10 Best Sights in Hong Kong, China

The Art Deco building at the southern end of Statue Square (beside the HSBC Building) is the former headquarters of the Bank of China built in the 1950s. The building now houses offices, as well as the members-only, colonial-chic China Club restaurant. Don't confuse it with the newer Bank of China Tower, one of the most iconic skyscrapers in the city, just down the street on Garden Road. Completed in 1990 and designed by I.M. Pei, this imposing structure is said to resemble bamboo—a symbol of the city's strength, growth, and enterprising nature.

Formerly the campus of St. Paul's College, Bishop's House dates back to 1843. This historic Victorian building, which is a pale shade of yellow, served as the official residence of the Anglican bishop.

Clad in reflective gold, silver, and copper-colored glass, this glitzy triangular building was built in 1992, at the height of Hong Kong's success. At the time it was briefly the territory's tallest building, but Two IFC soon beat it by 130 feet and, later, ICC by 360 feet. Note the colorful fluorescent lights atop the building; they actually are a clock that indicates time by changing colors every 15 minutes.

A tree-lined lane called Battery Path was built by the British in the 1840s to provide access to the artillery batteries that defended the colony—hence the name. At the top of Battery Path sits the elegant Former French Mission Building, a neoclassical redbrick structure with white columns and green shutters. Completed in 1917, it is a declared monument subject to protection. St John's Cathedral and Cheung Kong Park sit nearby.

Dubbed the "robot building" by locals, this iconic Norman Foster–designed skyscraper was the world’s most expensive building when completed in 1985. The pair of bronze lions out front, named Stephen and Stitt, belonged to an earlier version of the bank’s Hong Kong headquarters and still bear shrapnel scars from the Japanese invasion during World War II in 1941. Look up into the atrium through the curved glass panels, or step inside to admire the building’s exposed structural mechanics, a hallmark of Foster’s high-tech architecture.

Above the Central skyline, one skyscraper rules them all: Two IFC, the slender second tower of the International Finance Centre. Designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli, its 88 floors top a whopping 1,352 feet. Opposite stands its dinky little brother, the 38-floor One IFC. The massive IFC Mall stretches between the two, and Hong Kong station is underneath. If you wish to see the views from Two IFC, visit the 55th-floor Hong Kong Monetary Authority. While there, take a quick look at exhibits tracing the history of banking in Hong Kong. Upon arrival, you will need to register your passport with the concierge and get a visitor pass.

Just behind the IFC stands Jardine House, a notable 1970s skyscraper recognizable by its grid of round porthole-style windows. The 52-level building serves as the Hong Kong headquarters for Jardine, Matheson & Co., once the greatest of the British "hongs" (trading companies) that dominated trade with imperial China. Historically linked to the opium trade, Jardine Matheson has since transformed into a global conglomerate in retail, property, and financial services.

In the far northern New Territories—just south of Shenzhen—a small unmarked path in the village of Sheung Shui leads to this ancestral hall. It was built in 1751 for the rich and prosperous Liu clan, and was one of few such halls that survived the Cultural Revolution. A restoration preserved the spectacular original roof and ornamentation, but substituted concrete walls to take the weight off rickety pillars—at some cost to the site's aesthetic unity. Take the East Rail Line to Sheung Shui, then Bus 70X, and alight at the Sheung Shui Bus Terminus on Jockey Club Road.

This wedgelike building includes a pair of stained-glass windows by Remo Riva that represent visions of "Hong Kong Today" and "Hong Kong Tomorrow."

Sheung Wan's iconic market, a hulking Edwardian-era brick structure, is a good place to get your bearings. Built in 1906, it functioned as a produce market for 83 years. Mostly of interest to architecture buffs, today it's a shopping center selling fabrics. Nearby you'll find herbal medicine on Ko Shing Street and Queen's Road West, dried seafood on Wing Lok Street and Des Voeux Road West, and ginseng and bird's nest on Bonham Strand West.