Hong Kong
Facts (Hong Kong)
MY Favourite Places to Visit
Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha)
天壇大佛
Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is a large bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. The statue is sited near Po Lin Monastery and symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and faith.
The statue is named Tian Tan Buddha because its base is a model of the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. One of the five large Buddha statues in China, it is enthroned on a lotus on top of a three-platform altar. Surrounding it are six smaller bronze statues known as "The Offering of the Six Devas" that are posed offering flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha. These symbolise the Six Perfections of generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom, all of which are necessary for enlightenment.
Victoria Peak
太平山
Victoria Peak is a mountain on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. With an elevation of 552 m (1,811 ft), it is the highest mountain on Hong Kong island, ranked 31 in terms of elevation in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Tai Mo Shan is the highest point in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with an elevation of 957 m (3,140 ft)).
The Peak Tower incorporates the upper station of the Peak Tram, the funicular railway that brings passengers up from the St. John's Cathedral in Hong Kong's Central district, whilst the Peak Galleria incorporates the bus station used by the Hong Kong public busesand green minibuses on the Peak.
This is the best place for tourist to have a full view of Hong Kong, and is one of the most popular places for HK residents to smell some fresh air in the middle of a concrente forest. Don't forget to take the tram up and have a close to 90 degrees experience in going up the mountain.
Cheung Chau
長洲
Under the terms of the 1898 Second Convention of Peking, the New Territories and 200 smaller islands including Cheung Chau were leased to the United Kingdom for 99 years. At that time, Cheung Chau was mainly a fishing village; it had more residents living on junks than on land. Cheung Chau had already been settled by people from other places in Southern China; for example, Hoklo, they are mainly fishing people; Hakka people; Chiu Chau; and Yue Ca. The island slowly evolved into a commercial hub with merchants selling supplies to the local fishing people, boat repair and fishing gear as well as the place to do business for fishing people and small farmers of other nearby islands like Lantau Island.
This is one of the few places where the traditional fishing village of Hong Kong still maintained. Although the island is much more commercialised now, but spending a day in there, cycle around the island and enjoying a seafood meal is not a bad choice. Besides, you can also visit the hole that the famous pirate, Cheung Bo Tsai used to hide his treasure. However, please be warned that the mouth of the hole is very very small and steep. Enter at your own RISK!
Tai O Fishing Village
大澳
Another fishing village that still maintained its image is Tai O. Tai O is mostly populated with Tanka people - a nomadic southern Chinese ethnic group who have settled in the community over the past two centuries, having previously lived on junk boats in various parts of the South China Sea. All of the houses around the ocean are built on stilts, stilted houses - pang uks - were once common across Hong Kong, but Tai O is now home to the last remaining community of any scale.
Fish remain a central part of Tai O life – the scent of the village's shrimp paste is apparent in the air all throughout the day, while salted fish of all varieties can be seen drying on verandas. The main things to do as a visitor to Tai O is to take a boat ride around the village and out on the ocean to try and spot Pink Dolphins.
HK Shopping Areas
Hong Kong is a shopping paradise. You will be able to shop in every district of Hong Kong and every street of Hong Kong.
Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, Admiralty, Stanley, Mongkok, Sham Shui Po
Stanley Market is one of the must-go places for tourists when they visit Hong Kong. You will find an interesting array of little shops selling silk garments, sportswear, art, Chinese costume jewellery and souvenirs. While a bit "touristy" if you are a tourist it will certainly help you to cross off all the items on your souvenirs-to-buy-Aunt-Jane shopping list. A hard morning of shopping is also nicely finished off by a good lunch at one of the many restaurants, which are the reason that Hong Kong locals also frequent the area.
There is a line of restaurants along the coastline which is a superb place to have a beer and hangout on a weekend. Besides, the Stanley beach is just adjacent to the Stanley market and the place where the famous DragonBoat race is conducted every year.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum is a planned museum exhibiting artefacts of Beijing's Palace Museum in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District. Construction began in April 2019 and is expected to open on 3 July 2022, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum presents over 900 priceless treasures from the Palace Museum. Many of them are on display in Hong Kong for the first time, while others have never been shown to the public before. The Museum regularly presents special exhibitions featuring Chinese art and culture, as well as art and treasures from other parts of the world.
Miniature Exhibition (Story of Hong Kong)
As part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the exhibition commemorated the city's sense of identity through miniature masterpieces of the city's diverse landmarks, including neon signs, trams, and authentic delicaies.
Exhibition date: January - 19 February 2023
