Cathay BusinessHelp and supportNotification centre
  • Sign in / uponeworld
    Cathay Pacific
    Notification centre
    A drone’s eye view of Hong Kong
    Five unexpected ways to see the city from above
    Tai Tam Reservoir. Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng
    Find the best fares to
    Hong Kong SAR

    Since 2016, National Geographic International Photo Contest winner Tugo Cheng has documented Hong Kong’s unique cityscape by drone for his City Patterns series. Here are his top shots. 

    Tai Tam reservoir

    Close to Nature

    Shot from one of the city’s most popular hiking trails, a narrow stretch of Tai Tam Road sharply divides the above image into two sections – the land and water – creating distinct patches of colours in the frame.

    Hung Hom swimming pool

    Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Hung Hom

    Take a Dip

    Unlike many aerial shots that only showcase the towering cityscape of Hong Kong, Cheng’s City Patterns also puts residents’ daily lives into perspective. In this photo, a lone swimmer is seen cooling himself off in Victoria Harbour, as others swim in the confines of a conventional pool just a few hundred metres from the coastline.

    Tuen Mun storage tanks from above. Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Tuen Mun

    Time to Refuel

    At eye level, these three fuel storage tanks in Tuen Mun aren’t particularly interesting. But switch to a bird’s eye view, and three huge Chinese characters, the word for ‘fuel’ or ‘oil’, are revealed. The shot was widely circulated in the city when the phrase ‘add oil’ (a Chinese term of encouragement) was added to the Oxford English Dictionary last October.

    residential compound in Yuen Long. Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery. Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Tseung Kwan O & Yuen Long

    Alive or Dead

    Hongkongers deal with crowded living conditions – even after death. This pair of photos was shot above a massive residential compound in Yuen Long and above the Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery: the houses of the living and the dead share more than we’d care to accept.

     

    Aerial view of the Kowloon Bay MTR Depot. Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Credit: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    Kowloon Bay

    Crossing Paths

    This aerial view of the Kowloon Bay MTR Depot highlights Hong Kong’s three-dimensional city planning, in which transport infrastructure is often stacked on multiple levels as the city searches for space.

    Hero image: Tugo C.Y. Cheng

    More inspiration

    Hong Kong travel information

    Country / Region
    Hong Kong SAR
    Language
    Cantonese, English
    Airport code
    HKG
    Currency
    HKD
    Time zone
    GMT +08:00
    Climate
    Subtropical
    Country / Region
    Hong Kong SAR
    Time zone
    GMT +08:00
    Currency
    HKD
    Airport code
    HKG
    Language
    Cantonese, English
    Climate
    Subtropical
    Find the best fares to
    Hong Kong SAR