Skyline in Central Hong Kong Left to right: Bank of China Tower, Cheung Kong Centre, Bank of China building, HSBC headqurters, Standard Chartered Bank.

Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

HSBC Building

Top choice in Hong Kong


This remarkable building, designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster in 1985, has stood the test of time – more than 30 years on, its magnetism can still be felt in Central. On completion it was the world’s most expensive building and considered an engineering marvel, reflecting Foster's wish to break the mould of previous bank architecture. The ground floor is an inviting two-storey walk-through public space, housing an exhibition of HSBC's Hong Kong history and architecture.

Underfoot, look out for the illuminated street map of Central Hong Kong, which shows how land reclamation has changed the blueprint of this area; when HSBC's new headquarters opened in 1986 it stood on the waterfront.

Don't miss the pair of bronze lions guarding the harbourside entrance of the building. Called Stephen (left) and Stitt (right), they're named after HSBC managers from the 1920s. Both bear shrapnel scars from the Battle of Hong Kong. Rub their paws for luck.

Hong Kong Chinese, irreverent as always, call the 52-storey glass and aluminium structure the ‘Robot Building’. From the ground floor, escalators rise to the main banking hall. This level is more ordinary than you might expect, but it's worth ascending to gaze at the cathedral-like atrium and the natural light filtering through its windows.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Hong Kong attractions

1. Statue Square

0.08 MILES

This leisurely square used to house effigies of British royalty. Now it pays tribute to a single sovereign – the founder of HSBC. In the northern area …

2. Old Bank of China Building

0.09 MILES

Constructed in 1950, the old Bank of China building now houses the bank’s Central branch and, on its top floors, the exclusive members-only China Club,…

3. Former French Mission Building

0.1 MILES

This handsome red brick building was built in the mid-1800s and renovated to its current Edwardian glory in 1917 by the French Society of Foreign Missions…

4. Old Supreme Court Building

0.1 MILES

The colonnaded and domed building (c 1912) was built of granite quarried on Stonecutters Island, and served as the seat of the Legislative Council from…

5. St John’s Cathedral

0.12 MILES

Services have been held at this Anglican cathedral since it opened in 1849, with the exception of 1944, when the Japanese army used it as a social club…

6. Cheung Kong Park

0.13 MILES

This small, shady park and sitting area has an artificial waterfall and several faux grottoes. It's a popular lunch spot for workers and a welcome, leafy…

7. Cenotaph

0.14 MILES

This stone monument is an exact replica of the cenotaph in Whitehall, London. It was originally built to honour Hong Kong's WWI dead, and later modified…

8. Government House

0.15 MILES

Parts of this erstwhile official residence of the chief executive of Hong Kong, and previously the colonial governors, date to 1855. Other features were…