It’s pretty easy to find Hong Kong. It doesn’t hide itself away, only showing itself through slow strolls or in tucked away pubs that aren’t on any map; no, Hong Kong is out in the open, it’s unapologetic, and maybe even a little bit showy. Or actually, way more than a little bit. One look at the (appropriately) iconic skyline, and you get what’s going on here; there’s a whole lot of money changing hands in a very small place, and the people changing the money want everyone else to know it. Hong Kong has boomed from a small regional center dominated by the fishing industry into a global financial titan, surpassed in clout by only New York and London. It’s even more impressive when you consider how quickly it achieved that position: in 1860, the population was only 125,000 (by comparison, New York and London’s populations were around 800,000 and 3.2 million, respectively); now the city is home to some 7 million inhabitants.
We both agreed that Hong Kong is best seen by night. It’s a great city by day—full of surprising sights and sounds, delicious food and interesting places to visit and we’ll get to that, but if you really want to see the city, really get to know it, you have to wait until dark. The night markets packed with people and goods, the expensive black cars gliding through the night, the sidewalks crowded with happy chattering groups of young people, and the color and light from the buildings—this is Hong Kong, what it aspires to and what it truly is.
It feels almost impossible to talk about Hong Kong at night (or really any time) and not start with the skyline. This cityscape is truly first rate, the kind of view that can create a city lover out of an ordinary person and could lure a city lover to spend a lifetime lost in the view. Every night at 8pm, there’s a light and sound show called the Symphony of Lights, a spectacular collaboration (created by the Hong Kong Tourism Board) of over 40 buildings in a 14 minute display of lighting effects orchestrated to accompany a soundtrack accessible via public radio and played aloud in a number of waterfront public spaces. We saw the show twice and were impressed both times; fully from the deck of a harbor cruise, which was a highlight of the trip, and partially from the “Avenue of Stars, ” which stretches along the waterfront of the Kowloon side of the harbor.
Kowloon is the peninsula that extends south off of mainland China and is technically part of Hong Kong, but the atmospheres on Hong Kong Island and that found on Kowloon (across the harbor) are very different in terms of attitude, population and experience. Hong Kong is suited up and a place of business; Kowloon is dressed down and feels much more lived in. The districts of Kowloon are lively, vibrant and were some of our favorite parts of our time in the city.
Over the course of 8 days, we ate some delicious meals—from clay pot rice at a dai pai dong to a fabulous dinner at one of the 25 top restaurants in the world; and we saw some incredible sights—from the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island to the thousands of beads and ribbons on display in the Sham Shui Po district. Our time in Hong Kong was short, but full of great experiences and over the next few weeks, we’ll share them here.
