Exciting excursions in Hong Kong 在香港可以做的事情

Traditional Chinese Junk Boat Crossing Victoria Harbour

First and foremost, Hong Kong is a very welcoming city which has a lot of things to offer. It's simply more than just a city! From food, shopping, outdoor, colonial buildings and many more cultural heritage sightseeing places. I've been travelling many times to Hong Kong and thought to share some insights in this blog post. The city itself is a true happening cultural sightseeing destination from Monday till Sunday. The greatest fun to begin with is a quick visit to the peak and a ride on a traditional Chinese junk boat. I've used to book a four days Hong Kong pass which included most of the sightseeing spots of Hong Kong. Such Hong Kong travel pass allows to save about half of the expenses. Equally important is to check the weather forecast before visiting Hong Kong. It would be a pity to discover the hidden treasure of Hong Kong skyline while covered by clouds or fog. Although there are far more worthy things to do in Hong Kong, these alternatives are a ''must'' visit that won't disappoint you.

Ride on a Traditional Chinese Junk Boat

Taking a Hong Kong junk boat ride will give you the second best skyline view, but this view is just an after thought compared to the junk boat ride itself. Aqua Luna features a traditional junk boat ride through Victoria Harbour that also coincides with the cities famous light show, the Symphony of Lights. The sight of this venerable vessel with its flashy red sails set against the backdrop of an ultra modern skyline is certainly striking and it has become a cherished symbol of the city. 

Two Hong Kong yacht traders, Yu Lik-hang and his aunt Cheng Ching-wah, have acquired Duk Ling from the previous owners and to great effort and expense, have managed to save the vessel.

Duk Ling is licensed to carry up to 36 passengers plus crew.

Daily scheduled cruises are available. The cruise takes 45 minutes to sail around Victoria Harbor.

Boarding locations at Tsim Sha Tsui Pier 1 and Central Pier 9. Duk Ling is also available for private charter.

The Traditional Hong Kong Snake Soup

In the Causeway Bay section of Hong Kong you will find Se Wong Yee, the tiniest eatery, with the menu out front completely written in Chinese, except for the significant bold lettering stating the sale of Snake Soup, an Asian delicacy. There were two options on the menu; just the plain old Snake Soup for 50 HKD ($6.50 USD) or the Snake Meal which includes the of duck’s liver-sausage.

Ride in a Cable Car 

The cable car experience can be truly adventurous and breath taking! Before actually climbing the stairs to Big Buddha you have to get to its location on Lantau Island and there aren’t many options. You can take a bus, make a strenuous hike uphill or ride the 3.5 mile Npong Ping Cable Car that suspends you high above the ground. Not like the typical street cable cars in San Francisco.

Lantau Island Street Food

On the Western side of Lantau Island lies the quaint fishing village of Tai O where the homes are built on stilts and the markets sell a plethora of dried fish street food. Though there are dozens of fishy dishes to choose from I tried a meal of BBQ squid jerky, for just 10 HKD ($1.39 USD).

The Great Buddha of Lantau Island

Even though there are 268 stairs to reach Hong Kong’s Tian Tan, it is one of the top Things to do in Hong Kong. Tian Tan is one of the largest sitting Buddha’s in the world and even though at 34 metres (112 Ft) feet tall. The Big Buddha was perfectly visible from the ground level, it is hard to tell its true massiveness without getting up close and personal.

The Cheapest Michelin Starred Restaurant in the World

Tim Ho Wan is a hole-in-the-wall dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong that gained recognition after receiving a coveted Michelin star and therefore being known as one of the cheapest Michelin starred restaurants in the world. And it is cheap. Really cheap. Though they are well known for their pork buns, all their food is quite tasty.

Ocean Park Hong Kong

Opened in 1977, Ocean Park is an amusement park, home to thrill rides including four roller coasters, eight themed amusement zones and animals including sharks, bottlenose dolphins, koalas, giant pandas, penguins, walruses, sea lions and more. Perfect for kids and adults, Ocean Park is an umissable part of Hong Kong's heritage. The first pair of Giant Pandas named An An (安安) and Jia Jia (佳佳), were gifted to Ocean Park by China in 1999, followed by Le Le (樂樂) and Ying Ying (盈盈) in 2007. A regular ticket cost HKD 480, I have had the luck to get a free entry using my 4 days Hong Kong pass. The Ocean Park is located at 180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen.

