Visitors take the iconic Star Ferry to snap pictures of one of the world’s most photographed waterfronts, and locals use it to avoid the MTR crowds and peak-hour tunnel jams. The Star Ferry, as one of the city’s oldest modes of transport, is deeply entrenched in the collective memory of Hongkongers. This week, City Weekend explores the long history behind the icon of the “fragrant harbour”.

Before the ferry service was established, crossings in Victoria Harbour were conducted on individually-owned sampans – Chinese wooden rowboats. The Star Ferry’s colourful history dates back to 1888 when Parsee merchant Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala founded the Kowloon Ferry Company. In 1898, British businessman Sir Catchick Paul Chater purchased what had grown to become a fleet of four ferries, and the service became known as the Star Ferry Company.