Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港; pinyin: Xiānggǎng; Cantonese: Heunggong), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [pronunciation], is one of two special administrative regions of People's Republic of China, the other being Macau. The territory lies on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east, west and south. Beginning as a trading port in the 19th century, Hong Kong has developed into one of the world's leading financial centres.
Hong Kong was a Crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1842 to 1981 and was a British dependent territory from 1981 until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulate that Hong Kong operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defence and foreign affairs, while the Government of Hong Kong is responsible for its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organisations and events.
Geography & Climate
Hong Kong is located on China's south coast, 60 km (37 mi) east of Macau on the opposite side of the Pearl River Delta. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on the east, south, and west, and borders the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province to the north over the Sham Chun River. The territory consists primarily of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories as well as some 260 other islands. While Lantau is the largest island, Hong Kong Island is the second largest and the most populated. Ap Lei Chau is the most densely populated island in the world.
Much of Hong Kong remains undeveloped as the terrain is mostly hilly to mountainous with steep slopes. Of the territory's 1,104 square kilometres (426 sq mi), less than 25% is developed. The remaining land is remarkably green with about 40% of the landmass reserved as country parks and nature reserves. Most of the territory's urban development exists on Kowloon peninsula, along the northern shores of Hong Kong Island and in scattered settlements throughout the New Territories. The highest elevation in the territory is at Tai Mo Shan, at a height of 958 metres (3,140 ft) above sea level. Hong Kong's long, irregular and curvaceous coastline also affords the territory with many bays, rivers and beaches. Lowlands exist in the northwestern part of the New Territories.
Despite Hong Kong's reputation of being intensely urbanised, the territory has made much effort to promote a green environment,[15] and recent growing public concern has prompted the severe restriction of further land reclamation from Hong Kong's most famous natural landmark, Victoria Harbour. Awareness of the environment is growing as Hong Kong suffers from increasing pollution compounded by its geography and tall buildings. Approximately 80% of the city's smog originates from other parts of the Pearl River Delta.
Situated just south of the Tropic of Cancer, Hong Kong's climate is subtropical (Köppen climate classification Cwa), and is known for being unpredictable. Summer is hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, with warm air coming in from the southwest. It is also the time when tropical cyclones are most likely, sometimes resulting in flooding or landslips. Winter weather usually starts sunny and becomes cloudier towards February, with the occasional cold front bringing strong, cooling winds from the north. The most pleasant seasons are spring, although changeable, and autumn, which is generally sunny and dry.[18] Hong Kong averages 1,948 hours of sunshine per year, while the highest and lowest ever recorded temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory are 36.1 °C (97.0 °F) and 0.0 °C (32.0 °F), respectively.[20] Frost occurs only once or twice a year inland and on higher ground, and snow is almost unheard of. Hong Kong does not observe daylight saving time.
On the morning of June 7, 2008 Hong Kong was lashed by a torrential storm which dumped up to 300mm of rain including 145.5mm between 8am and 9am killing 2 people. The storm also caused traffic chaos and dozens of flight delays.
Culture
Hong Kong is frequently described as a place where East meets West, a meeting reflected in its inhabitants, their customs, economic infrastructure, education and culture. British rule may have ended in 1997 but Western culture is deeply ingrained in Hong Kong and coexists seamlessly with traditional philosophy and practices of the Chinese. On one street corner, there may be traditional Chinese shops selling Chinese herbal medicine, Buddhist paraphernalia or bowls of synthetic shark fin soup, but around the next, one may find theatres showing the latest Hollywood blockbuster, an English-style pub, or a Catholic Church. Hong Kong's official languages are Cantonese and English; signs in both languages are omnipresent throughout Hong Kong. The government, police and most workplaces and stores conduct business bilingually.
While Hong Kong is a global centre of trade, another famous export is its entertainment industry, particularly in the martial arts genre which gained a high level of popularity in the late 1960s and 1970s. Several Hollywood performers originate from Hong Kong cinema, notably Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-Fat, and Jackie Chan. A number of Hong Kong filmmakers have also achieved widespread fame in Hollywood, such as John Woo, Wong Kar-wai and Tsui Hark. Homegrown films such as Chungking Express, Infernal Affairs, Shaolin Soccer, Rumble in the Bronx, Eros and In the Mood for Love have also gained international recognition. Hong Kong is also the world's main hub for Cantopop music.
The Hong Kong government also supports cultural institutions such as the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Furthermore, the government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department also subsidises and sponsors international performers brought to Hong Kong. Many international cultural activities are organised by the government, consulates and privately.
Architecture
At present, Hong Kong has the world's greatest number of skyscrapers, with a total of 7,681, well ahead of the second place city, New York City, which has 5,636. Most of these were built in the past two decades.
