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Sir Norman Foster’s striking, Bladerunner-esque edifice cost a whopping HK$5.2bn, making it the world’s priciest pile when it opened in 1985. The headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation are reputed to have some of the best feng shui around – the building sits on a rare confluence of five “dragon lines” and enjoys unimpeded harbour views. The soaring atrium feels like a cathedral, which might explain why on Sundays the ground level is taken over by chattering Filipina maids.

HSBC interior

This one is also famous in feng shui circles, but more for dishing it out than possessing it – the glass-skinned tower shoots bad vibes at the old Government House and other colonial entities. Its knife-like edges were the inspiration of American-Chinese master architect I. M. Pei. The 70-storey, 368-m (1,207-ft) stack of prisms opened in 1990. Its viewing platform is the natural place to go for a sweeping city perspective.

The suspension bridge stretches from Tsing Yi Island to Lantau, a mile and a half (2.2 km) long. A striking sight, especially when lit up at night, the bridge carries the road and rail links to Chek Lap Kok airport. It opened in May 1997, having taken five years to build at a cost of HK$7.14 bn. Take the MTR to Tsing Yi or catch an airport bus to view it – it can’t be seen from the Airport Railway. There’s also a viewing platform at Ting Kau (see Tsing Ma Bridge Lookout Point).

Completed in 2003, the streamlined Two International Finance Centre Tower soars high above Victoria Harbour. At 420 m (1,378 ft), it is Hong Kong’s tallest building and the third tallest in the world. The shopping mall at its base is one of the biggest on the island.

Sir Norman Foster strikes again. Landing isn’t quite the thrill ride it was at the old airport, but the new passenger terminal, which opened in July 1998, is impressive. The airport is constructed on a specially flattened island – Chek Lap Kok.

These knobbly megaliths look like they have koalas clinging to the sides – a reflection of the original antipodean owner, jailbird Alan Bond

The one with the pretty colours that keep changing all night – fantastic, unless you live next door. One of tycoon Li Ka-shing’s triumphs.

Big, boxy and glassy, another one of Li’s babies, on the site of the old Hilton. He lives on the top of this one. Note how it’s built perfectly parallel to the adjoining Bank of China for optimal feng shui.

Confusingly, this is in Wan Chai, not Central. At 78 storeys, it is two less than The Centre, but at 374 m (1,227 ft), it’s taller. It’s also the world’s tallest reinforced concrete building.

Site of the official Handover ceremony in 1997, the Centre sprawls over a huge area over the harbour and was designed to resemble a bird in flight.