Name(English): Noonday Gun
Name(Chinese): 怡和午炮
Category: Culture & History
Address(English): Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Kellet Island
Address(Chinese): 銅鑼灣告士打道
Address Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/cdpLkrhJx5TGn3sJ8
Address longitude and latitude: 22.282568088397326, 114.18375483901127
Nearest MTR Station: Causeway Bay MTR station exit D4
Nearest MTR Station Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/e6QUbj7JovgYaaoz9
Nearest MTR Station longitude and latitude: 22.280458143262216, 114.18397885939426
How far from the nearest MTR Station: 5 mins walk from Causeway Bay MTR station exit D4
Opening Hours:
MON 00:00 – 23:59
TUE 00:00 – 23:59
WED 00:00 – 23:59
THU 00:00 – 23:59
FRI 00:00 – 23:59
SAT 00:00 – 23:59
SUN 00:00 – 23:59
Recommended Time to Visit: 12:00 for the gun firing
Accessibility Note: Easy access-flat entrance
“Bang!” – a gun just fired at 12nn sharp shocking eardrums. The Noonday Gun is quite a dramatic scene happening every day on the waterfront of Causeway Bay. Although it is a kind of cultural custom the locals tend to easily forget, it certainly has an unique history of its own.
Causeway Bay, aka East Point, was privately owned by Jardine Matheson and where their warehouses were located for their opium trades during the early colonial days. The business for sure made tons of money from selling the drugs to Chinese so much so that a staff from the Company had to fire 21-gun salute over Victoria Harbor from East Point to greet the founder of Jardine, when he arrived at the Harbor port. But this act somehow irritated a British naval officer as gun salutes were only meant for royals or military commanders, and later ordered the Company to fire off a gun at noon every day, as a punishment. Little do we know now whether it was the main reason triggering such a long-lasting tradition – it did serve as a time signal for the people back in the days.
If you are interested in experiencing how powerful the gun firing is, make your way to the World Trade Centre at Causeway Bay from which you can get to the Noonday Gun spot through the tunnel in front of the Centre. You can indeed fire the salute by yourself if you dare and all you have to do is to donate $33,000 to the Community Chest, which is a charity that Jardine partners with.
#discoverhongkong #explorehongkong #visithongkong #hongkongtravel #ilovehongkong #hongkongtrip #heritage #hongkongheritage #chinesetradition #culturetrip #hongkongculture #hkhistory #hongkonghistory #hongkongstory
#noongun #colonialhistory #jardine #opiumtrade #causewaybay #hkcolonialhistory #colonialhongkong #hongkongcolonialhistory
