Lion Rock

It was not until the 1930s that Lion Rock became a popular hiking destination. The views of the New Territories to the north and of the entire Kowloon peninsula to the south make the challenging climb worthwhile. According to Wu Baling, a newspaper publisher enthusiastic about organizing local hiking tours, in the 1950s to 1960s there were three routes to Lion Rock: the first starts from Nga Chin Wai, passes the lower stretch of Lung Yuen Hang, goes through Ba Tong Village and then begins the uphill journey from Kowloon Pass; the second begins at Cornwall Street, then turns to Kowloon Pass via a mud path; the third starts from Tze Wan Shan, goes through a small path off a military road above Shatin Pass via Chuk Yuen Village, then reaches the lion’s head along several hills from the lion’s tail. Yip Yan-chuen’s water colour paintings depict towering Lion Rock as seen from Kowloon Tong. As a keen hiker, Yip’s views of the mountain correspond to hiking trails, as if the artist was turning his excursions and day-to-day observations into a concerto of geometric colour blocks.