Kowloon Walled City Park

Historical not due to it's age but rather due to it's history in connection to the Walled City of Hong Kong. A ''must'' visit to visitors that wish to get a feeling on how the Walled City used to be. Some more details on how life was all about at the Walled City can be read on my earlier blog post.

The Kowloon Walled City had been a military stronghold since 15th century due to its coastal location and was a centre of vice and crime until 1987. Under the agreement between the Hong Kong Government and the PRC, the Kowloon Walled City was demolished in the 1990s while the indigenous buildings and features were preserved for incorporation in the new park.

Happy Valley Racecourse  

Visitors that love happening places won't be disappointed! Every Wednesday from September to July, thousands of Hong Kong residents flood the stands of the Happy Valley Racecourse. Horse racing is the only legal form of gambling in Hong Kong, making Happy Valley one of the few places where you are allowed to gamble in the city. And many of Hong Kong's citizens take full advantage. Even if you're not into betting, you should visit this local institution simply for the electric atmosphere, not to mention the surrounding city skyline, which sparkles once the sun goes down.

Much like the locals, recent travelers agreed the Happy Valley Racecourse is must-visit if you're in Hong Kong. Visitors reveled in the attraction's fun atmosphere, cheap admission and to most, surprisingly good food and drink options. Some travelers were quick to note that unlike other racetracks, specifically in the states, attire is very casual, so there's no need to pack any big hats or bow ties for your night at the track.

Standing room at the race track level costs just HK$10 (about $1.30), and tickets for the seated area start at HK$20 (about $2.60). You can purchase tickets the day of at the track or up to 10 days in advance from several outlets throughout the city. Only visitors 18 years or older are permitted inside the track. Located on Hong Kong Island, you can walk to the track from the MTR's Causeway Bay Station or simply take a taxi from either one of the Star Ferry piers on Hong Kong Island. The races usually last from 7 to 11 p.m.

 

Hong Kong Museum of History

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 collections date back to the City Museum and Art Gallery founded in 1962 at the City Hall. In 1983, the Museum was moved to the temporary accommodation in Kowloon Park. It was moved to its present premises on Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui in 1998.

The address is at 100 Chatham Road South, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong (next to the Hong Kong Science Museum)

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden

The ideal place for birds enthusiasts. Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is located in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong, directly west of Mong Kok Stadium. While it’s unlikely that you’ll be purchasing a few Chinese thrushes as mementos of your Hong Kong trip, the garden is a pleasant place to witness this age-old Chinese hobby in action; where elderly men feed and preen their feathered friends in exchange for sweet songs.

The Avenue of Stars

The avenue is modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honors celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry. The most impressive sight is the monument of Bruce Lee.

The Walled City in Kowloon

Kowloon Walled City was a largely ungoverned, densely populated settlement in Kowloon City in Hong Kong.

That is the very brief definition by Wikipedia of what the Walled City in Kowloon was all about. But there is much more to say, the Walled City was actually a government in itself. Or many of my friends who worked in Hong Kong during the 80s and early 90s described the Walled City as Anarchic Capitalism. But there are other aspects of the Walled City that noon talks about it, the numerous hard-working citizens of the Walled City. Some of them used to work as hard as day and night shifts, the ones that worked less had at least a 12-hour-a-day job in production areas such as Noodle making, the Garment industry, or some sort of Dental clinics. 

The walled city was the densest and most overpopulated place on earth. To some people, the walled city represented a slum like the favelas in Brazil, but to the majority of inhabitants, the Walled City represented freedom of choice, lifestyle, liberty, and to some even prosperity. It would have been imaginable to survive earning the same amount of wages outside the walled city. In fact, most of the inhabitants did not have to worry about paying income taxes. As unrealistic it may sound, to the majority of inhabitants, the Walled City appeared to be safe haven.

Kowloon Walled City's early population fluctuated between zero and a few hundred and began growing steadily shortly after World War II. However, there is no accurate population information available for much of the Walled City's later existence. Official census numbers estimated the Walled City's population at 10,004 in 1971 and 14,617 in 1981, but these figures were commonly considered to be much too low. Informal estimates, on the other hand, often mistakenly included the neighboring squatter village of Sai Tau Tsuen. Population figures of about 50,000 were also reported.

The Walled City in Kowloon 1991, source Wikipedia

Ungoverned by any authorities, alleyways dripped and the maze of dark corridors covered one square block near the end of the runway at Kai Tak Airport. Dating back to the Song Dynasty it served as a watch post for the military to defend the area against pirates and to manage the production of Salt before eventually coming under British rule. However, during the Japanese occupation on Hong Kong in the Second World War parts of it were demolished to provide building materials for the nearby airport.

