The Noon Day Gun
Today I crossed under the freeway in front of the Excelsior Hotel to observe a daily event that has been held on Causeway Bay in Hong Kong since the 1840's: the firing of the Noon Day Gun.
As I may have told you from my first visit to Hong Kong in March, I had been startled by this tradition. Seating in my hotel room awaiting transport to Decca offices, I heard a blast that I feared was a bombing of some nature. I relaxed further when I realized the time was close to noon, and I remembered I had seen a reference to some type of "Noon Day Gun".
Well, the gun is anything but a simple rifle. It is a high powered small cannon. What a blast! I needed ear plugs today..... I was directly behind it. Ten feet from the firing.
History has recorded that the famous trading company of the British, Jardine's, had an outpost at the site of the Excelsior Hotel equipped with a small battery. In respect of their ships sailing in or out of the Hong Kong bay, the Jardine company fired a cannon. A H.M.S. schooner once transporting out of the harbor at the same time was startled by the firing, and in penalty for putting them in such peril, the commanding officer demanded that a cannon be fired daily from Causeway Bay.
Thus, the firing of the Noon Day Gun. It's now a Hong Kong tradition. It was even made famous by Noel Coward in "Mad Dogs and Englishmen".
An officer of Jardine's rings a bell twice, marches behind the gun, and fires the gun, and then returns to twice more ring the bell (don't know why two each time). Of course, it wasn't so ceremonious when he had to refer regularly to his watch from his stoic stance of attention. But I guess, he wanted to be on time.
Nice ceremony. Much better when you know what it is!
posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 11:31 AM
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