Jardine Noonday Gun — Attraction in Hong Kong

The Noonday Gun is located on the waterfront of the area formerly known as East Point, present-day Causeway Bay. East Point was the first plot of land in Hong Kong to be sold by the colonial government by public auctionin 1841, and was purchased by Jardine Matheson. Over the years, land reclamationhas shifted the coastline northward, and the siting of the gun has changed accordingly. The name East Point is now disused.

The tradition originated over an incident in the 1860s. Jardines' main godowns and offices were located at East Point, and its private militia would fire a gun salute to welcome a Jardine tai-pan's arrival by sea. On one occasion, a senior British naval officerbecame annoyed by this practice because he was new to Hong Kong and did not know of such a tradition. This was because such a salute was normally reserved for government officials and senior officers of the armed services. As a result, Jardines was ordered, as a penalty, to fire a gun every day at noon, in perpetuity.

In 1941, during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese Imperial Armydismantled the gun and it was lost. After British forces regained Hong Kong in 1945, the Royal Navy provided Jardines with a new six-pound gun with which to continue the tradition of the noonday gun. On 1 July 1947, the Noonday gun was back in operation. Following complaints that the gun was too loud, in 1961 the marine police replaced the six-pound gun with a Hotchkiss three-pounderthat saw action in the Battle of Jutland during...

The Jardine Noonday Gun is one of those attractions in Hong Kong that sounds more intriguing than it actually is. Located on the waterfront near Causeway Bay, the site consists of nothing more than a small cannon that is fired every day at noon. Despite its supposed historical significance, the experience itself is underwhelming at best. The area around the gun is unremarkable, and the firing ceremony itself is brief and anticlimactic. If you’re expecting an impressive display or some meaningful context, you’ll be disappointed. There’s no real explanation or storytelling to accompany the event, making it feel like a dull and almost pointless ritual. Plus, the gun is cordoned off by fences, making it difficult to get a clear view unless you arrive early – which honestly isn’t worth the effort. The location is not good as well. It's tucked away near the busy highway and not easy to find unless you know exactly where you're going. The surrounding environment lacks charm, with the noise of traffic detracting from any sense of history or atmosphere. With so much more to see and do in Hong Kong, you can easily skip this stop and focus on more vibrant and memorable...

The Noonday Gun is located along the promenade at the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter and is managed by the Jardine Company in a tradition that dates back to the 1860's with a 6 year pause during WWII and the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

At 12pm sharp, a company employee fires a mounted naval gun. The grounds immediately around the Noonday Gun remain open for visitation for 30 minutes afterwards each day. If you miss this 30 minute window, you can still view this historic site fairly well from just a few metres away on both sides before or after enjoying the recently revitalised promenade area that lines the Typhoon Shelter.

To visit the Noonday Gun, there are presently two routes you can take. The simplest is take the overpass footbridge from Victoria Park over to the promenade and to walk a couple hundred metres west. Alternatively, there is a more difficult to find but shorter route by way of a tunnel passage next to the WTC Centre building. Just look for the Noonday Gun and Hong Kong Yacht Club signs and follow that path under Gloucester Road until you exit at the promenade. From here you will find yourself just outside the Noonday...