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Despite 2003’s infamous SARS outbreak, this former British colony – declared SARS-free in June of that year – remains the cosmopolitan, must-visit world city of former years. Though people are frightened of a reoccurrence of the disease (the symptoms match those of flu), hotels are back to full-house, restaurants and bars are back to normal (though there are still good offers to be found), public money is being ploughed into major events and the tourism board is on overdrive.
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With such a work-hard, play-hard spirit, the city is one of phenomenal energy. And, when you are lost within the concrete canyons and snaking walkways of Central, the image of the city as a pulsing urban jungle seems only too real. But stand on the waterfront of Tsim Sha Tsui and look across to Hong Kong Island and a different picture emerges – one of towering buildings backed by deep green, thickly forested mountainsides. Travel up the Victoria Peak by tram and, after a few minutes, the tower blocks of the Mid-Levels give way to stunning vistas of harbor, islands and the sea.
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The eight-minute Star Ferry ride across Victoria Harbour from Kowloon is by far the most breathtaking way to approach Central. For most visitors, Central’s most interesting ‘sights’ are architectural. The district has changed out of all recognition since the 1970s, and the profusion of modern towers that have sprung up in the last 20 or so years all define modern Hong Kong.
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Dominating the south side of Statue Square is Norman Foster’s phenomenally expensive (HK$5.2 billion) HSBC Building. Completed in 1985, this colossal building made of steel and glass rests on four tall pillars, creating an airy, open-air forum that remains public space. It is worth taking the escalator up to the first floor for a sense of the scale of the place. According to those ‘in the know’, the building has some of the best feng shui in Hong Kong.
South of the HSBC Building, up the hill, lie a few lingering reminders of Hong Kong’s colonial heritage.
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Climb the steps up to Battery Path and the cathedral precinct and you’ll find whitewashed, cool and quiet St John’s Cathedral (4-8 Garden Road, +85225234157,
http://www.timeout.com/external_link/?http://www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk), completed in 1849. Its entrance doors are made from the wood salvaged from HMS Tamar, the Royal Navy’s floating HQ that was scuttled during World War II, and numerous moving memorials and other historical relics are hidden away inside.
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There are a few green havens in among the concrete and the crowds. The extensive Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens (Albany Road, no phone) overlook Government House across Upper Albert Road. Featuring dozens of animal and bird species and more than 1,000 types of flora, the gardens are small but full of interest. To the east of the gardens is Hong Kong Park. The park contains landscaped gardens, an artificial lake, a tai chi garden, an amphitheatre, a restaurant and bar and the architecturally stunning Edward Youde Aviary (Hong Kong Park, Cotton Tree Drive, +85225215041,
http://www.timeout.com/external_link/?http://www.lcsd.gov.hk).
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Blending into Central, Sheung Wan is the Chinese heart of old Hong Kong. It’s a vibrant, area that’s best explored on foot. As you climb the hill – or ride the world’s longest escalator – you’ll cross over Hollywood Road (the main centre for Hong Kong’s important antiques and curio trade, and the location of the atmospheric Man Mo Temple (126 Hollywood Road, +85225400350) and reach the trendy bar and restaurant enclave of SoHo. In this area, the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (2 Caine Lane, off Caine Road, +85225495123) gives an interesting overview of the history of public health and medical services in Hong Kong.
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Towering above the commercial heart of Hong Kong Island, the 552-metre (1,810-foot) Victoria Peak – otherwise simply known as the Peak – offers the most spectacular views in Hong Kong. The commencement of the Peak Tram services in 1888 cut the journey down to just under ten minutes. Victoria Gap – not the Peak itself – is the final stop on the 373-metre (1,224-foot) steep funicular tram ride up from lower Mid-Levels – make sure you sit on the right-hand side going up for the best views.
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Kowloon represents a very different side to Hong Kong. The view of Hong Kong Island from the tip of the Kowloon peninsula is one of the most stirring sights in the territory. Tsim Sha Tsui, at the very southern tip of Kowloon, contains most of Hong Kong’s museums – the Hong Kong Museum of Art (Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, +85227210116, http://hk.art.museum) and the Hong Kong Space Museum (10 Salisbury Road, +85227210226,
http://www.timeout.com/external_link/?http://www.lcsd.gov.hk) – and the Cultural Centre, also along Salisbury Road.
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The New Territories was leased from China in 1898 for 99 years under the Convention of Peking. Despite some badly planned urban developments, large tracts of unspoiled countryside still remain and wonderful hiking and wildlife-watching are to be had. In addition, many of Hong Kong’s finest beaches are in the remote north-east New Territories. A day-trip along the Kowloon–Canton Railway line from Shatin to Sheung Shui is a convenient way to experience something of life beyond the Kowloon hills. Along here you’ll find hillside temples, two sprawling New Towns (Sha Tin and Tai Po) that are the ‘real Hong Kong’ for millions of local residents. Alternatively, head for the laid-back Sai Kung peninsula, reached by mini-bus from Choi Hung MTR station or catch a ferry from the outlying ferry piers (next to the Central Star Ferry on Hong Kong Island) where hill trails, low-rise villages and seafood restaurants await.
