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Any experience of Hong Kong is made richer by a ride aboard the green-and-white Star Ferry, a brief 10-minute journey that takes you past postcard-worthy views. The ferry service, around since the 19th century, has quite recently pledged to go green.
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Whether its shrimp dumplings really do have the rumoured 13 pleats of a ‘perfect’ specimen, Hong Kong is a winner when it comes to authentic dim sum. But don’t forget, these tasty tidbits are only part of the vast repertoire of Cantonese cooking, a cuisine celebrated, deservedly, for its sophistication.
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Dozens of dragon boat races take place in waterways throughout Hong Kong from spring to winter, and on weekends, even office workers and students take up paddles. Though dragon boat has become athleticized somewhat in the 21st century, traditions evoking its ritualistic origins are still very much alive in Hong Kong, as you’ll notice.
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If you know Hong Kong solely as a ‘bustling metropolis’, it may come as a surprise that the hiking here is world-class – the city is blessed with a varied and beautiful landscape that rises from sandy beaches through open grasslands and subtropical woodlands to windy peaks just why of 1,000 metres.
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Hidden in Hong Kong’s ultra-modern cityscape are delightful nuggets of history like this circular footbridge built at the turn of the last century. Appearing often as a backdrop in movies, the photogenic structure hovers just above a busy tram station in Causeway Bay.
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You’re unlikely to leave without buying anything in Hong Kong – so vast is the range of merchandize on offer here, fitting so many pocket sizes, and with so many ways to splurge, from sprawling markets to niche boutiques and luxury malls.
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At the Mid-Autumn Festival, a dragon aglow with lit incense sticks dances its way through the tranquil neighbourhood of Tai Hang. Three hundred men and women are involved in the performance of this cacophonous, smoke-filled event. Beware of flying embers and stomping feet.
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A remnant of the age of steam, the former Kowloon-Canton Railway clock tower (1915) in Tsim Sha Tsui strikes a handsome pose in its location between the pink tiles of the Cultural Centre and the blue of Victoria Harbour, especially at sunset.
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At festivals, Cantonese opera is performed throughout Hong Kong in temporary bamboo theatres, large sheds built using the time-honoured technique of bamboo scaffolding. If you attend a show, you may notice large, brightly coloured floral boards placed conspicuously above the entrance – these are gifts to the actors and the troupe.
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Craft beer is in vogue in Hong Kong, and so are sochu, whisky, vodka, gin and cocktails. Similarly there are a multitude of ways to enjoy your drink – you can revel with the crowds in Soho, the city’s party hub, or soar above it all, and imbibe over dizzying views at one of the city’s many rooftop bars.
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