Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier, often referred to as the "Star Ferry" Pier, was a pier in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong, serving the Star Ferry. The pier, with its clock tower, was a prominent waterfront landmark. Built in 1957 at the height of the Modern Movement, it was the third generation of the Star Ferry Pier in Central, and was located near the City Hall and the General Post Office.
The pier was the central flashpoint of the Hong Kong riots in 1966,"Star Ferry fare increases provoke riots", Hong Kong Commercial Daily, 4 April 2005 and 40 years later became the focus of a confrontation between conservationists and the government, which wanted to demolish the pier to allow for reclamation. The ferry service from the pier was suspended on 11 November 2006, and moved to piers 7 and 8 of Central Piers. Demolition commenced on 12 December 2006, and was completed in early 2007.
History
The entire waterfront where the "third generation" pier was situated was created in the late 1950s following a major land reclamation. The shoreline was shifted from its position at the time, level to the Mandarin Hotel. The pier was built in 1957 in Edinburgh Place, at the height of the Modern Movement, near the City Hall complex which was being planned at the time.
The Star Ferry Pier was designed by a local Chinese architect, Hung Yip Chan (born in 1921). He worked in the Architectural Office (AO) of the Hong Kong Government from 1952 to 1957 as an assistant architect. He designed the façade of the pier, and the Chief Architect, Michael Wright, added the Clock Tower to make the pier more balanced and practical.
The chimes of the turret clock installed at the pier marked every quarter-hour since the pier's inauguration in 1957. The clock was a gift from John Keswick, who had in turn received it from the Prince of Belgium. The mechanism was manufactured by British company Edward John Dent, which also provided the mechanical signature to "Big Ben" of London.
There is a major bus terminus on the Kowloon side, which is conveniently situated close to the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier. Thousands of residents passed through this principal gateway to Hong Kong Island from the Kowloon Peninsula daily from 1957 until 2006. However, the inauguration of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in 1972 popularised vehicular travel across the harbour and reduced the flow of passengers. From 1972 to 2006, the ferry was still used by many as the shortest route from Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) to Central District, and a daily average of 74,000 passenger trips were made across the harbour in 2004.Leslie Kwoh, "Pier relocation spells gloom, says Star Ferry" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 13 May 2006
On the island side, various New World First Bus and Citybus bus routes as well as public light buses connected to many destinations on Hong Kong Island.
Relocation
The plan to relocate the Central Ferry Piers dates back to July 1999, when proposed amendments to the draft Central District (Extension) Outline Zoning Plan covering the Central Reclamation III area were published. Both the third generation Star Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier would be demolished and 16 hectares of land directly in front of the fourth-generation pier reclaimed to make way for a six-lane road and a low-rise shopping centre. The cost was estimated at HK$3.5 billion. The Government said that the historical significance of the third-generation pier would be recognised and promised to recreate the landmark on the new waterfront.Agence-France Presse, "Star Ferry pier to keep clock" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 13 April 2000
In 2001, an impact assessment for the Central Reclamation recommended the relocation of the Star Ferry Pier, and this was approved by the Antiquities Advisory Board in 2002.Chan Sui San Peter, "EIA: A survey report of Historical Buildings and Structures within the Project Area of the Central Reclamation Phase III" , HK Government, February 2001
Demolition 3D Laser Scanning Technology in digital recording of structures was applied to capture three-dimensional images of the pier before the demolition."How surveyors use 3D Laser Scanning Technology in digital recording of structures" , The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, 17 January 2007
Following the pier's decommissioning on 12 November 2006, demolition work started amidst protests. The demolition was originally scheduled for the early part of 2007, but demolition was brought forward by 3 months, to 12 December 2006. The government ignored a nonbinding motion in September in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong urging it to retain the pier and clock tower.Leslie Kwoh, "Early demolition for old Star Ferry pier" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 15 November 2006
The demolition crew took control of the site by erecting scaffolding on 6 December 2006, and demolition commenced on 12 December. Workers took down the clock mechanism and clock face, leaving a gaping hole, and then proceeded to lift the clock tower off in one piece. After the protesters had been dispersed, the remainder of the pier was completely dismantled, away from the glare of publicity.
Controversy
Although the scale of the phase 3 reclamation in Central was cut back from 32 to 18 hectares, the fate of the piers was sealed by the reclamation."Central Reclamation Phase III – Project History" , Civil Engineering & Development Dept. The pier became the centre of a bitter struggle between the Government and conservationists, who opposed either further destruction of the harbour or the further loss of historical buildings.
