Hong Kong

Overview
Visually stunning Hong Kong offers a warp-speed ‘shop till you drop' lifestyle combined with enclaves of tradition. It is a popular tourist destination and one of the world's major business centres. Hong Kong's 260 outlying islands, few of which are inhabited, provide a tranquil alternative to its frenetic energy elsewhere. Hong Kong Island is an eclectic mix of modern skyscrapers, colonial buildings and traditional temples.

On 1 July 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of China in an arrangement lasting 50 years. Under the ‘one country, two systems' policy, Hong Kong maintains its own political, social and economic systems. English remains an official language and Hong Kong's border with China still exists.

Hong Kong was part of China before coming under British administration as a result of the 19th-century Opium Wars. When peace terms were drawn up in 1841, Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain. It remained under British control (apart from a four-year period under Japanese occupation during WWII) until the 1997 handover.

Much has changed since 1841 when then foreign secretary Lord Palmerston described Hong Kong as ‘nothing but a barren island without a house upon it'.

Top Things To Do

• Watch the Tuen Ng (Dragon Boat) Festival, usually held in June. This lively, vibrant spectacle is underscored by the beating of heavy drums.
• Experience the buzz of city life by riding the 800m- (2,625ft-) long central-mid-levels escalator (the world's longest covered outdoor escalator) which transports tens of thousands of people each day and has created its own escalator culture of cafes and restaurants.
• Hike the MacLehose Trail, Hong Kong's longest at 100km (62 miles), which crosses the New Territories, taking in Hong Kong's highest peak, Tai Mo Shan (985m/3,231ft).
• Walk along the Dragon's Back on Hong Kong Island, which follows a ridge, giving spectacular views. This can be concluded with dinner in one of the restaurants in Shek-O Village.
• Catch the famous Star Ferry (website: www.starferry.com.hk) to Kowloon from Central, Hong Kong Island's financial and commercial hub. Or take a morning harbour cruise and watch the Noon Day Gun that has fired at midday since the 1840s at Causeway Bay.
• Go shopping down fashionable Nathan Road in Kowloon. Grab a bargain at Mong Kok's and Yau Ma Tei's bustling markets. In Yau Ma Tei, stalls set up at 1400 on Temple Street for the Night Market, selling everything from electrical goods to incense sticks.
• Cycle on the Tolo Harbour Cycling Track, running from Sha Tin to Tai Po, an easy ride through scenic countryside. Bikes are available for hire near KCR stations. Most outlying islands do not allow cars.
• Take a dip in the sea. Hong Kong has over 30 highly acclaimed beaches. Excellent snorkelling, waterskiing, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, and fishing are available. Watersports equipment can be hired from beaches and hotels in Stanley and Sai Kung. One-day island hopping tickets allow unlimited ferry trips between islands.
• Spot macaque monkeys, wild boar, civet cats, barking deer and the Chinese pangolin in the excellent country parks at Sai Kung East and West. Watch birds at the Mai Po marshes near Yuen Long in the New Territories and look out for the Chinese pink dolphin near Lantau Island.
• Have a flutter on the horses. Vast sums of money change hands at Hong Kong's horse racing meetings, held from September to June, Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and Wednesday evening. The two main racecourses are at Happy Valley (Hong Kong Island) and Shatin (New Territories)
• Be a big kid at Disneyland Hong Kong on Lantau Island, which incorporates four themed lands and two hotels. Attractions range from the adventurous Jungle River Cruise to the dizzying heights of Orbitron, where visitors pilot their own rocket .
• Join the festivities at Cheung Chau's annual Bun Festival in celebration of Pak Tai (a god that influences good sailing and fishing). Bamboo towers covered in steamed buns are constructed as an offering to the god. Cheung Chau is a traditional fishing island with simple temples and unspoilt beaches.

Top Things To See

• See the country's oldest Chinese temple, Man Mo Temple on Hong Kong Island, which honours the gods of literature (Man) and war (Mo). On the China border is Fung Ying Seen Koon Temple, built in the traditional Taoist style with a double-tiered roof of orange tiles.
• View Hong Kong on high from Victoria Peak. The futuristic, seven-storey Peak Tower is reached by the Peak Tram, that rises 386m (1,266ft) up the mountainside. In the New Territories, the Waterfront Park in Tai Po has a futuristic Lookout Tower that provides breathtaking views across Tolo Harbour.
• Observe glimpses of Hong Kong's colonial past, such as Government House, the residence of 25 British governors from 1855 until Hong Kong's handover to China in 1997. Other vestiges are seen in St John's Cathedral, thought to be the oldest Christian church in the Far East.
• Go to the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, an imposing colonial-style building in Hong Kong Park housing ancient Chinese artefacts used in tea-making. In Kowloon, check the time on the Clock Tower near to the star ferry pier, the remaining piece from the old Kowloon-Canton railway station.
• See the impressive 78-storey Central Plaza). Visitors can view the city from the Sky Lobby on its 46th floor. After 1800 each day, neon rooftop lights change colour every hour to denote the time. Two International Finance Centre, or 2 IFC, has taken over as Hong Kong's tallest building, with 88 floors.
• Visit the pristine beach of Repulse Bay, overlooked by the Tin Hau Temple. Lantau Island has the white sandy beach, Cheung Sha, and the amazing Shek Pik Reservoir Dam.
• For a more spiritual retreat, visit either the Chi Lin Nunnery, a spectacular Tang Dynasty-style complex, or Wong Tai Sin Temple. See Hong Kong's only historic pagoda, the Tsui Shing Lau Pagoda, built in 1486 in the Yuen Lang district.
• Mingle with the crowds at Mong Kok, thought to be the world's most densely populated urban area. Exotic fish and amphibians are sold at the Goldfish Market, and near the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, intricate bamboo birdcages and songbirds can be purchased.
• Visit the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in the New Territories hills above Sha Tin, which actually houses around 13,000 small Buddha statues. Also in the New Territories, amble around a beautifully designed complex, located in Tuen Mun, which features pavilions, bonsai trees, lotus ponds and a Taoist temple.
• Take the Ngong Ping 360, a 5.7km (3.5-mile) cable car ride, to the Giant Buddha on Lantau Island. The Buddha sits upon Ngong Ping Plateau at the Po Lin Monastery. At 26m (85ft) high and weighing in at 202 tonnes of bronze, it is the world's largest seated outdoor Buddha.

Further information
More details on many of Hong Kong's museums and historical buildings are available from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

Climate
Hong Kong experiences four distinct seasons, with the climate influenced in winter by the north-northeast monsoon and in summer by the south-southwest monsoon. Summers are very hot, with the rainy season running from June to August. Spring and autumn are warm with occasional rain and cooler evenings. Winter can be cold, but most days are mild. There is a risk of typhoons and tropical storms from April to October, although direct hits are rare.

Required Clothing
Lightweight clothing during warmer months, with warmer clothes for spring and autumn evenings. It should be noted that even during the hottest weather, a jacket or pullover will be required for the sometimes fierce air conditioning indoors. Warm mediumweights are best during winter. Waterproofing is advisable during summer rains.