggested to take the last few photos of this pier because it would be pulled down soon so that a road could pass through it.

There were big banners saying that this pier should not be pulled down. Some people of Hong Kong want to restore their memories of this public pier and asked our SAR government to preserve it and somehow rebuild it at another place.

It came (was built) in 1957 and now it goes in 2007. It has served our citizens of Hong Kong as well as the British Governors and Royal Family for exactly half a century!