Surviving Hong Kong

Every country has its own customs and manners. The city of Hong Kong has certain restrictions and regulations regarding different cases and matters. Much of the etiquette in Hong Kong stems from superstitions, especially when it comes to table manners and giving gifts. Enjoy your time in Hong Kong, but remember to keep some basic etiquette guidelines in mind throughout your trip. Manners are very important to locals in Hong Kong. In spite of being a city where there is lots of tourism, it is important to remember their customs and traditions out of respect. Surviving Hong Kong gives you a compact guideline as to what to follow when you are in Hong Kong. During your stay in Hong Kong you must try to follow and maintain the tips given below. This will thus ensure a hassle-free, relaxed, enjoyable and memorable stay in the city.

Cuisine in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s eclectic cuisine includes a taste from many parts of the world. A gastronomical tour of Asia without a visit to Hong Kong would be incomplete. Hong Kong is a food lover's paradise and for aficionados of Cantonese, Chiu Chow, Hunan, Szechuan, Peking or Shanghai cuisine, there really is no finer place to indulge your taste buds, also a place which offers superb cuisine ranging from Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese to Indian, Malaysian and Singaporean cuisines. You will find an infinite choice of restaurants. Yum cha ('drinking tea') is an integral part of Hong Kong's culinary culture. A cup of steaming fresh tea is the perfect complement to many sumptuous dishes or dim sum. As any tea lover will tell you, the traditional drink, whether Chinese, Indian, English or Hong Kong-style - sends forth its unique, delicate fragrances to help shape daily life in Hong Kong. There are many tea houses in Hong Kong. All-time favourites are congee, noodles and rice dishes, Chinese BBQ, dim sum and hotpot.

Shopping in Hong Kong

Despite of being a very small city, Hong Kong has shops that rival any other international city. There is something for everyone, whatever your budget may be. All the international branded items have a store Hong Kong, the reason being it is one of Asia’s most vibrant, lively and important city. Central houses a lot of these. For reasonably priced quality clothing, Causeway bay is perfect, which gives you Times Square, Sogo and New World Centre. Great markets are scattered throughout the city. The best ones to browse include: Li Yuen Street, Ladies Street, Temple Street and Shanghai Street. There is also the famous, fabulous and vibrant Stanley Market. You would find that Tsim Sha Tsui sells everything under the sun too. Harbour Terminal is right next to the Star Ferry Terminal  and Mong Kok is very interesting too.

Hong Kong Art Attack

When the name Hong Kong comes, the first thing that comes to mind is its arts and crafts. For centuries, Chinese arts and craft have formed a significant part of China's total exports. In Hong Kong, ancient Chinese arts and craft are widely available in several department stores and retailers in Wan Chai, Kowloon, and in Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong's close proximity to China enables these artefacts to be brought in for sale. Furthermore, the cost of manufacturing in Hong Kong is much too high. Hong Kong is a city that has the mixture of both Eastern and Western flavour. Various ancient artefacts of Chinese tradition still exist in the city. Porcelain, embroidery, brocade, carpets, jade products, carvings and paper decorations called 'scissor-cuts' are considered traditional Chinese arts and craft.

Cultural Kaleidoscope of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has gone through over 150 years of colonialism, making it like no other place on earth. Despite the strong Chinese and British influences on the island, it has a distinct identity. They are more inclined towards Eastern culture and do adhere to Chinese traditions, significance is given to eastern values like family solidarity, respect for elders, courtesy and saving face. Hong Kong has an extraordinary past which matches its extraordinary present. It is a unique experience shaped by a distinctive past and dreams of the future, an age-old synthesis of cultures and traditions that opens a window into what will be, while embracing what has passed. Tea Tasting and appreciation, Tai Chi, Chinese medicines, Cantonese Opera, Kung Fu, Feng Shui are all very much a part of the Hong Kong culture.

Sights and Sounds of Hong Kong

For the compact island it is, Hong Kong offers a host of memorable tourist attractions. Hong Kong can be divided into 3 main sections. Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. Apart from these places one can discover, there are pretty islands dotted around its coast. Hong Kong island is the heart and soul of the city. Hong Kong itself is subdivided into districts like Central, Wanchai, Admirality and Causeway Bay. What you can cover in this part is The Peak, Man Mo temple, Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong Convention Centre. You can take the Star ferry to Kowloon, extremely popular with travellers. Again is divided into districts. Tsim Sha Tsui with Nathan Road is one of the busiest places in Hong Kong. The Waterfront and Mong Kok are the other areas. The New Territories include a lot of beaches, and actually is residence to a lot of people who have moved there. You cannot stay here if you are a visitor, because its too far and there isn’t much to see apart from its beautiful beaches. The Outlying Islands include Lamma Island and Lantau Island, home to Hong Kong Disneyworld and Giant Buddha.

Fragrant Harbour Hong Kong

Hong Kong can overwhelm you. The busy streets, the traffic, the densely populated city, the packed pavements, bustling lifestyle, the aromas of food on almost every street – all these attack your senses. But once the initial wave is over, you find that Hong Kong is an absolutely delightful place, safe and extremely well organised. Hong Kong’s personality is mostly Chinese bearing strong British influences due to the long term British Colonization. It is one of the major tourist destinations in South East Asia. Along with Macau, it is the Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China, though the economic and political system differs from the one governing China. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world and is one of the leading international financial centres. The Hong Kong Dollar is in the top 10 most traded currencies in the world. Hong Kong sits at the mouth of Pearl River and means Fragrant Harbour.