Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower
The last brick standing from Hong Kong's original cross-border railway terminus.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Hong Kong offline.
A 44-metre red-brick-and-granite tower, the sole survivor of the Kowloon-Canton Railway's Tsim Sha Tsui terminus that opened in 1916 after WWI delayed construction. The bell was cast in Loughborough, England in 1919. Only one clock face existed at opening — the other three were added in 1920 and began ticking on 22 March 1921, running continuously ever since except during the Japanese occupation in WWII.
What to look for
- Red brick and granite exterior — the material contrast with surrounding Kowloon waterfront is immediate
- Four clock faces: three sides were blank at the 1916 opening and only fitted with clocks in 1920
- The 7-metre lightning rod at the very top of the 44-metre structure
The interior is currently closed for maintenance; walk the Salisbury Road waterfront to see the exterior, next to the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier.
Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower is one of 34 sights worth the detour in Hong Kong, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Hong Kong pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Hong Kong
- International Commerce CentreAt 484 m, this is the only building in Hong Kong with more than 100 floors — and it had to be trimmed down so it wouldn't overtop the surrounding mountains.
- Bank of China TowerThe first skyscraper outside the United States to break 1,000 feet — its glass triangles cut the Central skyline unlike anything around it.
- Central PlazaA four-bar neon clock 374 metres above Wan Chai changes colour every 15 minutes, blinking at each quarter-hour change.
- Hong Kong DisneylandThe only Disneyland where a walkway was deliberately bent so good qi energy would not drain into the South China Sea.
- The CenterAfter dark, hundreds of neon bars scroll slowly through the full color spectrum from base to crown — a light show wired into the steel itself.
- Tsing Ma BridgeThe span that ended Lantau Island's water-only isolation — 1,377 metres of road and rail hung from two towers.