Due to the lack of available space, few historical buildings remain in Hong Kong as older buildings are regularly torn down to make way for new developments. Instead, the city has become a centre for modern architecture, especially in and around Central. Dense commercial skyscrapers line the coast of Victoria Harbour from Central to Causeway Bay, and Hong Kong's skyline, ranked the best skyline in the world, is a major tourist attraction. Three of the 15 tallest skyscrapers in the world are in Hong Kong. In Kowloon, which once included the nihilistic settlement called the Kowloon Walled City, the proximity of Kai Tak Airport previously necessitated strict height limits for all buildings. With the closure of Kai Tak Airport in 1998, these restrictions were lifted and several new skyscrapers in Kowloon are now under construction, including International Commerce Centre which, when completed in 2010, will become the world's fourth tallest.
One of the notable buildings in Hong Kong is I. M. Pei's Bank of China Tower, completed in 1990 and now the city's third tallest skyscraper. This building generated heated controversy from the start, as its sharp angles were said to cast negative feng shui energy into the heart of Hong Kong. Predating the Bank of China Tower, another well-known structure is the HSBC Headquarters Building, finished in 1985. It was built on the site of Hong Kong's first skyscraper, which was finished in 1935 and was the subject of a bitter heritage conservation struggle in the late 1970s. Both banks' buildings are featured on many of Hong Kong's banknotes.
The tallest building in Hong Kong is currently the Two International Finance Centre. Other well-known projects in Hong Kong include the new Hong Kong International Airport on Chek Lap Kok near Lantau, a huge land reclamation project linked to the centre of Hong Kong by the Lantau Link, which features three new major bridges: Tsing Ma, the world's sixth largest suspension bridge; Kap Shui Mun, the world's longest cable-stayed bridge carrying both road and railway traffic; and Ting Kau, the world's first major four-span cable-stayed bridge.
Transportation
Hong Kong has a highly developed transportation network, encompassing both public and private transport. Over 90% of daily travels are on public transport, making it the highest percentage in the world.[60] The Octopus card stored value smart card payment system can be used to pay for fares on almost all railways, buses and ferries in Hong Kong.[61] The Octopus card uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) to allow users to scan their card without taking it out of their wallet or bag. All parking meters in Hong Kong accept payment by Octopus card only, and Octopus card payment can be made at various car parks. Unlike the rest of mainland China and Taiwan, Hongkongers drive on the left side of the road.
Metro:
Seeing wide usage is the city's metro system, MTR, both an underground rail system and a link between Hong Kong and mainland China. It has 150 stations and moves 3.4 million people a day.[62] The tramway system, serving the city since 1904, covers the northern parts of Hong Kong Island and is the only tram system in the world run exclusively with double deckers.[63] There are five operators running franchised public bus services in Hong Kong. Double-decker buses were introduced to Hong Kong in 1949, and are now almost exclusively used, with single-decker buses remaining in use for routes with lower demand or roads with lower carrying capacity. Most normal franchised bus routes in Hong Kong operate until 1 am. Public light buses run the length and breadth of Hong Kong, through areas where standard bus lines cannot reach or do not reach as frequently, quickly, or directly.
Ferry Boat:
The Star Ferry service operates four lines across Victoria Harbour and has been in operation for over 120 years, providing a panoramic view of Hong Kong's skyline for its 53,000 daily passengers.[64] It is considered one of the city's most treasured cultural icons and has been rated as one of the most picturesque ferry crossings in the world.[65] Other ferry services are provided by operators serving outlying islands, new towns, Macau, and cities in mainland China. Hong Kong is also famous for its junks traversing the harbour, and small kai-to ferries which serve remote coastal settlements.
Rail:
As Hong Kong is dominated by steep, hilly terrain, some unusual methods of transport have been devised to ease movement up and down the slopes. For example, the Peak Tram, the first public transport system in Hong Kong, has provided vertical rail transport between Central and Victoria Peak since 1888 by steeply ascending the side of a mountain. In Central and Western district, there is an extensive system of escalators and moving pavements, including the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, the Mid-Levels escalator.
Airport:
Hong Kong International Airport is a leading air passenger gateway and logistics hub in Asia and one of the world's busiest airports in terms of international passenger and cargo movement, serving more than 47 million passengers and handling 3.74 million tonnes of cargo in 2007.[66] It replaced Kai Tak Airport in Kowloon in 1998 and has been voted the world's best airport multiple times.[67] Over 85 airlines operate at the two-terminal airport and it is the primary hub of Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Air Hong Kong, Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express.
Taxis:
Taxis are widely used throughout Hong Kong, all of which are obliged by law to run on liquefied petroleum gas instead of diesel, in order to help the city's pollution problems. Despite the effort, the level of smog and pollution in Hong Kong is very high. Of around 517,000 registered vehicles in Hong Kong, 64% are privately owned passenger cars. Compared to the population size of Hong Kong, the number of vehicles is relatively small because space is scarce and private parking spaces are very expensive. In contrast to mainland China, the territory drives on the left and continues to use the British road sign system, both inherited from its colonial past. Hong Kong is famous for having the most Rolls-Royce cars per capita in the world.
