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Holidays in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Main Guide | Things to do
Hong Kong is a unique part of the world lying on the coast of mainland China. For many years a British possession, Hong Kong is now a Special Administrative Region of China, though English is still widely spoken in Hong Kong alongside the official languages of Mandarin and Cantonese.
Hong Kong is made up of four parts. Hong Kong Island itself, Kowloon and the New Territories lying on the Chinese mainland, and the 234 Outlying Islands. The central business district is located on Hong Kong Island.
Very densely populated, Hong Kong has been influenced by both East and West and so has developed a culture all of its own. It is popular as a destination in its own right or as a stepping-stone for those venturing farther afield into Asia.
Hong Kong tends to be cold in January and February, hot and very wet in the summer (May to September) and mild from October to December. The most popular time to visit is in the milder months late in the year, though some rainfall is to be expected year round.
Area: 1042 km 2
Climate: Cold in winter, hot and wet in summer.
Terrain: Lowlands in the north, hilly or mountainous elsewhere. Extensively urbanised.
Population: 7 million
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, English
Currency: Hong Kong Dollar
Time Zone: GMT +8 hours
International Dialing Code: +852
Hong Kong has a range of accommodation available, including some of the finest hotels in the world. Accommodation is available in city, beach or countryside locations. Hong Kong is quite small, so no matter where you stay you are never far from the centres of activity. Public transport is good and safety standards are high. Visitors can wander around and see the sights without worrying about their personal safety.
In such a cosmopolitan society, it is easy to find a great diversity of food. English and Nepalese cuisine are popular, as well as the move obviously Asian dishes. Rice, noodles and seafood are transformed into a wondrous array of delicacies by elegant restaurants and street-corner vendors.
Most restaurants include a service charge in the bill, but it is customary to give waiters some loose change. This also applies to other service-industry workers such as taxi drivers and porters.
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Things to do
Hong Kong is an outstanding natural deep-water harbour. This brought European
traders to the island and today forms the basis for an excellent cruising industry.
Several of the world’s premier cruise lines operate out of Hong Kong,
offering a range of luxury cruises to various destinations.
Hong Kong has several fine (and unique) museums to fascinate visitors. The
Space Museum deals with astronomy as well as space exploration, and features
Omnimax screenings in its large planetarium. More specialized is the Museum
of Coastal Defence, which shows how Hong Kong was defended against attack throughout
it history form the Ming Dynasty to the present day.
The Science Museum has a large number of hands-on interactive exhibition
subjects as diverse as robotics, virtual reality and energy. There are also
museums of art, history and culture in general as well as specialist museums
such as the Police and Railway Museums.
Hong Kong is of course famous for its film-making traditions, most notably
in the world of Kung-Fu action movies. The Hong Kong Film Archive is dedicated
to preserving films and related materials. The museum will appeal to anyone
interested in cinema, especially those who grew up on the spectacular acrobatics
of the Kung-Fu genre.
The authorities have even managed to make town planning interesting! The
Hong Kong Planning and Infrastructure Exhibition Gallery is an interactive
museum demonstrating the development of Hong Kong.
If you prefer to just soak up the culture, there is plenty to be had. Watch
a traditional Chinese festival unfold in a riot of noise and colour, with fireworks,
lion dancers, parades and feasts of traditional food. There are numerous festivals
at various times throughout the year.
Other cultural events include Broadway shows, international theatre performances
and local performances with a Chinese flavour. The Symphony of Lights is a
spectacle not to be missed. A mix of lights, music and sometimes fireworks,
the event encapsulates the vibrant atmosphere of Hong Kong.
If you want to shop, Hong Kong is the place to go. Harbour City is a huge
complex containing over 700 shops, cinemas and restaurants. Elsewhere in the
city there are other malls and open-air markets to explore. The authorities
run an extensive consumer-protection scheme to ensure that visitors get good
value in the stores and markets.
Away from the city, there is plenty to see. Hong Kong has a long history which
can be seen in the many temples and other historic structures that remain virtually
unchanged since the days when the island was a quiet backwater. Tombs and other
structures dating from 100AD have been found and can be visited by those wishing
to experience the wonder of ancient civilizations.
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