Key areas
Central and Admiralty This area bristles with shimmering skyscrapers, making it one of the most memorable and impressive cityscapes in the world.
All of Hong Kong’s business hotspots are located here, along with high-end boutiques featuring famous labels. Never a dull moment.
Lan Kwai Fong Lined with clubs, bars and a cosmopolitan mix of restaurants, Lan Kwai Fong (aka LKF) is Hong Kong’s place to party. Every weekend this area attracts a lively and even a little rowdy crowd of Chinese and expatriate revellers.
SoHo SoHo (short for South of Hollywood Road) grew up organically around the Mid-levels escalator (the world’s longest). The area offers a range of eateries and bars that are more relaxed but less polished than their LKF counterparts. A great area for experimental dining and after-dinner drinks.
Wan Chai and Causeway Bay By daylight, Wan Chai is a respectable neighbourhood of offices and local shops. At night it transforms into a slightly seedy cluster of dance clubs and girlie bars, made famous in The World of Suzy Wong. Due east, Causeway Bay is Hong Kong’s busiest shopping and entertainment district.
Aberdeen Aberdeen is a dirty little harbour bobbing with junks, sampans and redundant prawn trawlers. The decline of the local fishing industry led to the malaise, and the only bright spot in the dark water is the gaudy Jumbo floating restaurant, a popular fixture on tour itineraries despite its poor reputation locally.
Stanley Located on the south side of Hong Kong Island, Stanley has a laid-back, almost rural charm at odds with the urban concentration to the north. A favourite haunt of expatriates, with a few remaining echoes of empire, it draws crowds of bargain-hunting day trippers to its maze-like market, one of the few locations where haggling can reduce prices.
The Peak In Hong Kong, the wealthier you are, the higher up the hill you live. When you reach the Peak, you’ve made it. In the height of the humid summer the temperature is several degrees cooler up here. Take the historic Peak Tram (actually a funicular railway) from Central for an insight into the city’s social strata and some outstanding views over the harbour. If possible, choose a clear day for some unparalleled photo opportunities from the pathway that circumnavigates the mountain top.
Sheung Wan The further west from Central, the more Chinese the culture becomes. A walk down Hollywood Road reveals clusters of antique emporiums selling relics and reproductions, some of dubious origin. Be cautious, but there are some great bargains to be had, such as porcelain figures from the Cultural Revolution and ’70s Bruce Lee film posters. Further west, a concentration of dried seafood markets can be found.
Tsim Sha Tsui The peninsula of Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) always lived in the shadow of towering Hong Kong Island, but since height limits were abolished when the old Kai Tak Airport closed, towers in TST have begun to rival those in Central. Despite being a less sophisticated option, it contains many attractions, such as Kowloon Park, the city mosque, a number of museums and some busy tourist-oriented markets.
Mongkok If Hong Kong Island has a cosmopolitan feel, Mongkok is the exact opposite—it’s very local and very Chinese. This is the place to seek out real bargains on (fake) designer labels, kitsch gifts and just about anything else. As in all markets, haggling is acceptable, but the bargains struck can be hard. One of the world’s most densely populated urban environments, it offers a glimpse of the city in transition as the government pursues a renewal policy.
Getting around
Hong Kong has outstanding public transport facilities. The Mass Transit Railway (MTR) is fast, regular and spotlessly clean. Travellers wait no more than two minutes for the next train to arrive. The modern surface KCRC railway system carries commuters from the satellite settlements in the New Territories to Central and TST. Buses and minibuses are frequent and inexpensive. Taxis are cheap and plentiful, with a starting price of just [00a3]1, and journeys, particularly on Hong Kong Island, are generally short.
Shopping
Shopping is a universal recreation in Hong Kong, and most residents’ spare time is spent choosing between competing purchases. Much of what is available is also universal and can be found in any major city, so it is essential to be choosy. Major shopping centres are located in Central, Causeway Bay, Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui. Causeway Bay, a favourite hangout of fashion-obsessed adolescents, turns into a real scrum at weekends when shoppers jostle for space on the narrow streets and pavements. Vast malls, like IFCII, Landmark, Pacific Place, Harbour City and Festival Walk, are an air-conditioned alternative to tramping through the steamy outside air in the summer.
Many visitors think that cameras and electronics are heavily discounted in Hong Kong, but prices should be compared carefully with those elsewhere. Travellers from Europe may find that the exchange rate works to their advantage, but they should also consider how practical it will be to return faulty goods or obtain after-sales service. For classically designed clothing and Chinese produce, go to Shanghai Tang in The Pedder Building (12 Pedder Street, Central, Tel: 2525 7333).
