Central Hong Kong grew out of piracy, trade, and looting. For centuries, the waters of the South China Sea were notorious for pirate fleets that plundered merchant ships and smuggled treasures through hidden coves. The city itself was later built on lime made from oyster shells, its foundations tied to the sea in ways few remember. Today, luxury towers rise where raiders once sailed, but remnants of that history linger in museums, shipwrecks, and even the seabed.