As a British-born Hong Konger, I have become pretty westernised since I have grown up in the UK my entire life. However, with both of my parents being from Hong Kong and my family visiting it once a year, I have grown a massive appreciation for the place. However, not many people here know much about Hong Kong, so I thought I would share eight facts about it — and I choose eight because eight is the luckiest number in China.
- Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR)
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Many people think that Hong Kong is either a city, a country, or an island, when in fact Hong Kong is none of these things. Hong Kong, which translates to ‘Fragrance Harbour’, used to be a little fishing village, which is now a Special Administrative Region (SAR). ‘City’ is probably the closest we can get. SARS hold the highest degree of autonomy, working under a ‘one country-two systems’ arrangement, where the only other official SAR in China is Macau. Under this arrangement, they also have their own government, legal system, police force, currency, education system, and many others, which makes it somewhat independent from China.
They even have their own flag, which has many meanings. The red colour symbolises China’s luckiest colours, red, alongside white. The two colours symbolise the one country-two systems arrangement. The red is supposedly meant to represent the motherland, with the white flower in the middle representing Hong Kong. The flower is shaped like the Bauhinia Blakeana flower, which was discovered in Hong Kong, symbolising harmony.
- Hong Kong was a British Colony
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In a brief history lesson, China was a developing country, and Britain was very powerful. During that time, China and Britain were trading, but conflicts arose when foreign traders (mainly British) illegally exported opium into the country, which grew dramatically in the 1820s. The reason for this illegal exportation was because the British (alongside other countries, such as Portugal) wanted to use the money to buy luxury items, such as silk, gold and tea.
It caused a widespread addiction, became detrimental to the economy and ultimately resulted in the First Opium War because China — quite rightly so — wanted to suppress the addition and trade. This trade was getting ridiculously out of hand, and in 1839, the Chinese government destroyed more than 20,000 chests of opium (around 1,400 tons).
Unfortunately for China, which was not as powerful as they are now, they lost the war, resulting in the Treaty of Nanking (1942). Here, they gave Hong Kong to the British for 99 years, which ended in 1997. Macau, another SAR, was given to Portugal for the same reason and terms.
- Hong Kong has its own official language
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While living in the UK, many people have approached me saying ‘Ni Hao’, the only phrase they probably know in Mandarin, which translates to ‘hello’. It is quite ignorant of them to automatically assume my race and what language they speak.
Because of the country’s large size, it is believed there are 297 living dialects in China today, each roughly grouped into seven main language groups. These are Mandarin (the most commonly spoken Chinese language), Hakka, Min, Wu, Xiang and Cantonese. Whilst my maternal grandparents speak Hakka too, I speak Cantonese, which is the official language of Hong Kong, as well as English, since Hong Kong used to be a British colony. It means that if you know English, you will probably be able to get around Hong Kong pretty easily, because there will be English everywhere. Most people will know at least enough English to help you around.
- Hong Kong is made up of many islands
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A lot of people think that Hong Kong is an island, and although it is close, you may want to take the other islands into account. When looking at a map, you will see Hong Kong actually shares a border with China. However, across its population of 7 million people, Hong Kong is made up of more than 250 islands, with many of them still being inhabited. There are also some hidden gems that are just stunning.
- Hong Kong is incredible for tourists
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Hong Kong is a bustling, fast-paced city, and you’ll be amazed as to how efficient the SAR is. It holds the record for the most skyscrapers in one place, with a total of 355 built buildings to date, with the tallest building (the International Commerce Centre) rising at 484 metres, or 1588ft. So, it’s no surprise to me when people only know about the tall skyscrapers of the city. Hong Kong, although normally thought of as a business place, was actually the top most visited ‘city’ in 2019.
The SAR dedicates 40% of its public land to green spaces. Hong Kong Park, for example, covers 16 acres, with a greenhouse housing 2,000 plant species. Victoria Park, stretching 47 acres, is the biggest park in Hong Kong and holds some of the greater events, such as the lantern carnivals during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Hong Kong has a lot more to offer than its tall skyscrapers, including parks, woodlands, hiking trails and a beautiful coastline.
