#17 Hong Kong highlights
To me, Hong Kong is a city of many identities. Before visiting, I saw it simply as the archetypal sea of skyscrapers, global business, and expats. But after spending a few weeks there it’s clear that Hong Kong is more complex than this superficial image, with this identity as only one of many.
I’ve wanted to visit Hong Kong for as long as I can remember. I’m not entirely sure why, except that growing up it seemed like the pinnacle of global megacities and seemed from afar like a place of opportunity and where things happened. I couldn’t tell you if this is still (or ever really was) the case, but I wanted to visit to see for myself how it feels to be part of this city.
It’s fair to say it wasn’t love at first sight - coming from pristine and quiet Japan, Hong Kong felt rough around the edges in a way I wasn’t fully anticipating. It was a sensory overload of sights, smells, and sounds which meant we initially stuck to well-trodden tourist paths, ticking off a few must-do activities and getting our bearings.
We took the Peak Tram and the Star Ferry, we walked along the waterfront at Tsim Sha Tsui, and we ate dim sum and drank milk tea. And over the course of the first week, I started to settle into the pace and appreciate the energy of the city. It does have a unique buzz about it with old and new and constant reinvention, especially during this period of cultural change. I’m so glad we stayed for an extended period rather than just stopping by for a few days: while it was great to see some of these iconic sights, they weren’t really the highlight for me.
I particularly enjoyed seeing the various housing estates across the city. They are quite unique in the world, as Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet and has a scarcity of buildable land which has driven developers to build upwards. As a result, Hong Kong embraced vertical living before many other places, with many of its public housing blocks being classed as skyscrapers and reaching over 70 stories high. While the density has become more problematic over time, some of the early housing estates from the 1950s-70s are quite aesthetic in their own way and the scale is almost incomprehensible compared to the two up-two down style across the UK, which made it really fascinating to see (despite the crowds of Instagrammers posing for photos).
I also loved making our way around trying various cafes and cha chaan tengs in different neighborhoods. Cha chaan tengs are another aspect of Hong Kong’s culture and history that make it unique, reflecting a Hong Kong take on Western cuisine from the 20th century. I believe they became popular around the same period as the public housing estates were springing up, as Hong Kong’s population expanded during the 50s and 60s. They are often crowded, quick turnaround spots with ruthless efficiency, no frills, and shared tables and to me were almost a microcosm of the pace and fusion culture of the city as a whole.
Amidst the chaos of busy streets and packed markets, there were a few pockets of calm that I appreciated in the city. We returned multiple times to the relatively new West Kowloon Cultural District and M+ museum, with open green space next to the harbor and cafes and restaurants with a view of the skyline to linger in. The museum itself is huge and airy and a real contrast to many places on Hong Kong island, and had a few exhibitions with a focus on design in the city, from fashion to architecture, which were really good.
Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nan Lian Garden are peaceful retreats, also in Kowloon, featuring meticulously landscaped gardens and a beautiful Buddhist temple. The temple is made entirely of wood, with no nails, and is a traditional Chinese architectural style although it was built in the 1930s (and rebuilt more recently in the 1990s). It’s an active nunnery so there are some limits about where you can go as a tourist and a need to be respectful, but it’s a lovely place for a quiet wander as an escape from everything.
I loved seeing how the city evolved and came alive after dark, full of colour and light despite the ongoing removal of its famous neon signs. The weather was frequently foggy while we were there, lending everything a Blade Runner-like atmosphere as hints of the remaining neon poked through. I normally prefer visiting cities during the light of day, but Hong Kong may be my exception.
I think what I ultimately found so fascinating about Hong Kong is that, for a brief period of time in the 20th century, it occupied a totally unique place in the world, at the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures and of tradition and modernity. While some of this is fading now as new global cities grow and geopolitics evolves, or may even have been mythologized by its depiction in books and movies, I hope Hong Kong can hold on to the elements of this that make it unique and I’m so glad I visited when I did.
