Chinese People ' s Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building The Chinese People ' s Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building ( abbreviated as PLA Forces Hong Kong Building ) is a 113 metre , 28 floor building located within the former HMS Tamar naval base on Lung Wui Road , Admiralty , Hong Kong . It serves as the headquarters of the People ' s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison . The building is still popularly known by its old name as the Prince of Wales Building ( 威爾斯親王大廈 ) and is located adjacent to the Tamar site . History . Constructed in 1979 , the building was named the Prince of Wales Building . It housed the head office of the British army stationed in Hong Kong until the territory ' s handover to the People ' s Republic of China on 1 July 1997 when it was made the head office of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison . In May 2000 , the Legislative Council of Hong Kong passed the Military Installations Closed Areas ( Amendment ) Order 2000 , which renamed the former " Prince of Wales Barracks " to " Central Barracks " , and the Prince of Wales Building to the Chinese People ' s Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building . The renaming of the PLA head office and barracks was made in accordance with the Basic Law and the practical situation after Hong Kong ' s return to China and on the basis of extensive consultation . The name , however , was not officially changed until 1 January 2002 . Therefore , when the base became the Central Barracks , the old name of the building remained visible in large raised letters along the bottom of the tower for several years . The building is currently undergoing a 20 - month full renovation to be completed in 2014 . Most of the troops have been transferred to the Stonecutters Island base . Due to its distinctive shape which likens a wineglass , the building stands out from the rest of the Admiralty waterfront buildings . Architects attribute the shape of the building to its protection . Its narrow stem with the protruding upper storeys is supposed to make it difficult to climb or attack . It is also informally known as ' the upside - down Gin bottle due to its shape . The corner of the building at the podium level which faces east ( towards Admiralty MTR station ) used to be a chapel under British occupation of the barracks . There used to be a crucifix visible on the exterior — however , during external refurbishment ( including replacing the ' Prince of Wales Building ' inscription in English with its current name in Chinese ) , the cross was removed . People ' s Liberation Army in Hong Kong . The PLA maintains a number of garrisons in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region . In addition to the PLA Forces Hong Kong Building , there are notable garrisons at the Stonecutters Island , and at Stanley Fort . Soldiers located at these three garrisons are considered to be the cream of the PLA . The soldiers are not permitted to leave their compounds , even during off - duty times to mingle with the local populace . As a military property , the PLA Forces Hong Kong Building is heavily guarded by very alert soldiers with machine guns . It is best to photograph it from somewhere along Harcourt Road and not to attract too much attention .