Hong Kong

Population:

6.9 million, 96% ethnic Cantonese

Geography:

*Located on China’s southeast coast at the tip of the Pearl River Delta . *Contains three regions (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories) and 262 outlying islands *Includes a total area of 425 square miles – 70% is undeveloped nature parks and reserves

Money:

The Hong Kong Dollar is pegged to the United States Dollar at 7.78 to 1 (i.e. $1 US gets you $7.78 HK). However, as many things in Hong Kong are pricey, it may help to bring a bit more than $1 US.

Government

Hong Kong is like a sheltered eighteen year old kid – not completely independent and a bit too reliant on parents for support. When Great Britain’s 99-year lease ended in 1997, Hong Kong – or more formally, the ‘Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’ (thank the Chinese government for that bureaucratically hollow title) was returned to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

So in effect, Hong Kong traded one colonial parent for another. China rules with a vague ‘one-country, two systems’ approach, which means that China handles trivial matters like national security and appointing the Chief Executive (i.e. head of the Hong Kong government) and Hong Kong’s government worries about whether China will allow Hong Kong people to make money.

Languages

If you can recite your scales while gurgling chalk dust at a Metallica concert, you have the potential to speak Cantonese. To the untrained ear, Hong Kong’s primary language sounds quite harsh with sharp, monosyllabic words often spoken at you. However, Cantonese is subtle. Eight or nine tones (depending on whom you ask) make pronunciation tricky. For a quick introduction, head to any Chinatown in North America or Europe, where Cantonese people comprise the largest proportion of residents, and ask “lei yao gei geok“. Yes, exactly. Actually, you may not want to say that until you know whether you like to eat chicken feet.

The steady increase in Mandarin speakers stems from more Mainland tourists and business partners arriving after 1997. English, a legacy of Great Britain’s 155 year reign, is the ‘Latin’ of Hong Kong’s three languages – dead in most areas except for Hong Kong Island. If you head off the island, be prepared to use maps and charades to find your way.

Religion

Money, making money and meeting people who can make you money. Buddhism or Taoism would represent the official religion if Hong Kong, er the PRC, ever decided that religion was important enough to discuss.

The Weather (i.e. The Pollution)

In the past 10 years, jaundice and chewy air have joined the noise and visual pollution that have always defined Hong Kong. On an alarmingly high number of days, a thick smog blanket shrouds Hong Kong’s green peaks and soaring skyscrapers.

While an increasingly vocal grassroots movement continues to pester the Hong Kong Government, the variety of pollution sources (e.g. China’s coal burning plants, Hong Kong’s abundant transportation, etc.) and the Hong Kong Government’s staunch refusal to forcefully act has only produced more studies and policy tweaks.

While high temperatures spike to the mid 30s Celsius (mid 90s Farenheit) in July and August, it is the combination of sweltering humidity, squally rain showers and typhoons that bothers most – and produces the anomaly of sweating in a rain storm. Summer eventually eases into a temperate autumn – Hong Kong’s finest season.

From October to December, temperatures recede to a comfortable mid 20s C (mid 70s F) and piercing blue skies provide a clear window to view the striking city and landscapes. For anyone who has seen snow, Hong Kong never actually experiences winter. This doesn’t dissuade cold weather warnings when temperatures drop below 8 C.

Spring arrives with the fanfare of discovering a lost box of your grandfather’s clothes: moist, boring and most likely grey.

Arriving in Hong Kong

A benefit of Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s freest economies is its open policy towards foreigners. Citizens of many ‘western’ countries (e.g. United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, etc.) can visit Hong Kong visa free for 90 days. The gargantuan Chek Lap Kok Airport, which replaced the harrowing landings at Kai Tak in 1998, welcomes visitors with efficient and mostly non-invasive immigration and customs processes – except for drug mules or weapons traffickers whom they severely punish.

The Airport Express train, which runs every 12 minutes from Chek Lap Kok, takes 23 minutes and costs $100HK ($13US) to reach Hong Kong Island. The precise German-esque timing may not exist for all transport options but it does provide a stress free welcome for the frequent business visitors, shoppers and an increasing number of backpackers stretching their legs in Hong Kong before heading to the mainland.

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