Hong Kong Feet

My feet are still aching from all the walking in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China). A 3-4 hour flight had brought a group of us to this vibrant city with so much to see. Hong Kong consists of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. Our feet had travelled all over the place visiting many landmark places like the Golden Bauhinia Square, Stanley Market, Avenue of Stars and Victoria Peak.

Hong Kong was a British crown colony until 1 July 1997, when it was returned to Chinese rule. Under the policy of the 'One Country, Two Systems', Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy from the Mainland, as well as continuing to have its own legal system, currency, customs, immigration authorities, and its own rule of the road, with traffic continuing to drive on the left, for example. Only national defence and diplomatic relations are responsibilities of the central government in Beijing.

My uncle says that Hong Kong people are natural survivors. Despite the predominant language used being Cantonese, many have picked up English and Mandarin (Pu Tong Hua) recently to cater the influx of Mainland Chinese. It is no wonder as they live in a highly competitive society and are quick to adapt to environmental changes, without the need for prompting from the government, something that well-sheltered Singaporeans need to learn.

Hong Kong is a place of great food, especially Chinese cuisine like Dim Sum and is a wonderful shopping paradise, with shopping centres brimming with activity even till the wee hours of the night. That is why sometimes she is referred to as the city that never sleeps. The breathtaking night scene of harbourfront with the tall skyscrapers all litted up truly represents Hong Kong, a city with numerous tall buildings reaching for the sky. A city that truly deserves the moniker "The Pearl of the Orient".