It is hard to imagine that Hong Kong was once a sleepy fishing village. When the British first arrived in the 19th century, they described Asia's future World City as a barren rock. But Hong Kong had one unmistakably defining feature – a naturally deep and sheltered harbour that assured both protection and potential for trade. To this day, Victoria Harbour is the focal point of Hong Kong. It is home to one of the world’s busiest ports and panoramic views that put other cities to shame.

Believe it or not, but as you read this you may be standing on ground that used to be water. This is because most of the waterfront areas along Victoria Harbour are actually reclaimed land. To meet the needs of the fast-paced, growing city and to create a visually stunning skyline, harbour reclamation - the process by which the harbour is artificially converted into new land - has been taking place along Victoria Harbour for years. Although it is a controversial subject due to environmental and preservation concerns, harbour reclamation is nonetheless an engineering feat that continues to change the landscape of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong territory has never been a large area. As the city grew and developed, so did its need for space. Out of the territory’s 1,104 square kilometres, only 25 per cent is developed, while 40 per cent of the land mass is reserved for country parks and nature reserves. Due to the lack of available space, buildings shot up into the sky to create more room for the territory's seven million people to live and work, and the city’s urban spaces became densely packed. Much of the urban development took place along Victoria Harbour, and when there was simply no room left, engineers looked to the harbour itself.

When the government first mentioned large-scale, recurrent harbour reclamation in the 1980s, Hong Kong was no stranger to the idea. In fact, the city had started reclaiming land before places like Dubai took the concept full throttle to create entire cities in the sea. During the late 19th century, when Hong Kong was still a colony, many trading companies bought land lots along the waterfront. To increase the size of their property, they extended their land using private reclamation, without paying any government fees and without any unified planning. Queen’s Road was the first road to be opened on land which had once been water, followed by Des Voeux Road. Today, they are two of Hong Kong’s busiest roads.

Project by project, land reclamation continued over the years. In the late 1980s, the government initiated extensive reclamations that gradually and completely changed the face of Victoria Harbour. The aims of the projects were massive, from improving districts to alleviating crowding and easing transportation woes. The most noticeable reclamations as a result of these plans are along both sides of the harbour. The sizeable Central and Wan Chai Reclamation reaches from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, while the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui and West Kowloon were reclaimed under separate projects on Kowloon side. To this day, around 7,000 hectares of land have been reclaimed from the harbour and are home to some of Hong Kong’s most visible landmarks, including the Airport Express Railway, the International Finance Centre Two (the tallest building in Hong Kong), the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the new Star Ferry Pier. Both Hong Kong International Airport and Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau are also built on reclaimed land.

The outline of Victoria Harbour continues to change before our eyes. Two of the most obvious additions will be complete at the beginning of the next decade. The first, the Tamar Development Project, is currently being built on the harbourfront between Central and Wan Chai. Designed to resemble a mammoth gateway or an open door, it will be home to the new Central Government Complex, the Legislative Council and an open space with a waterside park that aims to be an “oasis of nature in the heart of the city”, according to the Hong Kong Government. The second large addition to the waterfront is on the Kowloon side of the harbour where 40 hectares of land have already been reclaimed for the planned West Kowloon Cultural District, an art and cultural centre. It is next door to the International Commerce Centre, which also stands on reclaimed land. The ICC will be the city’s new tallest building when it is completed in 2010.

Together, all of these developments are continually creating a new harbour front façade. Victoria Harbour is not the same as it was in the 19th century and neither is Hong Kong. The barren rock that the earliest colonial settlers first described is about as opposite to the Hong Kong of today as is possible to imagine. The harbour is still deep, sheltered, busy and popular with anyone with a camera, but its appearance has been thrust into the 21st century by an incredible makeover. And as a city rich in maritime history, Hong Kong will look to its harbour while man defies nature to shape its ever-changing future.

Visitor's Tips

The panorama of Victoria Harbour from The Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island, is unsurpassed. Standing on top of The Peak Tower, visitors gain a 360-degree perspective of Victoria Harbour and its surroundings. Catch the Peak Tram from Garden Road in Central, $22 (single), $33 (return) for adult tickets.

For more information on the transformation of Victoria Harbour, visit the Hong Kong Planning and Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery. G/F, 3 Edinburgh Place, Central. Free admission. Open 10am-6pm. Closed Tuesdays. Tel: 3102 1242. www.infrastructuregallery.gov.hk

Hong Kong Island timeline

1880s - Central waterfront from the harbour, Albumen print	1960s - View towards Central from North Point	1960 - Aerial view of Central
1975 - Central from helicopter Photo: Keith Macgregor	1982 - Junk and Star Ferry Photo: Keith Macgregor	2008 - Hong Kong waterfront today

Kowloon timeline