Noonday Gun Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island

The sun may have long since set on the British Empire, but this Hotchkiss 3lb naval gun still fires forlornly into history each day at noon, a colonial tradition dating to the mid-1800s. The gun stands in a small waterfront compound across the busy road from the Excelsior Hotel, where its noon-on-the-dot firing by a white-gloved attendant always draws a small crowd. Operated by British conglomerate Jardine Matheson, the noonday gun was made famous by its mention in the Noël Coward song 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen'. It's tricky to find, accessible via an underpass through a basement car park. Look for a silver door in the alley just west of the World Trade Centre.