The Feng Shui War That Shook Hong Kong’s Skyline

There are power struggles… and then there are power struggles written into the skyline itself.

Back in the booming 1980s and 90s, Hong Kong wasn’t just a battlefield of banking empires—it became the stage for one of the most dramatic, high-stakes “feng shui wars” in modern history. A clash so grand, so theatrical, so unapologetically Hong Kong that even decades later people still whisper about it like a legend.

And honestly? Whether every detail is fact or folklore doesn’t even matter. Because the one thing we can see, with our own eyes, is this:

Billion-dollar corporations took feng shui seriously enough to reshape an entire skyline.

Image: Two futuristic skyscrapers beside the water. A giant wave crashes in the foreground as lightning bolts strike the taller tower, creating a dramatic, stormy cityscape scene.

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The Opening Salvo — HSBC Strikes First

Image: Modern glass skyscraper with a distinctive spiral walkway or structure wrapping around it from the base to the top. The building appears to be of medium height.

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The 1980s brought us the iconic HSBC Headquarters in Central.

Built like a high-tech fortress of prosperity, it wasn’t shy about its spiritual armor.

To feng shui masters, the structure breathed power—open floors, exposed beams directing qi upward, the two bronze lions guarding the entrance like sentinels of wealth.

Then came the detail everyone remembers…

The two rooftop structures that conveniently lined up like “cannons.”

Traditionally explained as window-washing cranes, these were quickly adopted into urban legend as feng shui countermeasures, pointing across Victoria Harbour to keep hostile energy at bay.

Whether designed for engineering or energy… it didn’t matter.

People believed it.

And belief is fuel.

Enter the Blade — The Bank of China Tower

Image: Two futuristic glass skyscrapers by the water-one with a striking spiral structure, the other taller with dual pointed spires. Evening city lights, ships, and a cloudy sky create a dramatic backdrop.

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In 1989, the Bank of China unveiled its neon-blue beast.

A sharp, angular, crystalline skyscraper designed by I. M. Pei—stunning, futuristic, and absolutely ruthless in feng shui terms. The building’s knife-like edges and spearpoint geometry were said to slice through the qi of Central, aimed straight at rival institutions.

Some even insisted its pointed edges targeted:

• Government House
• The Hong Kong Police Headquarters
• And yes… HSBC.

It didn’t just join the skyline—it challenged it.

The Mediator Arrives — Li Ka-Shing’s Move

Image: Three modern buildings by the water-one wavy glass tower with balconies in the foreground, a uniquely shaped skyscraper behind it, and a shorter building at the bottom.

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With two titans throwing spiritual elbows across the harbour, the story takes one more dramatic turn.

Enter Li Ka-Shing.

The Cheung Kong Center was built with a reputation for stabilizing qi—a calm, clear, rectangular monolith placed right between the “cannons” of HSBC and the blades of the Bank of China. Sleek. Quiet. Balanced. A neutralizer.

Whether coincidence or calculation, the legend says it was the peacekeeper in Hong Kong’s most visual feng shui feud.

True or Not… Does It Even Matter?

Image: Two modern glass skyscrapers by the water. The building in the background is being dramatically struck by bolts of lightning at its roof, under a mostly clear sky.

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When billion-dollar corporations, banking dynasties, and tycoons start building skyscrapers like chess pieces on a cosmically aligned board, you can say one thing with absolute certainty:

They believed feng shui was powerful enough to shape their fortunes.

Powerful enough to justify entire architectural decisions.

Powerful enough to spark a “war” fought not with swords, but steel and concrete.

If the world’s richest and most strategic players took feng shui this seriously…

Well, maybe that tells us everything we need to know.

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