HSBC TOWER

The HSBC Tower (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation), located in the heart of the Admiralty business district, is one of the city's most emblematic skyscrapers, designed by Norman Foster and completed in 1985. This high-tech architectural masterpiece is renowned for its innovative design and integration of feng shui principles.

The tower is built from prefabricated modules, shipped from the UK to Hong Kong for on-site assembly, leading to a persistent rumor that the building could be dismantled and reassembled in London if required.

Feng shui plays a central role in the design of HSBC Tower. The building is situated between the mountains and the sea, two important sources of qi, the vital energy channelled through the building's openings. The two famous bronze lions guard the building's southern entrance, bringing protection and prosperity. Locals stroke them to invoke good luck. The two cannons on the roof, actually maintenance cranes, are symbolically aimed at the Bank of China Tower to ward off its "aggressive" feng shui emanating from its sharp edges.

The building's open, gently sloping first floor allows energy to flow freely. The escalators play a symbolic role, transporting energy throughout the building. According to legend, the staircases had to be reoriented from east to west to better channel the energy, and will have to be modified again in a few years' time according to energy cycles.