Photo: Jessica Aldred
King Kong
Depending on your point of view, Hong Kong is a little corner of Britain that might as well be Chinese, or a little corner of China that might as well be British. Take your pick. There again, it did just open a Disneyland...
There's no doubt that a few things have changed since Governor Chris Patten's tearful handover back in 1997, but despite being the second half of China's "one country, two systems" policy, the bold individual character of Hong Kong lives on. Crammed as it is into one small island plus the Kowloon peninsular, Hong Kong is certainly cramped and overcrowded, yet unlike most of the urban sprawls on the mainland you're never far from green open spaces such as Victoria Peak or the New Territories.
Closer down to earth this city remains a model of polite efficiency when compared to its mainland brethren. In Hong Kong you'll see the glassy concrete edifices of corporate culture standing alongside the more sedate reminders of Hong Kong's recent past; you'll eat the best Cantonese cuisine you'll ever taste; get hooked by the latest deal in the malls; and drink the night away in the city's prolific bars and clubs. The Chinese certainly know it - capitalism has never been so much fun.
There's no doubt that a few things have changed since Governor Chris Patten's tearful handover back in 1997, but despite being the second half of China's "one country, two systems" policy, the bold individual character of Hong Kong lives on. Crammed as it is into one small island plus the Kowloon peninsular, Hong Kong is certainly cramped and overcrowded, yet unlike most of the urban sprawls on the mainland you're never far from green open spaces such as Victoria Peak or the New Territories.
Closer down to earth this city remains a model of polite efficiency when compared to its mainland brethren. In Hong Kong you'll see the glassy concrete edifices of corporate culture standing alongside the more sedate reminders of Hong Kong's recent past; you'll eat the best Cantonese cuisine you'll ever taste; get hooked by the latest deal in the malls; and drink the night away in the city's prolific bars and clubs. The Chinese certainly know it - capitalism has never been so much fun.
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