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Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: pronunciation) is one of the two ) is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. The territory, comprising over 260 islands, is commonly known as Hong Kong (Chinese: ), but was often written Hongkong in older English texts. The Hong Kong Government officially changed the name of Hongkong to Hong Kong on 3 September 1926.^ In Chinese, it means "The Fragrant Harbour," and it has also been called "The Pearl of the Orient," "The Gateway to the East."The skyline of Hong Kong is one of the best in the world. See the stunning skyline from .
Guided Walk
Hong Kong Tourism Board offers many free walking tours, including Nature Kaleidoscope Walk and Architecture Walk.
Victoria Peak
Get a stunning view of Hong Kong Island on the with the giant, Wok shaped Peak Tower. Within the building are shops, restaurants, museums, and viewing points. The Peak Tram runs from Central to the bottom of the Peak Tower.
Horse Racing
The racing season runs from September to June, during which time meetings take place twice weekly, the location alternating between Shatin in the and Happy Valley near . Of these, Happy Valley is the more convenient and more impressive location, although live races only take place here on Wednesday night. For only $10 entrance fee, a night in Happy Valley can be filled with entertainment. Get a local Chinese gambler to explain the betting system to you and then drink the cheap draft beer! Be sure to pick up the Racing Post section in the South China Morning Post on Wednesday to guide you. A 'beer garden' with racing commentary in English available at Happy Valley near the finish line, and many expatriates congregate here during the races. One good tip, take along your passport and you can get in at tourist rate of 1 HKD.
Local life
The most effective way to know how Hong Kong people live is to experience the local life of an ordinary Hong Kong resident.
Go visit a public housing estate and a private one in a row, you witness the difference of rich and poor; go visit a fresh food market and a larger supermarket called "superstore", you witness struggle between small retailers and corporations; go visit one of the small shopping malls in Mongkok, you witness teenagers spend their pocket money on overpriced sneakers and youth fashion.
Just wander and observe - and don't worry - most areas in town are quite safe.
Traditional heritage
There are many traditional heritage locations throughout the territory.
- in Tin Shui Wai,
- in Kowloon City,
- in
- in the
- in the Sha Tin,
- in the
- Temple of Ten Thousand Buddha's Located 5 minute walk from Shatin KCR station. This is one of the best temples to visit in Hong Kong. There are over 12,000 buddha and you can usually see monkeys. There is also a pagoda that you can climb. If you are hungry before you climb the large number of stairs there is also a very delicious hot pot restaurant on the way. Although, at the top of the hill there are also amazing vegetarian spring rolls.
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- Stilt houses in Tai O (aka Hong Kong Venice) -- to have a taste of traditional fishing village.
- Po Lin Monastery and the Tien Tan Buddha Statue on Ngong Ping, which can now be accessed by riding on the Ngong Ping Cable Car that takes you to the massive golden buddha on Lantau Island. A 20-25 minute ride on the Cable Car with a fantastic view of the island and a great way addition to this already amazing trip.
Museums
There are a variety of in Hong Kong with different themes, but to be honest, the people on the streets seem to offer more insights than the exhibits in most of these government-run museums.
One exception is the which gives an excellent overview of Hong Kong's fascinating history. Not the typical pots-behind-glass format of museum you find elsewhere in China. Innovative galleries such as a mock-up of a colonial era street make the history come to life. Allow about 2 hours to view everything in detail.
Nature
Hong Kong is not all skyscrapers, and itis worthwhile to go to the countryside (over 70% of Hong Kong), including the and .
- is twice as big as Hong Kong island and is well worth checking out if you want to get away from the bright lights and pollution of the city for a spell. Here you will find open countryside, traditional fishing villages, secluded beaches, monasteries and more. You can hike, camp, fish and mountain bike, amongst other activities.
- The Sai Kung peninsula is also a worthwhile place to visit. Its mountainous terrain and spectacular coastal scenery make this a special place. If you like challenging routes, try going to Sharp Peak (Nam She Tsim in Cantonese). Sharp Peak is famous for its steep slope with a height of more than 400m. The view from the top is fantastic. For a more relaxed route, try to walk along Section 2 of Maclehose Trail.
- is a relaxing park set amidst an ecological mitigation area. One can stroll along a network of board walks built over the marshy area and watch birds from a tower. The park also features a large visitors centre/museum. The museum has many interactive exhibits ideal for children, as well as some live animal habitats. To visit, take KCR West Rail to Tin Shui Wai Station, then the #705 light rail to Wetland Park. The park is pushchair and wheelchair friendly.
- North East New Territories is also famous for its natural environment. Yan Chau Tong Marine Park is located in the North East New Territories. A few traditional abandoned villages are connected with hiking trails in the territory. North East New Territories is one of the famous hiking hot spot for the locals.
- Short hiking trails (2 hours) can be found on Hong Kong Island and the New Territories.
- For further information, please visit the homepage of .
Theme parks
- opened on September 12, 2005. It is on and may be reached via the MTR Disneyland Resort Line from Sunny Bay Station. (Note that, to get to Disneyland from the HK Airport, you must make two connections, the first at Tsing Yi and the second at Sunny Bay.) Though smaller in size than other Disney parks elsewhere, it does offer some great attractions ("Festival of the Lion King" stage show, "Golden Mickey's" stage show, "Mickey's PhilharMagic 3D" show) and very short queues most of the year (except the week of Chinese New Year). Disneyland has not been as successful as anticipated and reports in the indicate that it has failed to reach its visitor numbers by as much as one million people. It's not all bad, though - a second theme park should open next door in the near future.
