Hong Kong: Guide

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Causeway Bay 

This is the home of the shopaholic. It is said that if you can buy it, Hong Kong will sell it, and if Causeway Bay doesn't sell it, it probably doesn't exist. Although the streets still buzz with thousands of shoppers spending money well into the early hours, the area has felt the pinch of development and recession lately: during the day pollution reaches dangerous levels and economic slump has claimed some of the more prestigious Japanese department stores. Here you will also find, at the exclusive Royal Yacht Club, the Noon Day Gun, made famous in Noel Coward's Mad Dogs and Englishmen and still fired every day. 

Location: Hong Kong Island
How to Get There: Causeway Bay MTR/buses from Central/cross-harbor bus 110 or 100/Public Light buses to Causeway Bay or points in the area, such as Daimaru, the now-closed Japanese department store on Hennesy Road, or Victoria Park.  

About the MTR (Mass Transit Railway)¹

Mass Transit Railway or MTR (地下鐵路, literally "underground railway"; usually abbreviated to 地鐵 or 地下鐵) is the main rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Since the MTR service first opened in 1979, the network has expanded to encompass seven lines and 53 stations along 91.0 km.²

Constructed and operated by MTR Corporation Limited, the MTR system is a very popular mode of public transport in Hong Kong, with an average of 2.46 million journeys recorded each day.

Much of this popularity is due to the efficiency and affordability of the MTR. For example, a taxi ride from Tsing Yi in the New Territories to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island costs around HK$200, while the same trip on the MTR costs HK$11.80, and HK$5.70 on concessionary fare. The integration of the Octopus contactless smart card system into the MTR system in September 1997 has particularly enhanced the ease of use of the MTR.

Construction of the MTR was prompted by a government-commissioned study released in 1967. The Hong Kong Government commissioned the study in the 1960s to find solutions to the growing traffic problem caused by expansion of the colony's economy. Construction started soon after release of the study, and the first line was opened in 1979. The MTR was immediately popular with the residents of Hong Kong, and as a result subsequent lines have been built to cover more territory. There are continuing debates as to how and where to expand the MTR network, including new lines and a possible merger with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation to create a combined network.

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Central District

The relatively tiny Central District is the powerhouse of the region's economy. Built almost entirely on reclaimed land, it is the home of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation's headquarters, created by British architect Sir Norman Foster and reminiscent of the Lloyds of London building. Its wire-frame design tries its hardest to upstage the Bank of China Tower next door but fails: the local branch of the mainland's pre-eminent bank, which consists of 70 stories of criss-cross lattice paneling, is easily the most recognizable skyscraper in the city. A recent addition to the Central skyline is The Centre on Queens Road Central, with its ever-changing exterior illuminations. 

Location: Hong Kong Island
How to Get There: Central MTR/practically any bus on the island (alight at Pedder Street, Exchange Square bus terminal, Connaught Road, or by the Star Ferry or Outlying Islands Ferry). 

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware 

Hong Kong's oldest surviving colonial building, built in 1846, this has a core collection of tea ware donated by local collector Dr K.S. Lo, including many pieces of Chinese origin. 

Location: Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong Park, 10 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong Island (2869 0690).
How to Get There: Admiralty MTR then walk uphill/bus 23 to Peak Tram stop then walk through the park. Open 10am-5pm Mon, Tue, Thru.-Sun. Admission free. 

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Government House

The home of 25 British governors, Government House sits in Mid-Levels within a garden crammed with flower beds. Built in 1855 and redesigned by the Japanese during their wartime occupation, this relic of the colonial era has been spurned by the present-day Chinese leadership, who decided it will in future be used only for fundraising events and highbrow VIP functions. Visitors are rarely allowed in but may stand at the gates and take pictures. 

Location: Hong Kong Island. Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong Island.
How to Get There: Bus 23 or minibus 31 to Garden Road then walk to Lower Albert Road. 

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Happy Valley Race Track 

Hong Kong's favorite sport is making money, and in horseracing you have Hong Kong's favorite money sport. Billions are spent every year at the Happy Valley racecourse, an oasis of green in the middle of the city. The season runs from September to June and meetings are usually held here on Wednesday evenings, and occasionally on Saturday or Sunday afternoons when the other course at Sha Tin is being repaired or prepared for a big international meet. 

Location: Hong Kong Island. Happy Valley, Hong Kong Island (2966 8397).
How to Get There: Causeway Bay MTR/Happy Valley tram/special buses from Exchange Square terminus in Central. Open Weds Sept-June (first race 7.30pm). Admission HK$10. 

Hong Kong Sightseeing: HK Cultural Centre 

This may look like a skateboard ramp aimed at Victoria Harbor but it hosts some of the most innovative and interesting of locally made and performed films, concerts, exhibitions and plays, and is home to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. 

Location: Hong Kong Island. Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (2734 2167).
How to Get There: Tsim Sha Tsui MTR/Kowloon Star Ferry pier/cross-harbor bus 100. Open 11am-10pm daily. Admission free. 

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Hong Kong Island Bowen Road Walk 

A great way to view the city is from this very gentle walk that stretches along the mid-levels of Hong Kong's main peaks. At 2.5km in length, it snakes behind Central, Wan Chai and Happy Valley. Along it is Lovers' Rock, a 9-m-high granite monolith worshipped by those in search of romance. It's worth noting that despite Hong Kong's obsession with cars, most people spend their days off walking, either around town or over the many designated country walkways. Three-quarters of Hong Kong is countryside and two-fifths of it is preserved as country parkland; there are 23 land and marine parks, some of which have been declared Areas of Special Scientific Interest. Trail maps can be bought from the Government Publications Centre, Ground Floor, Lower Block Government Office, 66 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong Island (2537 1910). 

Location: Hong Kong Island
How to Get There: Bus 15 from Exchange Square terminus/Central Star Ferry pier to the top of Stubbs Road in Happy Valley. 

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Hong Kong Zoological & Botanical Gardens 

Leave behind the noise of the city for a while and stroll through these Victorian-era gardens, in which elderly Chinese people practice their tai chi exercises and a small collection of animals pound their cages. Renowned for having one of the most progressive breeding policies of any zoo in the world, this park features animals peculiar to Asia, including a tree kangaroo and some orangutans. 

Location: Hong Kong Island
How to Get There: Admiralty MTR/bus 23/minibuses from Mid-Levels. Admission free. 

Hong Kong Sightseeing: Kowloon Walled City Park 

Kowloon's history is a checkered one, and one of the more notorious aspects of it is the old walled city. The now-demolished labyrinthine ghetto was the sole part of Hong Kong that never left Chinese hands. The local police were not allowed in, and it became a haven for all sorts of nefarious activities. Its legacy lives on in this park, which was laid out in classic southern Chinese style, and features a preserved courtyard, the old South Gate of the Walled City, sculptures, pavilions and flower and tree-lined pathways. 

Location: Kowloon
How to Get There: Lok Fu MTR/bus 9, 10 or 113. Admission free. 

*1. Source: Wikipedia.org and its authors
*2. MTR logo Copyright MTR Corporation Limited Hong Kong