Travel Journal

It was an excellent way to arrive in Hong Kong for the first time, as I did, by ferry from Guangzhou. After leaving the Pearl River Delta, as we drew closer to Hong Kong Island, the buildings seemed to rise out of the water, with the green hills behind them.

Although Hong Kong is officially part of China since the end of British rule in 1997, it couldn’t be more different from the mainland. Unlike China, people from most nationalities do not need a visa for entering Hong Kong, and although similar in value, its currency is the Hong Kong Dollar instead of the Chinese Yuan. The silly British custom of driving on the wrong side of the road takes some getting used to again. There’s an armada of double decker buses to complete the extensive and hyper efficient transportation service of the metro in the entire Hong Kong area, and there is even a quaint little tramline in the centre of the city itself. The population is mixed and multi-cultural, with its main Cantonese population, immigrants from the mainland, the Indian subcontinent, the Philippines, Middle East, Europe and North America.

Hong Kong consists of a peninsula with districts like Kowloon and the New Territories. There are a number of islands, most famous being Hong Kong Island, the administrative and business centre. Lantau island is where the busy airport is located, and there are a number of smaller islands.

I had chosen to stay in Kowloon, or the area of Tsim Sha Tsui to be exact. Near the waterfront, there is a beautiful view of Victoria Harbour and the city across the water, and as you look at the hundreds of skyscrapers, freight ships and ferries go by. The first evening after my arrival, a show called “A Symphony Of Lights” was on, held every Saturday evening during the summer months. A number of harbourfront buildings in the city were lit with different colours of floodlights, and synchronised to the music, a fireworks and laser show erupted over the buildings, a magical sight.

The next morning, I took the Star Ferry across the harbour to Hong Kong Island, and went into the city. Walking around in Central for the first time is a wonderful experience. I have always been interested in the modern architecture of cities, having made several documentaries on the subject. Hong Kong is a haven for people like me, and I frequently strained my neck, looking up at the enormous structures, skyscrapers of concrete and steel and glass, while trying not to bump into too many people. On a visit to the beautiful botanical gardens, I took the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator, basically a giant series of escalators and so-called travelators. It runs 800 meters up the hill, connecting the lower streets near the harbour to the residential areas, with towering apartment complexes on impossible slopes. There is also a lovely little funicular railway, called the Peak Tram, in operation since 1888, which brings you up the Peak. It’s a residential area with lots of green, and the views over the city, Victoria Harbour and Kowloon in the distance are breathtaking.

The architecture in the city is as diverse as the people, and some of the world’s most renowned architects have designed stunning buildings here. Like in China, most buildings have been designed with feng shui as an essential part of the preparations. Meaning “wind and water", it’s a form of geomancy, and it proposes the positioning of a building and even an ideal form for a structure, according to the spiritual attributes of a landscape and its surroundings. A striking building houses the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Designed by Sir Norman Foster, it is more than 178 meters tall, and is supported on giant pillars. It has a transparent floor, and as you walk underneath it, you can look up into the heart of the building, a colossal glass atrium. The Lippo Centre with its awkward, bulging shapes is also an eye-catcher, designed by Paul Rudolph. And then there is the more than 367 meters tall Bank of China Tower, world-renowned and it features on Hong Kong’s bank notes. It was designed by I.M. Pei. However, for this building, feng shui was bypassed, and it’s therefor disliked by a lot of Hong Kong residents.

On another day, I took a ferry to Lantau island, almost twice the size of Hong Kong Island. It features a couple of older seaside villages, and as half of the island is designated as parkland, there are lots of green valleys, lakes, and hills with waterfalls. After the ferry had docked at the small town of Mui Wo on the island, I took a bus to the Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery. Near the monastery, the Tian Tan Buddha sits high up on a hilltop, surrounded by a ring of Bodhisatvas offering various gifts to the Buddha. The statue is 34 meters tall and weighs 250 tons, and it’s the largest seated bronze outdoor Buddha in the world. As you look around, there are emerald coloured hills shrouded in mist, among a serene quietness, a nice change from the busy city.

During my stay, on 1 July, known as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day, the eighth anniversary of the region’s handover to Chinese sovereignty was celebrated. Thousands of people marched the streets, protesting for more democracy or in support of the Beijing government, and it once again showed the special privileges this part of China enjoys.

Although I couldn’t get enough of Hong Kong, and with a number of places left that I still wanted to visit, it was time for me to go back to the mainland, going on a 26-hour train journey to Shanghai.