- is on the . With roller coasters and large aquarium altogether, it's still packed on weekends with families and tourists after opening to the public for 30 years. The cablecar is an icon and an essential link between the two parts of the park. The views of the South China Sea from the car is always terrific. It would be fair to say that many local people would choose Ocean Park if they had to pick a single theme park to attend. For many, the chance to see Hong Kong's pandas would be a deciding factor. Young adults will be attracted to the wider range of rides.
Seeing different sides of Hong Kong by Public Transport
Travelling on a bus or a tram is ideal for looking at different sides of Hong Kong. Not only it is cheap to ride on a bus or a tram, it also allows you to see completely different lifestyles in different districts in a short time. Below are some recommended routes.
Bus
- starts from the downtown in Jordan. It goes along Peninsular and heads through the . Then it goes into Sha Tin new town. Afterwards it goes through Tai Po Road, where you can see many traditional Chinese villages and the sceneric Chinese University of Hong Kong. The bus further goes to Tai Po and you can see the traditional Market. After Tai Po, the bus again passes through the countryside and eventually reaches its terminus at Sheung Shui (below Landmark North), which is near the Hong Kong - Shenzhen boundary. The journey takes 105 minutes and costs $8.20 for the whole journey with a traditional non air-conditioned bus.
- starts from Central (Exchange Square) to The Peak. It is an alternative way for getting to The Peak by bus rather than by Peak Tram. Your journey to Hong Kong will not be complete unless you have visited the Victoria Peak. You can see the beautiful view of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Habour and Kowloon Peninsula along the Stubbs road during the journey. When you arrive, there are two shopping malls: The Peak Tower and The Peak Galleria, which provide restaurants, a supermarket, and souvenir shops for your convenience. In addition, is temporarily closed for renovation, and it may be re-opened in May 2006. Direction: you can take MTR and get off at Hong Kong station. You can approach Hong Kong station by the underpass from Central station. After that, follow the exit B1 to Exchange Square and you will see the bus terminus. You can also get off at Admiralty station. Then, follow the C1 exit toward Queensway Plaza. The bus stop is located at the motorway beside Admiralty Garden. After you get in the bus, just stay on until it arrives to The Peak bus terminus. The bus fare is $9.2 and it takes about 30 minutes for the journey.
- starts from the Tsim Sha Tsui East Bus Terminus which is located at the Concordia Plaza, which is directly opposite the Science Museum at Science Museum Road. It goes along Salisbury Road, where the Avenu of the Stars, The Space Museum and the HK Art Museum is located. Later it goes to Hong Kong University, which is the most prominent and the oldest university in Hong Kong after crossing the Western Harbour Crossing. It later pass through the country side of the southern part of Hong Kong . It will reach the Hong Kong southern side, where the is located at Aberdeen. Not long after, the bus past through a football field, which is a 5-10 minutes walk to the Ocean Park. Finally, the bus past through the beautiful sandy beach of Repulse Bay, before it actually arrive its terminus station at Stanley Village, where the famous and the Stanley Village Market is located. The fare is HK$13 and it takes about 95 minutes for the journey.
Tram
- Take a tram journey on .
The tram system refers to , a slow yet special form of transport running on Hong Kong Island. It, has been operating since 1904 and is an obvious relic of the British administration. A trip on a tram is a perfect way to have a leisurely tour around Hong Kong Island's major streets and to have a glimpse to the locals life. Fares are relatively cheap, 2 HK dollars per trip for adult and 1 HK dollar for Senior citizens (age 65 or older)and children
It is recommended to ride from as far as in the west, to as far as in the east, in order to get a strong contrast of "East meets West" and "Old meets New".
A new, modern, tram system operates in the north west New Territories and serves New Towns between Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. Few tourists will be inspired by these trams but they may appeal to trainspotters.
Avenue of the Stars and A Symphony of Lights
Hong Kong's version of Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Avenue of the Stars celebrates the icons of Hong Kong cinemas past century. The seaside promenade is also offers fantastic views day and night of the Hong Kong harbour and skyline. The Avenue can be reached from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station or the Star Ferry.
The Avenue of the Stars is also a great place to see , a spectacular light and laser show syncronized to music and staged every night at 8:00pm. This is the world's "Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show" as recognized by the Guinness World Records. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the light show is in English. On the other nights, it is in Cantonese. However, whilst it is not such a big deal, during festival times the light show is supplemented by fireworks that are worth seeing.
The Hong Kong Experience
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Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Skyline Peak View
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Hong Kong Skyline
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Cockpit View IGS Kai Tak (Old Hong Kong airport )
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Hong Kong Central - Tea Lady
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Kam Shan Monkey Park & Lion Dance in Hong Kong
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A380 fly over Hong Kong Victoria Harbour
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Turntable TV - The Conrad Hotel, Hong Kong
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CHINA: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong & Tibet
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Nonzee - Hong Kong Disneyland
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Hong Kong - Bride's Pool Area in Sai Kung.
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Last Trams Across Old Hong Kong
In 1997, just before the handover of Hong Kong to China, a complete tram ride across Hong Kong island from Western Market to Happy Valley was recorded.
8-Minute Virtual Video Ride on a Hong Kong Bus
double decker bus in Hong Kong. The trip takes you (with some gaps) from North Point, on the north side of Hong Kong Island, toward
Hong Kong History - Trials and tribulations Part 2
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Hong Kong Landing
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Nearest places of interest:
| Kowloon King George V School Sham Shui Po District Tsing Ma Bridge | Clock Tower Hong Kong Space Museum International Finance Centre The Center |
Popular places:
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Internationa.. Kowloon Aberdeen Har.. Tsing Yi |
Sham Shui Po.. Sha Tin Hong Kong In.. Bank of Chin.. |
