A City on the Go: Hong Kong

 “[A] barren island with hardly a house upon it!”—Lord Palmerston’s description of Hong Kong in 1898 as he condemned England’s Superintendent of Trade for negotiating a 99-year lease of the area to end the Opium Wars.

I had last been in Hong Kong in 2005, and at that time saw the major sights.  On this visit, I was able to skip the sights and see the city.

And what a city it is!  Hong Kong consists of an area on the mainland of China, with a concentration of people in the Kowloon area, and a buffer area between Kowloon and the rest of China known as the “New Territories.” Also part of Hong Kong, across the harbor from Kowloon, is Hong Kong Island, as well as a number of other islands, including Latau (where the airport is located) and Lamma (more on this island later).

The skyscrapers and shopping meccas that we think of when we picture Hong Kong are primarily concentrated in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, facing one another across Victoria Harbor. While bridges and tunnels connect the two, a primary access point is the storied Star Ferry, which runs constantly throughout the day shuttling people inexpensively and quickly between the two.

We were fortunate to be docked next to the ferry terminal in Kowloon, and so our first act on arrival was to catch the ferry to HK Island, and spend the day exploring that dense concentration of buildings and life, via the hop-on-hop-off bus.  This island is pretty much the business side of HK, containing the financial district and government offices (including a high-rise tower devoted to the Hong Kong’s Immigration authority—sorry I can’t help but notice).  It also is the side where the picturesque bays and beaches can be found, as well as a huge amusement park and a horse racing track that doubles as a sports venue.

We then returned by ferry to Kowloon, for a dim sum lunch and an exploration of this side of the city.  Kowloon is pretty much the shopping side of HK, and we were fascinated by the intensity of the shopping.  Ranging from street markets to designer shops to shopping malls, Hong Kong has something for every taste. 

The terminal where we were docked is actually a huge shopping mall, so we could not help but walk through it to get anywhere else.  What I found fascinating was that it was divided into areas, so that one area was all devoted to, say, electronics, while another to men’s clothing, and another to children’s products.  The latter was particularly striking in that, while it had the obligatory ToysRUs, most of the stores were high-end clothing shops for children. Why would someone spend the money for a Roberto Cavalli or Stella McCartney outfit for someone who will grow out of it in a few months?  But these stores seem to be thriving.

Out on the shopping streets, I couldn’t help but notice how many people were dragging around wheeled luggage.  Surely they weren’t all buying bags?  No—they

brought these empty bags to fill with the acquisitions from this shopping trip.

As it was explained to me, Hong Kong has no sales tax, and the goods available are of better quality and better prices than generally can be obtained on the mainland, so many people trek to HK for the shopping. 

Our first day ended at the promenade overlooking the bay in Kowloon, as we joined thousands of others lined up along the promenade, on outdoor stairs, and anywhere else they could fit to watch the nightly light show.  Every evening at 8:00 pm, buildings along both sides of the harbor participate in a show whereby the buildings’ lights change colors and “dance,” and spotlights are aimed from one side to the other.  Even boats passing in the harbor get in on the action, shining their own lights as part of the show.  Music is played to accompany the changing lights, and a narration is broadcast (in Mandarin, so I couldn’t understand any of it).  It’s a giant, 13-minute party for whoever is in sight.

 The next day was Easter Sunday, but as only about 10% of Hong Kong residents are Christian, it was pretty much just an ordinary weekend day in Hong Kong.  We spent it by catching a boat over to Lamma Island, one of the many smaller islands that are part of Hong Kong.  This one is unique, in that there are no motorized vehicles on it, and yet it is a popular day outing for the city’s residents, as it is an easy boat trip to hard-to-find greenery and a simple setting.

Ours was one of the first boats to arrive at Lamma Island, and we took the opportunity to stroll.  There is a footpath that circles the island, but the main attraction is a series of open-air, waterfront seafood restaurants.  The harbor contains a number of fish farms, and each restaurant has a tank filled with live fish and shellfish waiting to be sacrificed to a meal. 

There seemed as many dogs as humans on the island—all well-groomed and mostly purebred.  It seems that Lamma Island is popular among dog owners, who bring their pets over for the day, and keep them with them while they eat.  One table was filled with people holding schnauzers, while others held other small breeds.  The owners of the restaurants, who mostly live above the restaurants, all seemed to have larger dogs sunning themselves while their owners went about their cooking.

For our part, we feasted on a dozen varieties of seafood, served family-style on a huge lazy susan to about 8 of us.  The highlight was a fish of unkown name that was melt-in-the mouth delicious. 

After lunch, we returned to Hong Kong Island to explore Stanley Market, a famous street market filled with stand after stand of all manner of goods.  Afterward, we hung about the town square in Stanley Park and watched children and dogs play which their parents and owners hovered nearby at restaurants and coffee shops.  It was the kind of scene played in prosperous cities all over the world on a pleasant weekend day.

Next up:  China