You guys must be familiar with gun salute by watching it in TV news. Do you even think of watching a live gun salute just 5 meters from you? There is still one place that keep the tradition of gun salute every day and we can watch for free. This is the Jardine Noonday Gun.
放禮炮，相信大家在一些電影或國家元首級訪問的新聞都見過了，但你有想過近距離觀看禮炮鳴放嗎？相信作為社會的小蟻民，大家都沒有想過，但是，香港還有一個地方仍然保持著每天鳴放午炮的傳統，還開放給市民參觀，這裡就是怡和午炮。
The tradition of gun salute original from the Britain 400 years ago. It is said that when the British warships arrived piers of friendly nation, or meet ships of friendly nations on the sea, they fired the cannon to show respect and trust. And the other side would do the same. Eventually it becomes a ceremony in diplomatic occasions such as the 21-gun salute for heads of state. So why is there still an everyday gun salute in Hong Kong. Even the Jardine Matheson can’t tell the real reason. Below is the most possible reason.
鳴放禮炮源於400多年前的英國，相傳當年的英國戰艦進入友好國家的港口前，或在海上遇到友好國家的船隻，就會鳴放禮炮以表善意，以對方船隻亦會同樣鳴放禮炮回應。慢慢這做法演變成外交場合的禮節儀式，例如迎送國家元首時就會鳴放21響禮炮，那為什麼今日香港還會有個地方每天鳴放禮炮？其實就算怡和洋行自己都不太清楚了，以下是最有可能的說法。
The Jardine Noonday Gun is at the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter. During 1841 when HK ceded to the British, British conglomerate Jardine Matheson bought the land of today Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter. They set a pier there and fired gun salute to welcome important people of Jardines. In 1850, a new navy senior officer came in and he didn’t know about the gun salute tradition of Jardines. One day, The General Manager of Jardines came back HK and so there was a 21-gun salute to welcome him. The new navy senior officer was freaked out and he though he didn’t know there’s a national leader coming! Later he felt so angry that how come businessmen can use such a grand ceremony. He told Jardines, “OK! You guys like gun salute so much. So please have gun salute at 12:00nn every day!” And the tradition was kept until now.
怡和午炮為位銅鑼灣避風塘，在香港開埠初期的1841年，英資洋行怡和購買了這一帶的土地，並設有碼頭，每當有怡和的大人物抵達或離開碼頭時，都會鳴放禮炮以示敬意。直到1850年，香港有新海軍高官上任，同時間怡和總經理剛從英國回香港，怡和就鳴放21響炮歡迎總經理，不明就裡的海軍高官被聲響嚇了一跳，還以為有什麼國家大人物到來而自己不知道，後來知道是怡和總經理後感到很憤怒，他心想你們作為商人都敢用國家級的儀式，好！即然你們那麼喜歡鳴炮，那麼就每天中午都鳴炮一次吧！自此，怡和每天正午十二時都在這裡鳴炮，直到今日。
The Jardine Noonday Gun is now already a tourist spot. We can watch the gun salute at 12nn every day. But seems many people don’t know how to go to the Jardine Noonday Gun! So let me tell you!
今天怡和午炮已成為香港的旅遊景點，大家可以在中午十二時到這裡欣賞這個莊嚴傳統的禮炮儀式，但鑼灣避風塘和銅鑼灣被一條六條行車線的告士打道相隔開，很多人卻不知如何去到，現在就讓我帶大家走一趟！
First of all, we arrive the World Trade Centre at Causeway Bay and go through it. Then we will see a door at a little alley. We go down and go through the tunnel then we will arrive the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter!
首先，我們要先去銅鑼灣的世貿中心，穿過世貿中心後，會見到一條小巷有一道門，向下走就會見到一條隧道，穿過隧道，就會到達銅鑼灣避風塘了！
Go to World Trade Centre and go through it 先去世貿中心並穿過去對面
There is a secret door! 就會發現一條秘密通道！
Then you may arrive Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter! 通道盡處就是銅鑼灣避風塘了！
The Jardine Noonday Gun is locked in normal time. But we can still watch the gun salute outside the gate. Although the Noonday Gun now only use a Hotchkiss three-pounder due to the complaint of too noisy by people in 1961, I was still shocked when the gun fired! Within 30 minutes after the gun salute, we can go in the visit the Noonday Gun.
怡和午炮就在這裡，平時都會鎖上的，但我們仍可近距離觀看午炮，雖然在1959年因曾被居民投訴嘈音後，怡和改用三磅大炮，但近距離觀看仍然感到很震憾！午炮鳴放後的30分鐘，這裡更會開放給市民入內參觀。
If you are rich, you can donate HKD$33,000 to charity organization “MINDSET”. Then you can arrange to pull the lanyard that fires the gun! But it’s not for me, I will spend the money on BTC instead haha.
如果你有錢，你還可以捐贈港幣$33,000給「思健MINDSET」慈善組織，更可親自嘗試鳴放禮炮，不過我就不會了，買BTC不好？
Apart from the Jardine noonday Gun, the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter is also a great place to enjoy the sea view. You may even take on the little boat to the dam. It’s a great place to enjoy the sunset! Let me talk more next time!
除了怡和午炮，銅鑼灣避風塘也是一個觀看日落的絕美景色，大家更可坐上碼頭邊的小船到堤壩，那裡是看日落的絕美之地，不過就留待下次再跟大家介紹了！
!steemitworldmap 22.28256 lat 114.1815663 long d3scr
Thanks for spending your time to read my articles. I like to share stories of Hong Kong. I wish you may support me and I will keep going!
謝謝你能抽空閱讀這篇文章，我平日喜歡分享香港的故事，希望大家多多支持，我會繼續努力！
