The Peak in Hong Kong
Visitors to The Peak on Hong Kong island look out over Victoria Harbor, beyond which lies the Kowloon district and the border with mainland China.
This June 20, 2017, photo, shows a general view of Victoria Peak and Central district over Victoria Harbor, in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
The urban space below, once known as Victoria after the British queen, formed the core of the British settlement after Hong Kong island was handed over as a colony by the Qing Dynasty in 1842 following the First Opium War.
Today as Hong Kong approaches the 20th anniversary of its return to China, the waterfront remains a bustling commercial and financial center as well as the location of the city legislature and other main government offices.
However, along the streets that angle sharply up to Victoria Peak above, a more relaxed pace of life endures, with bars, restaurants, boutiques and more traditional shops lining the narrow lanes. Street art brightens many of the exterior walls with a whimsical feel.
In this June 7, 2017, photo, a general view from Victoria Peak is seen in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 12, 2017, photo, people walk on the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 25, 2017 photo, pigeons walk on the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 20, 2017, photo, people walk on the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 25, 2017, photo, a man inside a bar looks towards a woman in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 7, 2017, photo, a mother and daughter play on stairs with wall painting of martial arts star Bruce Lee in the background, in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this March 2, 2017 photo, a woman draws on wall in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 25, 2017, photo, a student stands as women walk down the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 12, 2017 photo, a woman stands in front of a mural on the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 25, 2017, photo, a man walks down the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 24, 2017, photo, domestic workers with dogs chat on the slope in Western district of Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 4, 2017, photo, a man takes a selfie with a homeless woman in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 12, 2017, photo, a man takes shelter from a storm at a local market on the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 20, 2017, photo, men chat at a bar in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this June 4, 2017, photo, a man walks down the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 20, 2017, photo, a man pushes a trolley down the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 20, 2017, photo, a man fixes shoes at his shop on the slope in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
In this May 20, 2017, photo, two workers walk down the slope near a construction site in Central district, Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Text from the AP news story, AP PHOTOS: A peek at The Peak in Hong Kong.
Photos by Kin Cheung
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