Hong Kong

My Hong Kong travel summary:

Visited: August 1999

Duration of visit: 4 days

Capital city: The city of Victoria

Population: 6.7 million (1999)

Hong Kong travel blog reading time: 4 minutes

• Visiting Hong Kong after its recent incorporation into China.
• Limited space is optimized and used to its full potential.
• The Big Buddha enthroned on a lotus.

My Hong Kong travel adventure was part of the Asian Big Tour from Australia, through Southeast Asia to India. During this 15-months long trip I visited most of the countries in the region and spent 4 days in Hong Kong, before crossing the border to Shenzhen.

In this article I describe my travelling experience in Hong Kong: one country – two systems, tiny hotel and Big Buddha statue.

More articles about my China travel adventures are available here:

Two years before my arrival, in July 1997, China officially integrated Hong Kong. Despite its long English influence, I quickly noticed that its largely Asian population and habits gave it a distinctly Chinese character.

While Hong Kong has been officially integrated into China since July 1997, its status remains distinct from that of other Chinese provinces (as of 1999).

“One country – two systems!“ is a slogan that signifies the arrangement through which the former British colony has aligned itself with the communist authority.

The democratically elected government was replaced overnight. The official border remains, and flights still incur international airport taxes.

I arrived at the new Hong Kong International Airport a year after its inauguration in 1998. It was the most modern and advanced airport at that time: spacious, efficient, well designed. The arrival was at 10:00pm, so I decided to sleep over on a rather comfortable bench.

Air condition was too strong, the atmosphere was quiet, plenty of space, chairs and benches available. The night passed by quickly and with tranquility. I was thrilled, because I usually don’t sleep well if not in a completely horizontal position.

After breakfast, I took public transport to Kowloon. Among the skyscrapers, I looked for accommodation and selected one of the cheapest apartments available.

There was no luxury on the 13^th floor of old building. Extremely small room was optimized as much as it can be: the bed measured 170 centimeters, however TV and A/C were working flawlessly. Tiny bathroom in the room offered hot shower, sink and a toilet bowl. Compact, clean, practical, for two of us. The price was only 14.00US$. A bargain in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is divided into four main areas: Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, New Territories and other archipelagos. Kowloon, dotted with shops, bars, hotels, restaurants, neon lights and nightlife, is a major gathering place for tourists. It is an ideal place to buy state-of-the-art electronics at a fraction of European prices and designer clothes. Kowloon also offers striking views of skyscrapers rising across the bay from Hong Kong Island.

For me, riding a double-decker bus or antique tram among modern buildings, having lunch in a luxury restaurant, and shopping were the main things to do in Hong Kong.

I liked the atmosphere of Kowloon, especially at night. I expected more English speakers, but in reality, many vendors only understood Mandarin.

High on a hill on Lantau Island, a large bronze statue of Buddha, the Big Buddha, was erected in 1993. It symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and faith. Tian Tan, as it is known, was the first grand Buddha statue I visited in China. It is enthroned on a lotus, a symbol of purity, atop a three-tiered altar.

The statue is 34 meters tall, weighs over 250 metric tons, and is surrounded by six smaller bronze statues Bodhisattvas – Buddhist deities which are venerated for helping mortals reach enlightenment. That was actually the only landmark that stayed in my memory.