In Hong Kong, whenever the Bank of China is mentioned, the first image that usually comes to mind is Ieoh Ming Pei’s iconic masterpiece, the Bank of China Tower. Yet, forty years before the Tower was completed, the Bank of China’s headquarters in Hong Kong opened 180 meters (600 feet) from its current location. To this day, that building—the Bank of China Building—still stands tall in the heart of Hong Kong, albeit dwarfed by its neighboring skyscrapers; and it still serves a

Hidden behind the modern skyscrapers of Tsim Sha Tsui, a silent witness to Hong Kong’s long-gone past still stands as tall as its ancient bricks and stones allow. Snugly fit between the Mariner’s Club, Salisbury Road, and Chatham Road South, it still guards a small park, whose sole innocuous entrance on a dead-end street is all too easily overlooked.