Noonday Gun

The Noonday Gun (on platform)

The Noonday Gun (Chinese: 午炮) is a former naval gun mounted on a small enclosed site near the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. A gun has been mounted in this area since the 1860s. The original location was at East Point, which has long since disappeared due to land reclamation projects on the north side of the island.

Origin

The tradition seems to have originated over an incident in the 1860s when Jardines, who had their main godowns and offices at East Point, had their private militia fire a gun salute to welcome the tai pans arrival by sea. The Royal Navy thought that such a salute should be reserved only for government officials or senior officers of the armed services. In penance, Jardines has been required to fire a gun at noon ever since, to serve as a time signal.

In 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army occupied Hong Kong and dismantled the cannon. When Hong Kong was liberated in 1945, the Royal Navy gave Jardines another cannon, so that the noon-day gun tradition could continue. On 1 July 1947, the Noonday gun was back in operation. The current gun is a Hotchkiss three-pounder that saw action in the First World War during the Battle of Jutland.

Tourist attraction

References are made to Jardines on the gun's descriptory plaque

Although British rule ended in Hong Kong in 1997, the tradition of the noonday gun is continued by Jardines in perpetuity. A small crowd usually gathers for this daily event. Apart from noon, the only other time the gun is fired is at midnight on new year's eve. During this event, employees of Jardine Matheson and invited guests attend and partake in Scottish highland dancing, which reflect the cultural origins of the firm.

To watch the event, people must make their way to the enclosure - the easiest way to get there is to take the tunnel under the road from the basement car park in The Excelsior hotel - ask at reception if you cannot find it as the signage is poor. The Excelsior itself is owned by Mandarin Oriental hotels, which itself is a part of Jardines. At the event, the Jardines man, who wears a Jardines uniform, hands out leaflets to those gathered which describe Jardines version of the background to the gun firing.

Trivia

The firing of the gun was famously mentioned in Noel Coward's humorous song "Mad Dogs and Englishmen".

See also

• Noon Gun: Signal Hill, Cape Town, South Africa
• One O'Clock Gun: Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland.