DK Travel : Hong Kong

“A dream of Manhattan, arising from the South China Sea.” For succinctness, modern travel writer Pico Iyer’s description of Hong Kong has yet to be bettered. From opium port to Cold War enclave to frenetic financial capital, Hong Kong has never been boring. This is the hedonistic engine room of cultural fusion: East meets West in high style, and the results astonish and delight. Prepare to experience one of the most dramatic urban environments ever conceived.

Chin Yeung Laht Jiu

Green pepper stuffed with minced fish and prawns and served in black bean sauce.
China Art

Established in 1982, China Art is one of Asia's premier wholesalers and retailers of exquisite, craftsman-restored Chinese antiques. Selling everything from antique Chinese beds, cabinets, chairs and tables to soft furnishings, China Art makes for a more refined retail experience away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong's malls and markets.
China Bear, Lantau

Missed the ferry? Never mind. Nip round the corner for one of the cheap lunch specials and a beer micro-brewed on China Bear’s premises.
China Folk Culture Village

Full-size recreations of traditional villages are peopled by well groomed, eternally happy folk representing different ethnic Chinese groups. An anthropologist’s nightmare perhaps, but it will give you some idea of China’s diverse cultural and ethnic melting pot.
China Hotel Guangzhou

Possibly outdone by the equally huge Garden Hotel, China Hotel is still up in the top three hotels in Guangzhou and hogs the prime spot next to the city’s Trade Fair ground. There’s a large, well-equipped gym, health centre, outdoor pool and a vast range of decent restaurants and cafés.
Chinese

With a history of revolution, migration, organized crime and incessant trading, the witty and streetwise Cantonese are the New Yorkers of China, and make up the majority of Hong Kong’s population. There are also large communities of Shanghainese, Hakka (Kejia) and Chiu Chow (Chaozhou) people.
Chinese Cemetery

Stretching away on the hill above Aberdeen, the Chinese Cemetery is a great place for photographs, both of the cemetery itself and of the harbour beneath. Negotiating the steep, seemingly endless steps is quite an undertaking, though, especially on a hot day.
Chinese New Year

Hong Kong’s most celebrated festival is a riot of neon and noise. Skyscrapers on both sides of the harbour are lit up to varying degrees depending on the vicissitudes of the economy, fireworks explode over the harbour, shops shut down and doormen suddenly turn nice, hoping for a handout oflai see (lucky money).
Ching Chung Koon

The temple’s name means “evergreen pine tree”, a symbol of longevity and perseverance. The Koon, a Taoist sect, built the first structure, the Palace of Pure Brightness, in 1961 and has since added myriad pagodas, pavilions and peaceful Chinese gardens guaranteed to lower the blood pressure of even the most stress-soaked individual. There’s also vegetarian food and a bonsai collection.
Ching Ming

Also known as the grave-sweeping festival,chingming literally means “clear and bright”. Chinese families visit the graves of their ancestors to burn “Hell money”, which resembles Monopoly money.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal) and extra charges.
- under HK$100
- HK$100-250
- HK$250-450
- HK$450-600
- over HK$600
Hotel price categories

For a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
- under HK$500
- HK$500-$1,000
- HK$1,000-$2000
- HK$2000-$2,500
- over HK$2,500