<p>Hong Kong, a densely populated coastal city with steep terrain and intense seasonal rainfall, faces heightened landslide risks as urban development extends from the harbourfront’s flat areas to the surrounding hillsides. The proximity of natural slopes to extensive man-made cut slopes and fill embankments further amplifies this hazard. Although previous initiatives, most notably the systematic landslide investigation programme launched in 1997, have established a solid understanding of the key contributory factors behind individual incidents, the knowledge remains fragmented and may gradually fade from professional and public awareness. To help engineering geologists avoid past pitfalls and reinforce sound engineering practices, this paper presents a critical reassessment of selected landslide case histories in Hong Kong. A collective review is essential to consolidate insights from historical and recent events, and to integrate them with contemporary understanding of generic contributory factors. Such synthesis provides a holistic perspective, as findings from individual investigations may only apply under specific geological and hydrogeological conditions. Spanning the period from 1890s to 2023, this review chronicles the evolution of landslide occurrences in Hong Kong and highlights the complex interplay between natural and anthropogenic influences on slope instability. Through a comprehensive analysis of documented incidents and distillation of contributory factors identified in prior investigations, the paper aims to deepen the understanding of Hong Kong’s landslide hazards, propose technical recommendations to advance slope engineering practice, and promote knowledge transfer to other mountainous cities worldwide that face comparable geological, climatic, and developmental challenges.</p>