Once Japan surrendered from the city, the population dramatically increased with numerous squatters moving in. Eventually it became a haven for criminals and drug users and was run by the Chinese Triads until 1974.

A Kowloon Walled City resident who is dissatisfied with compensation payouts from the local government before clearance

Some residents were not satisfied with the compensation and were forcibly evicted between November 1991 and July 1992. After four months of planning, demolition of the Walled City began on 23 March 1993 and concluded in April 1994. Construction work on Kowloon Walled City Park started the following month.

Food processors at work in the walled city for 12 hours a day, Image from the book ''City of Darkness

By the early 1980s, it was notorious for brothels, casinos, cocaine parlors, and opium dens. It was also famous for food courts which would serve up dog meat and had a number of unscrupulous dentists who could escape prosecution if anything went wrong with their patients. The city eventually became the focus of a diplomatic crisis with both Britain and China refusing to take responsibility. Despite it being a hotbed of crime many of its inhabitants went about their lives in relative peace with children playing on the rooftops and those living in the upper levels seeking refuge high above the city.

The rooftops were the one place they could breathe fresh air and escape the claustrophobia of their windowless flats below. Eventually, over time both the British and Chinese authorities found the city to be increasingly intolerable, despite lower crime rates in later years.

The quality of life and sanitary conditions were far behind the rest of Hong Kong and eventually, plans were made to demolish the buildings. Many of the residents protested and said they were happy living in the squalid conditions but the government spent $2.7billion Hong Kong dollars in compensation and evacuations started in 1991. They were completed in 1992.

Image from the legendary book ''City of Darkness''

A grocery store in the walled city, Kowloon, from the book ''City of Darkness''

Noodle maker covered in flour - Noodle production supplied popular noodle restaurants in Kowloon.

A panoramic view of the walled city in Kowloon, shortly before its been demolished

Thousands of people went about their lives daily with many making do with what space they had to grow plants or hand washing on balconies above the busy shops and streets below. 

The area where the Walled City once stood is now Kowloon Walled City Park, adjacent to Carpenter Road Park. Thats basically the happy end of the story, although it might have been better not to remove the walled city entirely. This would have attracted thousands of tourists every year. However, a park is nice too in my opinion but less historic than the Walled City of Kowloon. The most frightening fact is that some of the former Walled City residents ended up living in cage homes around Mongkok. Some are still waiting more than 20 years later to obtain public housing from the HK government.

Hong Kong today and the British broken promise of 1997

Years before July back in 1997, Britain and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration which ensured Hong Kong's democracy, the capitalist system, and the rule of law would be untouched for at least 50 years from the Handover. It was branded 'One Country, Two Systems' and plastered on adverts across the city and in the first few years following 1997 all seemed to be just that. But that system, which should still have 30 years to go, has all but disintegrated.

Nevertheless, Hong Kong is still a flourishing, vibrant, multicultural city, that attracts more than 36 million tourists a year, but you do not have to dig very far to realize the country is being quietly throttled by China.

For the sake of Hong Kong's freedom and democracy, Britain does need to do more. It cannot benefit from years of prosperity in Hong Kong, which the UK worked hard to achieve, to just let it all go over fears of upsetting China. Britain has a responsibility and it is not holding up its end of the bargain.

Crack in the Wall written by J. Pullinger

Some Q & A

Q. Was it preferable to live high up at the top or close to the ground?

A. Definitely higher up, the closer to the street level, the dirtier it got. Just look at the pictures in the links. yuck! It was a freaking maze inside, I remember I had to go up and down 2 buildings to get outside the fortress every day, and inside one of the buildings, the first 2 floors were permanently flooded (no one lived there).

Q. 

1.) Is it hard to find your way around?

2.) After it was torn down, how did your relatives adapt to the outside world?

3.) Why did your family/relatives live there anyway?

4.) What was the most common reason for living in KWC?

A. 

(1) I don't think it's possible to find your way if you have no idea where you are going. It was an absolute maze in there.

(2) The government moved everyone out to the nearby public housing way before it was torn down.

(3) Poverty, if you were a recent immigrant from China to HK at that time, you didn't really have many options to choose from.

(4) Poverty. Illegal immigrants. People with nowhere else to go.

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