Hong Kong situated on China’s south coast used to be British, but reverted to Chinese control in 1997. It is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and has a population which is about 95% Chinese and 5% everything else. Because of it’s time spent as a British Colony, it was greatly influenced by the western world, and is often referred to as a place where East meets West and it is also extremely easy to fly to Hong Kong from many places across the globe.
Hong Kong means ‘fragrant harbour’ and is a place that has a really interesting mixture of influences. It is a unique destination that has taken something from places as diverse as Vietnam, Britain, China, and more, and proclaims itself to be ‘Asia’s World City’.
Hong Kong has one of the world’s best airports so travelling to this area is easy. Many people take time here for a stopover when they’re travelling deeper into the Orient, and it’s a place that is well worth visiting if you can handle the crowds. Travelling within Hong Kong means you’ll see people. This is one city where you just can’t help it. With a population of over 7,000,000 the streets can be quite crowded at times.
Having said that, if you’ve the money for it, ‘The Peak’ is the tallest point on the island, and is where many business tycoons and foreign diplomats enjoy excellent views of the harbour and where some of the most expensive houses are, as well as one or two good hotels. If you can’t afford to stay up here, you can still enjoy a trip on the Peak Tram and then take a short walk at the top to escape the crowds and look out over the harbour.
Hong Kong has many excellent tourist attractions and being a reasonably small island, they’re all fairly close together making it possible to see most in one holiday here. Hong Kong National geopark is one place worth seeing. This 5,000 hectare area features 8 geosites including the Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region and Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region. Victoria harbour is amazing in its own right, but for something a bit more spectacular, the nightly Symphony of Lights Show across the harbour front buildings is very much worth seeing.
Hong Kong has many ancient Chinese temples. Some are Buddhist, some Taoist, and some belong to other religions, but all are very interesting to see, and many of these incense filled temples are quite inspiring too. Side by side with these temples are colonial buildings from when Britain ruled the region, and modern glass and steel skyscrapers flung high up into the sky. This wonderful mixture of old and new exist happily side by side and make Hong Kong one of the most interesting and culturally inspiring places in the world to visit.