Consultants who prepared the Environmental Impact Assessment report in 2001 for the Central reclamation noted the pier's significant role in Hong Kong's transport history. The Government was warned that a public backlash could be expected when the full implications of the reclamation were known.Keith Wallis, "Harbour reclamation plans gathering pace" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 31 July 2000
However, the Government had maintained that the Pier and its tower was not old enough to be classified as "historical" and that people were not necessarily "concerned about the building itself". To some extent, it was not wrong, since the activists were mainly fighting for the preservation of a public place and against the methods and urban planning policies of its government, perceived to favour business interests over the public interest. The struggle to preserve the Star Ferry and, later, the Queen's Pier, was the occasion to raise questions on Hong Kong's history, the question of colonialism, and that of democracy in the HKSAR.Pierre Martin, Hong Kong: cultural heritage, activism and decolonization (school work, in French language) https://www.scribd.com/doc/34335050/Pierre-Martin-Hong-Kong-patrimoine-activisme-et-decolonisation-Hong-Kong-cultural-heritage-activism-and-decolonization ;
The Government had grossly underestimated the very strong public sentiment about this 49-year-old landmark in the "collective memory" of Hong Kong residents. By its own retrospective admission, it lacked legitimacy: a Government spokesman conceded that the it had failed to gain the moral high ground.Carrie Chan, "New policy aims will lead heritage debate" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 10 May 2007
Loss of convenience Ferry passengers would face a lengthier trek to reach the new pier. By relocating the new piers 300 m away, it is estimated that the Star Ferry could lose perhaps 13 per cent or more of passengers due to its inconvenience.Ng Tze-wei, "Not even HK's storied Star Ferry can face down developers", International Herald Tribune, 10 November 2006 On the Tsim Sha Tsui side of the harbour, the proposed relocation of the bus terminus which acts as a feeder for the ferry is forecast to further reduce passenger numbers by one-fifth.
This loss, totalling one-third of its passengers, would translate into revenue loss of some HK$17 million per annum for Star Ferry.
Architectural importance Architects and conservationists"Preservation of Star Pier and Queen's Pier", The Conservancy Association, 18 December 2006 argued that the pier was architecturally significant to Hong Kong as one of the last remaining examples of a Streamline Moderne public building (along with the Central Market and Wan Chai Market which have been earmarked for demolition); culturally the pier was widely recognised as a part of local collective memory. The Hong Kong Institute of Architects warned against the destruction of Hong Kong's heritage,Leslie Kwoh,"Ferry terminal a step closer to history" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 30 August 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2006 saying it would be an irreversible mistake. Public opinion has resulted in alternatives put forward to preserve the clock tower, including moving the proposed six-lane road or relocating the clock tower to the front of the new pier as a memorial.
State of the clock One reason cited by the Government against the relocation of the turret clock and tower was that an expert feasibility study advised that there was "no guarantee the clock and chimes would continue to work after relocation, due to their age and obsolete components"."New Star Ferry Piers to open in November" , 19 December 2006, Hong Kong Government. Retrieved 19 December 2006 However, Neil Brennon Wright of Thwaites & Reed, the world's longest operating clockmaking firm, who arrived from England on 18 December 2006 to examine the clock, said that his firm had restored far worse.Donald Asprey, "Ferry clock may yet chime again" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 19 December 2006. Retrieved 19 December 2006
The Government promised that it would "rebuild" the chimes of the clock, complete with the restitution of the original clock faces and mechanism at some nearby location.Diana Lee, "Harbor option for Queen's Pier" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 4 May 2007
Public sentiment
The public outcry, anticipated by the consultancy report for the Antiquities and Monuments Office, was to become reality. With the imminent threat of demolition, the local community rallied to save pier, to widespread media coverage. In the weeks running up to the cessation of service from the pier, thousands of Hong Kong residents arrived to post banners and other messages in support of retention.
There were some 150,000 nostalgic visitors to the Pier and harbour crossing on the night of 11 November 2006. To mark the special occasion, Star Ferry hosted a "last ride" before the pier was closed-down, with the last four ferries leaving this pier on the stroke of midnight.South China Morning Post, 17 December 2006 Eighteen hundred Hongkongers willingly paid up $88 (40 times the normal fare) for the last ride, whose proceeds were designated for charity.
Protest movement On 19 November 2006, the Civic Party, Democratic Party, Harbour-front Enhancement Committee, Hong Kong Institute of Architects, People's Sustainable Development Committee, Clear the Air, and Earth Care jointly met to urge the public to fight for the preservation of the pier. Over 1,000 signatures were collected on that one day alone, in a petition to be submitted to Chief Executive Donald Tsang and other senior officials.Leslie Kwoh, "United front in pier drive" , The Standard (Hong Kong), 20 November 2006 In addition, a group of protesters began a peaceful sit-in that day. So Sau Chung, veteran campaigner (now a monk), whose hunger strike against Star Ferry fare increases triggered the riots in 1966, came by to lend his support.""keep the ferry pier" says veteran protester", Apple Daily, 27 November 2007