Hong Kong's world-famous skyline of towers and neon lights may be an ill match for any form of agriculture, but a few local pioneers have been bucking the trend with the increasingly popular practice of beekeeping.
On the rooftop of a 14-storey building in Hong Kong's busy district of Wan Chai, HK Honey keeps a beehive containing around 10,000 bees.
It is a local organization that aims to promote beekeeping in the city.
The organization's founder and creative director Michael Leung says that Hong Kong actually provides an ideal environment for honey bees. Its warm weather is optimal for beekeeping, and the absence of a cold winter allows the honey to be harvested all year round.
Mr Leung says there are around 11 urban beehives throughout the city. They are owned by farmers, organisations and private individuals.
He says the city's lesser-known natural environment is also conducive to pollination.
"Hong Kong's pretty dense - a dense concrete jungle in the centre - but around the whole of Hong Kong there are actually loads of green spaces, like mountains with trees and flora for bees to pollinate and harvest nectar from," Mr Leung said.
Mr Leung's own curiosity in beekeeping began with the sight of a beehive in Sweden. After returning to Hong Kong, he acquired the tricks of the trade from veteran beekeepers in the city, as well as in New York and London.
Also a product designer, Mr Leung collaborates with artists, designers and others from various fields to promote the value of bees and the benefits of locally produced honey.
"Hong Kong Honey is an organization of beekeepers, artists and designers. And we really try to communicate the value of bees being pollinators and really necessary for our food chain. They are really resourceful and industrious insects so we want to promote this and the consumption of local honey," Mr Leung said.
Mr Leung hopes that beekeeping will encourage consumers of the city, which currently imports 90 percent of its food, to enjoy locally produced honey.
Urban beekeeping has grown in popularity in various large cities, including Toyko, Paris, San Francisco and Chicago. But there is a Chinese touch to the practice in Hong Kong.
The traditional Chinese beekeeper, Mr Leung says, does not wear protective gear or smoke the bees. Mr Leung believes this approach builds a closer connection with the bees.
Despite having been stung thirteen times in the 18 months of his beekeeping career, Leung maintains that beekeeping is not as perilous as one might think.
Although Chinese bees are more aggressive than their western counterparts, as long as they are not disturbed, they will happily ignore humans.
3 News / Reuters