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Understated and elegant, the Langham attracts clientele of the same ilk, such as screen star Michelle Yeoh, perhaps on her way to T’ang Court.

Since 1888, this funicular railway has made the jaw-dropping ascent of Victoria Peak, and remains a must for visitors. Under the unwritten rules of colonial times, certain seats were reserved for high officials; now, seating is an amiable free-for-all. (see The Peak)

Vice-like hands seek out pressure points linked to vital organs. The procedure is painful, and you might be embarrassed about your feet, but you will feel so good when they stop. Reflexologists abound in Happy Valley. Try On Wo Tong.

If big construction projects move the earth for you, then head to the free Airport Core Programme Exhibition Centre in Ting Kau. The viewing platform on the roof offers a great opportunity to photograph the elegant Tsing Ma and Ting Kau bridges.

Take a powerful lens on a clear day to get decent shots of the airport from Lantau Peak. The summit also offers terrific views down onto the monastery and surrounding country.

Hong Kong’s wet markets can bring on instant culture shock for those tourists who are more used to the orderly atmosphere of supermarkets. Tiptoe through rivers of blood, past gizzards and buzzing flies as hawkers yell and housewives bargain.

Lions are thought to ward off evil and bring luck, which explains why the opening of a new building often features a troupe of wiry youths prancing about beneath a stylised lion’s head. Common around Chinese New Year .

The leafy, hollow-stemmed vegetable can be prepared with various seasonings, from the quotidian oyster sauce to garlic and shrimp paste. At its best when stir-fried with potent chillies and semi-fermented tofu.

Done properly, this marvellous prawn and pork ravioli is poached in a stock made from shrimp roe, aniseed and other spices, and served with fresh egg noodles and soup.