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10,000 Buddhas Monastery
Address: Sha Tin
Phone: tel: (852) 2691 1067 (info)
Transport: train: Sha Tin
Web:
http://www.10kbuddhas.org/Perched on Po Fook Hill about 500m northwest of Sha Tin KCR East Rail station, this quirky temple is well worth a visit. Built in the 1950s, the complex actually contains more than 10,000 Buddhas - some 12,800 miniature statues line the walls of the main temple. Dozens of life-sized golden statues of Buddha's followers flank the steep steps leading to the monastery complex.
There are several temples and pavilions split over two levels as well as a nine-storey pagoda that can be climbed.
For sustenance the complex also has a vegetarian restaurant. Be aware the temple may close if it's raining heavily.
To reach the monastery, take exit B at Sha Tin KCR station and walk down the ramp, passing a series of traditional houses at Pai Tau village on the left. Take the left onto Pai Tau St, and turn right onto Sheung Wo Che St. At the end of this road, a series of signs in English will direct you to the left along a concrete path and through bamboo groves to the first of some 400 steps leading up to the monastery. An alternative route down is to take the path from the lower level. This will take you back down to the houses at Pai Tau Village by the rail station.
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Apliu Street Market
Address: Apliu St, Sham Shui Po
Transport: underground rail: Sham Shui Po (exit A1)
From the Sham Shui Po MTR station follow exit A1 and you'll soon fall right into this flea market, which makes a cheaper and more interesting hunting ground than the Temple Street Night Market. Everything from clothing to antique clocks and coins is on sale here, although the real speciality is second-hand electronic goods - radios, mobile phones, stereo systems, amplifiers and spare parts. The market spills over into Pei Ho St.
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Discovery Bay
Address: Lantau
Transport: ferry: Discovery Bay
Lying on the northeastern coast of Lantau, what locals have dubbed 'DB' is very much a world of its own, a dormitory community for professionals who commute to Central. Discovery Bay (Yue Ging Wan in Cantonese) has a fine stretch of sandy beach ringed by high-rises and more luxurious condominiums clinging to the headland to the north - but there is no pressing need to visit except to ogle at residents in their converted golf carts that cost around HK$200,000 a pop. There is a handful of decent restaurants in Discovery Bay Plaza just up from the ferry pier and the central plaza and the 27-hole Discovery Bay Golf Club perched in the hills to the southwest.
Until recently Discovery Bay existed in splendid isolation, linked only to the outside by ferries from Central, Lantau and Peng Chau and all but inaccessible from the rest of Lantau even on foot. Now buses make the run to and from Tung Chung and the airport at Chek Lap Kok via the Discovery Bay Tunnel and the North Lantau Hwy. A trail leading from the golf course will take you down to Silvermine Bay and the rest of Lantau in a couple of hours.
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Hong Kong Arts Centre
Address: 2 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai
Phone: tel: (852) 2582 0200 (info)
Transport: underground rail: Admiralty (exit E2)
Web:
http://www.hkac.org.hk/Due east of the Academy for the Performing Arts is the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Along with theatres, you'll also find here the Pao Sui Loong & Pao Yue Kong Galleries (2824 5330; admission free; ; 10:00 - 18:00 during exhibitions). Extending over floors Nanshan four and five, there's room to host retrospectives and group shows in all visual media.
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Hong Kong Design Centre
Address: 28 Kennedy Rd, Mid-Levels
Phone: tel: (852) 2522 8688 (info)
Transport: bus: 12A
Web:
http://www.hkdesigncentre.org/The design centre, just opposite the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, is housed in one of the most graceful colonial buildings in the territory. Built in 1896, it served as a bank, the offices of the Japanese Residents Association of Hong Kong before WWII and a school until it was renovated and given to the Hong Kong Federation of Designers. Even if it does not have any exhibitions open to the public, the exterior and public areas are worth a look.
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Temple Street Night Market
Address: Yau Ma Tei
Transport: underground rail: Yau Ma Tei (exit C)
The liveliest night market in Hong Kong, Temple St extends from Man Ming Lane in the north to Nanking St in the south and is cut in two by the Tin Hau temple complex. While you may find better bargains further north in New Kowloon, and certainly over the border in Shenzhen, it is still a good place to go for the bustling atmosphere and the smells and tastes on offer from the d a ai-p à ai-dawng (open-air street stall) food.
People shop here for cheap clothes, watches, pirated CDs, fake labels, footwear, cookware and everyday items. Any marked prices should be considered mere suggestions - this is definitely a place to bargain.
You'll also find a surfeit of fortune-tellers, herbalists and, occasionally, some free, open-air Cantonese opera performances.
For street food, head for Woo Sung St, running parallel to the east, or to the section of Temple St north of the temple. You can get anything from a simple bowl of noodles to a full meal. There are also a few seafood and hotpot restaurants in the area.
The market officially opens in the afternoon, but most hawkers set up at about 18:00 and start shutting up around 23:00 . The market is at its best from about 19:00 to 22:00 , when it's clogged with stalls and people. If you want to carry on, visit the colourful wholesale fruit market (cnr Shek Lung & Reclamation Sts), which is always a hive of activity.
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