It has one of Central’s few remaining colonial facades. The business was established by limelight-hogging local celeb David Tang and now has branches in New York, London, Paris and Singapore. Some of the products on sale, like the Chairman Mao wrist watches with the waving arm, show real wit. Prices are high.
Gifts to buy
Chinese tea makes an interesting, and lightweight, gift. There are many varieties of tea, some of which are rare and expensive. In addition, there is a whole culture of tea ware, like the tiny ornate teapots from Xiling outside Shanghai. Gift packs are available.
Artifacts from the Mao era and the Cultural Revolution make great talking points. Porcelain statuettes of the great helmsman are available in profusion, along with other figures from the Long March and the Great Struggle. Cat Street Market, off Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, is a good hunting ground.
If you are looking for genuine Chinese silk, cashmere, lacquer, lace or antiques and artifacts, Chinese Arts & Crafts is the place to shop. Prices aren’t cheap, but quality is high and customers can feel secure in their purchases.
Each branch includes a section selling Chinese medicines, but the largest and best stocked are at Lower Block, China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road, Wan Chai (Tel: 2827 6667), and 1F, Star House 3 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui (Tel: 2735 4061).
Things to do
Gambling is strictly regulated in Hong Kong and one of the few areas in which it’s not illegal is horse racing. The Hong Kong Jockey Club runs two racecourses: one at Shatin in the New Territories and the other at Happy Valley just outside Causeway Bay. The stands fill to capacity, the steeds speed off, the crowd roars to the rafters and the official betting agency makes a fortune. Racing is popular all over the world, but in Hong Kong it takes on a peculiarly shallow glamour, underpinned as always by the outside odds on a jackpot.
Aqua, a trendy restaurant on the top floor of One Peking Road, one of Tsim Sha Tsui’s latest skyscrapers, serves a menu that combines Japanese and Italian cuisine. Smart diners go to watch the sun go down and the lights flicker over Victoria Harbour and onto Hong Kong Island. The panorama transforms in a matter of hours, and during holidays ambitious pyrotechnic displays add a spectacular bonus.
Most tourists spend half their time peering up at tall buildings, but smart operators, with excess cash, look down from a hovering helicopter. If there is sufficient reason to impress a client or a special acquaintance, a helicopter can reach places other modes of transport simply can’t contemplate. Bookings must be made well in advance, and they depart from a heliport on the waterfront between Central and Wan Chai. Prices vary according to the number of passengers and the time of year. For more information contact Heliservices (website: www. heliservices.com.hk, Tel: 2802 0200).
Excursions
Macau, on the South China coast 65kms west of Hong Kong, is rapidly transforming from a sleepy Portuguese colonial enclave into the Asian equivalent of Las Vegas. A vast programme of casino construction is under way and visitors crowd the gaming tables each day pledging their savings on the turn of a card. The place still retains its mix of Portuguese and Cantonese culture, and there are many excellent restaurants serving authentic dishes. The journey, departing from the Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan, costs about [00a3]15 and takes an hour. Sleek, high-speed ferries and jet-propelled hydrofoils zip off every 15 minutes. Although Macau and Hong Kong are both now Special Administrative Regions of the PRC, following the end of Portugal’s rule in 1999, a passport is required for entry.
Tourist traps
The integrity of Hong Kong’s retailers is undermined daily by the hard-nosed electronics retailers lining Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Local media regularly report on complaints from tourists who discover that they haven’t received the goods they believed they had paid for when it’s too late, so beware.
Another irritation in Tsim Sha Tsui are the tailors’ touts who harangue passers-by. Any tailor who needs to accost pedestrians by telling them that they would look better in a cheap suit should be avoided. Judge them by the way they’re dressed.
Hong Kong’s frantic pace of life makes the slow pace of pedestrian traffic a surprising contrast. Pavement traffic proceeds at the rate of the slowest little old lady in the crowd. In spite of any urgent appointments, the best advice is to go with the flow. Fighting through the tide is a sure route to stress.
Convention centres
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Tel: 2582 8888, Email: info@hkcec.com, Website: www.hkcec.com.
This is the prominent landmark that juts out into the harbour from Hong Kong Island at Wan Chai. An impressive architectural achievement, the structure earned the local nickname of ‘the cockroach’ for its unconventional shape. It was built as the venue for the Handover ceremony in 1997 and now plays host to large trade shows and conventions on a weekly basis. It houses several good restaurants and the promontory is an excellent spot for photography.