Hong Kong’s past meets present with ‘City in Time’ app

Partner update
Published on 13 June 2021

The Tourism Commission and City University of Hong Kong have launched ‘City in Time’, a tourism project which uses Augmented Reality (AR) and multimedia technologies to take visitors on a 360-degree journey to experience the history of Hong Kong via an app.

Bringing Hong Kong’s heritage to life, the app showcases 360-degree illustrations based on historical images of Hong Kong combined with real-time surroundings, to create an immersive experience. It is also enriched with animations, sound effects, historical facts and a selfie function to enables users to share their ‘City in Time’ experience.

Users of the app can enjoy four walking tours of Hong Kong, which are marked on sign poles installed at 28 locations across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, to discover the history behind some of the city’s iconic buildings, transport facilities and tourist hot spots.

On Hong Kong Island, the walking tour of Central includes eight stops between Hollywood Road and Edinburgh Place. Scan the AR marker on Des Voeux road to reveal 360-degree illustrations, historical images and facts about St. John’s Cathedral or The First City Hall in 18th Century Hong Kong, watch as these historical Hong Kong monuments transform from black and white into the present day.  

While in Kowloon, the tour of Yau Ma Tei – Jordan includes six stops from the fruit market to Canton Road. Experience a taste of Hong Kong’s culture by stopping off at the Tin Hau Temple compound in 19th  Century Hong Kong, the largest existing temple complex in today’s Kowloon. More than a religious venue, Tin Hau Temple over the years has been a local place for worship, arbitrate for disputes and provided schooling in the community.

In addition, visitors to The Peak’s Lion's Point View Pavilion, can see how Hong Kong's Peak Tram looked in the 19th Century. The Peak Tram was a means of transportation in old Hong Kong that directly carried a maximum of 30 passengers between Central and the Peak. Today the Peak Tram seats 120 passengers and travels from Garden Road to Victoria Peak, it provides the most direct route and offers great views overlooking the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong.

 The ‘City in Time’ app is available for free download at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

To learn more about the ‘City in Time’ project, visit https://www.cityintime.hk/en/ or watch behind the scenes footage of the making of the ‘City in Time’ project:  城市景昔 CITY IN TIME - 製作過程 Creating the Project

Partner

Hong Kong Tourism Board
Hong Kong Tourism Board

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