Although we may not come across them often, many of our local landmarks and names of places also exist in other countries. Even our beloved Merlion has a lookalike in Hokkaido, Japan.
Recently, TikToker @jon_nathan, who seems to shuttle between Hong Kong and Singapore often, shared a video of a ship-like structure with the name “Whampoa Hong Kong” plastered on its exterior.
Not at all like the housing estate in Singapore, this building is evidently a ship-like mall.
Surrounded by what appear to be residential buildings, this curious structure apparently carries a meaningful history.
The concrete ship, which is located in Hung Hom, Kowloon, is part of a larger shopping arcade called The Whampoa, which is a complex of shops, restaurants, and residential buildings.
Source: sichunlam on Flickr
Located at Whampoa Docks, the ship-shaped mall is a homage to Whampoa’s former glory as one of the largest and busiest shipyards in Asia.
According to Atlas Obscura, the shipyard had once employed over 4,000 employees who built some of Hong Kong’s largest ships in the early 20th century.
However, when Hong Kong came under Japanese rule during World War Two, the shipyard became a target of bombing during the conflict.
Since then and up till 1985, the dockyard kept changing hands until it was transformed into a private housing development.
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Although the developers covered much of the dock up, they left a long pool which used to be one of the actual docks behind for the concrete ship.
Source: Friscocali on Flickr
Measuring 360-feet-long, the huge “cruise liner” is mostly occupied by a Japanese grocery market, AEON, as well as theatres, shops, restaurants, and even a small theme park.
The ship is quite a sight to behold, although its location in the middle of a residential area is a tad incongruous.
It’s nice to see that they’ve paid tribute to the area’s roots in such an innovative manner even to this day.
Do you know of other Singaporean namesakes that can also be found overseas? Let us know in the comments.
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Featured image adapted from Ian Bateman on Flickr.
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