Freedom is a loaded phrase in Hong Kong.
Ever for the reason that UK handed the previous British colony again to China — 20 years in the past this week — there have been protests over democracy.
They’re more likely to get louder. However this sense of being caught between two worlds is why the town stays such an interesting place to go to.
A New York minute continues to be a Hong Kong second; the Star Ferry on Victoria Harbour dutifully delivers 20 million individuals a yr between mainland Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. And all of it works completely, from the environment friendly MTR tube community stretching to the border, to youngsters in crisp uniforms strolling to highschool in crocodile strains.
Excessive life: The hovering skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island are surrounded by lush greenery
WHAT’S NEW? China and Hong Kong have put their variations apart to construct 31-mile, multi-billion-pound bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau. The mega-structure is because of open this yr.
Life is being breathed into the as soon as run-down Previous City Central, the place the British planted their flag in 1842 a youthful technology descending on craft beer outlets and hipster cafes.
Its native graffiti motion is now beating the federal government’s cleaners by making offers with property homeowners. A full-colour graffiti of Bruce Lee pays homage to the martial arts icon who was raised in Kowloon (Hey Hong Kong tour, £48, walkin.hk).
For Bruce followers, there may be additionally an exhibition on his life and profession on the Heritage Museum till summer season 2018.
Metropolis sanctuary: The Golden Pavilion Temple in peaceable Nan Lian Backyard, at Diamond Hill
GREEN SPACE Rural surroundings accounts for 70 per cent of Hong Kong. Mountain ascents are at your fingertips; queue for the rickety tram up Victoria Peak and you can be rewarded with a view of futuristic towers rising from the greenery.
Pound the rusty-red filth of the Dragon’s Again path close to To Tei Wan village for a extra bold climb (from one to 6 hours, relying on route).
At Nan Lian Backyard in Diamond Hill, Chinese language zither music units a sedate tempo on paths round laurel, koi ponds and pagodas.
DINING OUT Dim sum cafe chain Tim Ho Wan serves the world’s most cost-effective Michelin-starred meals. Two venues have this mark of high quality — however keep away from their queues by tucking in on the Hong Kong Station department. Bottomless tea is 30p and the pork buns — juicy barbecued pork in crumbly dough — are £2 for 3.
Or be part of the refined crowd at gallery-restaurant Duddell’s, which merges Cantonese meals with a contemporary ambiance.
An outdated ping-pong corridor in Sai Ying Pun is now the stylish tapas-and-gin hangout Ping Pong Gintoneria, whereas Japanese yakitori restaurant Yardbird, in Tai Ping Shan, is the place to be seen.
Chopsticks prepared: Dim sum lovers rejoice; the steamed treats are by no means far-off on this metropolis
COCKTAIL O’CLOCK Search out the speakeasies round vigorous Hollywood Highway; Mrs Pound’s chop-shop facade is a world away from the neon glamour inside, whereas Stockton is down a hidden alley. Newly opened Kwoon, which seats about ten, cans its cocktails to order.
In Kowloon, Aqua — the Asian counterpart to London’s Aqua Shard — comes alive after darkish. Or embrace Japanese minimalism at Butler, the place basic cocktails are served in glasses with impossibly skinny stems.
One of many world’s high bars — Workers Solely — in New York, is poised to open in Hong Kong.
Bursting with life: Head to the intense lights of Mong Kok for vigorous markets and avenue meals
SPENDING POWER With no gross sales tax, designer shops are a magnet for severe buyers. For labels you may’t discover at dwelling, the white concrete policemen’s quarters in Central have been transformed into impartial boutiques.
Generally simply trying is sufficient. Spend half a day in Mong Kok. The Women’ Market promoting chopsticks and silk clothes is near the Goldfish Market — the place you’ll be eyeballed by reptiles and glistening fish — and the Fowl Market. Right here, seniors play playing cards, their vibrant pets proudly displayed in hanging wicker cages.
TEMPLE TIME Pulling favours from the spirits is large enterprise. Fortune tellers tucked between market stalls assist with life’s main choices and Taoist temples inhabit the unholiest of alleyways, their incense burning like beacons in the dead of night.
Hollywood Highway’s Man Mo Temple is the oldest and most revered. Apparently dwelling of the literary spirit, it’s the scene of fogeys laying celery and spring onions to spice up their youngsters’s grades.
Different-worldly: The fragrance of incense fills revered Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Highway
ISLAND HOP Macau’s casinos and the Massive Buddha of Lantau pull within the crowds, however Lamma Island, the place a small group is constructed round a fish farm, is an escape from the chaos.
Seafood eating places right here look extra like aquariums. However there’s one fish that isn’t for the desk — a 2.74m oarfish, mounted contained in the temple, which was so uncommon when it was caught the fishermen declared it a god. (Fisherfolk tour, £60,tour3g.com).
SLEEP WELL A footbridge from the Prince’s Constructing mall means rich buyers can bag a fast entry into the Mandarin Oriental. The group’s unique resort is a pinnacle of Oriental opulence, all the way down to the perfume pumped in via the air-con.
Three of its eating places are Michelin-starred, together with Man Wah on the twenty fifth ground, the place golden lanterns body the skyline. Doubles from £343, mandarinoriental.com.
Opulent: Take within the twinkling skyline from the Mandarin Oriental’s Man Wah restaurant
On the opposite facet of Victoria Harbour is four-star possibility The Salisbury YMCA. Watching the nightly skyscraper gentle present out of your Harbour View Suite, you’ll by no means anticipate that this implausible resort makes use of its takings to fund charity initiatives.
Doubles from £121, B&B, ymcahk.org.hk/thesalisbury.
GET THERE Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) flies from Heathrow to Hong Kong from £477 return. Extra info at discoverhongkong.com.
