Stunning Photos Show The Transformation Of Hong Kong Over 50 Years

Author and writer Susan Blumberg-Kason has been interested in Hong Kong since an early age, when she dreamed of the the neon streets and double-decker buses. She soon moved there to study and married a Chinese man. The memoir about her experiences, "Good Chinese Wife," came out this year.

While in Hong Kong, Blumberg-Kason took photographs to document her surroundings. Later, when sifting through her many shots, she realized how closely they mirrored photographs taken in Hong Kong by her parents 50 years before.

Blumberg-Kason had shared both her own photographs, taken in 2012, and her parents' photographs from 1962, which give parallel views of a city that has grown exponentially. In those 50 years, Hong Kong Island and the surrounding areas saw tons of new construction and a massive influx in population.

Here's a photograph by Blumberg-Kason's mother took from Victoria Peak in 1962:

Susan Blumberg-Kason

In 2014, the same view looked like this:

Susan Blumberg-Kason

Here's the view from Hong Kong Harbor, looking upwards, in 1962:

Susan Blumberg-Kason

This is the view from the Harbor now.

Susan Blumberg-Kason

The Hong Kong Sheraton, a popular hotel in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, has been in the area for decades. It looked like this in 1962:

Susan Blumberg-Kason

In 2012, it looks like this.

Susan Blumberg-Kason

Similarly, the New Territories peninsula area has seen much growth over the years. This is how it looked in 1962:

Susan Blumberg-Kason

And this is how it looks now. The areas population now constitutes more than 52% of Hong Kong's population overall.

Susan Blumberg-Kason

Central Hong Kong, now the heart of massive protests, was quite a fancy and glamorous place in 1962.

Susan Blumberg-Kason

Here's how it looked in 2012. The building in the center is the Hong Kong Supreme Court Building.

Susan Blumberg-Kason

And for reference, here's what the area looked like earlier this month when it was filled with protesters.

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Some things haven't changed, though. For example, the outdoor markets from 1965...

Susan Blumberg-Kason

...look pretty similar in many respects to the ones you can still go today in Hong Kong.

Susan Blumberg-Kason

And, if you're lucky, you might see a Junk ship.

1962:

Susan Blumberg-Kason

2012:

Susan Blumberg-Kason