Hong Kong
One of the great cities of the world, Hong Kong is legendary and a ‘must see’ for any would-be world traveler. Sitting on the doorstep to China and serving as a portal to the largest consumer potential of any single country, Hong Kong invites the world to come and experience a unique perspective. Say “Hong Kong” and one immediately thinks, “Big city", but Hong Kong is more than a massive metropolis that never turns out the lights: In 1997 China assumed control of the colony, which encompasses a group of more than 200 islands (Hong Kong island being one of the largest), Kowloon and the New Territories from the former British administrators. It is now known as a Special Administrative Region under an agreement that provides for the continuation of Hong Kong’s unique social, economic, and legal systems for another 50 years beyond 1997. The region is situated among a cluster of islands, deep bays and rivers along China’s sub-tropical south coast and at the top of the South China Sea between Taiwan and Vietnam.
Shopping galore! Entertainment ‘extraordinaire’! Spectacular sights! Sizzling cuisine! Outstanding cultural and historical treasures! Hong Kong resounds with exclamations so indulge, enjoy and experience the vast array of activities available to you in one of Asia’s premier destinations. The open-air markets of Kowloon specialize in everything and guarantee a bargain bonanza for everyone. Then again, maybe your tastes run to an exquisite luxury item, in which case, you should be looking in one of the uptown, upmarket centres like Landmark Shopping Mall. The giant Ocean Park entertainment complex on the south side of the island provides a fantastic family outing. It has a thrilling roller coaster ride and an aquarium and Panda bears and centres of discovery for children and grown-ups alike.
Things to do and see in Hong Kong and Hong Kong Island
Victoria Peak
Sheung Wan
Happy Valley Race Courses
Waterfront museums
Kowloon Park
Wong Tai Sin
Lantau’s Big Buddha
Lamma Island
Cheung Chau
Aberdeen
Hong Kong Museum of History
Lantau
Macau
Ocean Park and Middle Kingdom
Police Museum
Statue Square
Western Market
Wong Tai Sin Temple
Events in Hong Kong
Cheung Chau Bun Festival
Chinese New Year
Dragon Boat Festival (Tuen Ng)
Hong Kong Arts Festival
Hong Kong Sevens
Hungry Ghost Festival (Yue Lan)
Mid-Autumn/Moon Festival
Tin Hau Festival
Related Travel Information
Yuen Po Street Bird Garden
For a unique cultural experience in Hong Kong, visit the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden, the favorite gathering place for Hong Kong's songbird owners. There are hundreds of birds on display and the price of a bird is often decided by how well the bird sings. Apart from the birds, there are also other accessories for sale, including bamboo and teak cages, ceramic water vessels and food containers, and different types of bird food, including live crickets sold by the bag-full. Yuen Po Street includes some 70 bird stalls as well as gardens with traditional
Wanchai
Although it had the reputation of being a sailors' paradise in the late 1950s, it is mainly a business and entertainment area nowadays. Bars, dance halls, nightclubs and karaoke rooms co-exist with modern office plazas, art centres and a wide variety of inexpensive restaurants. Wanchai's most distinctive landmark is the magnificent Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center, probably the biggest and best of its kind in Asia. It is the place for trade fairs, exhibitions and international conventions, grabbing the spotlight as the venue for the ceremony to mark Hong Kong's change of sovereignty in 1997. When there are no
Wong Tai Sin Temple
Wong Tai Sin Temple is one of the most famous shrines in Hong Kong. It is dedicated Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The 18,000-m² Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get". The temple gave its name to the Wong Tai Sin district of Hong Kong. The main hall houses the image of Wong Tai Sin and often has crowds of people kneeling and praying, shaking bamboo fortune sticks to foresee the future. Behind the main hall is the Good Wish Gardens with pavilions, miniature waterfalls
Western Market
This is a four-storey redbrick Edwardian building dating from 1906 occupying an entire block at the eastern end of Central, the former market was reopened in 1991 as a shopping centre featuring small shops, souvenir stands and curio sellers.
The first floor is a "cloth alley." The shopkeepers here are very old and really know their stock. The second floor is the Treasure Inn Seafood Restaurant, open from 10.30 am to midnight. The restaurant is decorated in Old Shanghai style and they offer live Chinese Opera performances. Eighteen fabric shops are located on the first floor and a food
The Hong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Museum of History showcases Hong Kong’s history through a display of artifacts, photographs, traditional costumes and models that span 6000 years. Glorious period sets tell the story of Chinese life in replicas of village houses, streets and stores. These memorials to the past are contained within an incredible building opened in the year 2000. The Hong Kong Museum of History was established in July 1975 when the City Museum and Art Gallery was split into the Hong Kong Museum of History and Hong Kong Museum of Art. But some of the Museum's