It also has many tourist destinations, such as the Peak, Temple Street Market, and Stanely (all of which I recommend going if you ever visit!). On top of that, it also has two theme parks. Hong Kong has its own Disneyland, which opened in 2005, comprised of seven different themed lands, just over 30 entertainment shows, tours and parks. It also has three hotels for easier stay. Then, there is Ocean Park, opened in 1977, which is a marine-life theme park. It attracts more than 5 million people every year, because of its various rides, shows and cable cars showing incredible views!
- Hong Kong Thrives as a Public Transport Utopia
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Hong Kong has many different modes of transports to make it easy for you to get around. The best thing, in my opinion, about their transport systems, is that they are all interconnected. The MTR, which stands for Mass Transit Railway (their version of the Underground), connects with taxi ranks and bus stops, making it incredibly easy to travel around and not get lost, since as soon as you come out, you have them there waiting for you. And don’t forget the double-decker tramlines, which carry over 230,000 passengers every day!
Taxis are popular in Hong Kong, where they have their own system that is colour coded. The red taxis are urban, and some drivers may refuse to take you across the harbour. The blue taxis take you to Lantau, the green to New Territories. Just like in the UK, Hong Kongers drive on the left side of the road.
Ferries are another mode of transport, and with Hong Kong being made up of so many islands, it can sometimes be easier, quicker and cheaper to go by ferry. If you go to Hong Kong, something (to me) that is a must-do is to hop on the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour, so you can see that beautiful coastline lit up in the evening.
- Hong Kong can almost operate completely cash-free
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With the rising number of people using Apple Pay or other contactless methods (which only increased further with the pandemic), Hong Kongers heavily relies on their own contactless method. They use an Octopus Card, which can be topped up in almost any local corner shop, such as 7-Elevens and Circle K’s, and operates in just about any shop you go to. This makes it incredibly easy to buy things, though if you are like me, it does also result in impulsive purchases, which isn’t ideal when the number of different shops in Hong Kong are crazy!
The Octopus Card can also be used in many forms of transport, including mini-buses, some taxis, and MTR. This means it’s also easy to travel anywhere around Hong Kong without carrying cash with you. As a tourist, it’s also handy, since you don’t need to figure out what you have to pay if you can just use the card after seeing the number on the screen.
- Is Hong Kong part of China?
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The short answer is yes — but it is not as simple as that.
I always find this question particularly hard to answer because there are many conflicting views. People (especially those who know nothing about this) have a lot to say on the matter. It’s hard to explain with so much underlying history.
Aforementioned, Hong Kong was a British colony for 99 years, which was handed back to China in 1997. As of today, Hong Kong is a SAR under the Basic Law, meaning they operate under the ‘one country-two systems’ principle. However, due to Hong Kong being separated from the mainland for such a long time, they have developed its own culture, where many Hong Kongers, especially younger generations, do not associate themselves with being ‘Chinese’ and ‘part of China’. A survey conducted by the University of Hong Kong found that only a mere 11% would call themselves ‘Chinese’, the rest would identify as a ‘Hong Konger’.
Looking into technicality, Hong Kong is part of China. It may have been a British colony for 99 years, but it’s been part of China long before that, and so will always have this link with it. Due to the resentment given to them (which I partly blame westernisation and even as far as brainwashing), China allowed the SAR to remain somewhat independent for 50 years to give them time for adjustment.
In my eyes, Hong Kong is part of China, but not at the same time because the two operate too differently for me to give a solid answer. It’s like China is a mother, whilst Hong Kong is its rebelling child, ready to live on its own, but not quite there yet. It still needs a helping hand, and I feel a lot of Hong Kongers don’t realise this. China, after all, runs almost 80% of Hong Kong’s entire water supply! So, whether Hong Kong likes it or not, they will always have that part of history with China— just like a child with its mother, even if they do not quite get along.