In her first life, she was built in 1955 and belonged to a seafaring family in the archipelago of Hong Kong. She had been sold to a Frenchman, then a British expat, who abandoned her before moving back to the UK, and then ended up sinking from a 2014 typhoon. Rescuing and restoring her from the South China Sea took more than a year, but she finds herself home again. As one of the last authentic junk boats remaining, she continues to sail the harbour as one of the most iconic visual symbols of Hong Kong.
This was taken in July of 2017. I had traveled to Hong Kong on a short trip in the middle of summer to visit a friend who was working there at the time. As we spent the weekend exploring the islands, hiking up the peaks, venturing through the bustling city in the hot and humid summer haze, we often found our way back near the harbour. This sunset was especially calming to watch, as The Dukling sailed by and skyscrapers of Kowloon, barely visible, were catching the last light.
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