December 23, 2008 at 4:48 am · Filed under Knowing
Chances are you will be crossing between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island a fair bit. There are several ways to do this, each of which come with its advantages and caveats.
You can take the MTR subway, which you should do if you are traveling farther distances (and not merely crossing the harbour). But we’re here to tell you that the Central (HK) - Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon) ride can be really annoying, because the Central Station is deep, labyrithine, and ENORMOUS; you may innocently enter from an above-ground escalator only to find yourself at your platform an eternity later, having embarked, unbeknownst to you when you signed up, on a subterranean odyssey longer than the width of the harbour itself. This is a general truism about the MTR — the stations and trains are efficient and clean, but damn if those things aren’t buried deep in the earth.
You can also cross Victoria Harbour by taxi, of course, via one of two tunnels located at either side of HK and Tsim Sha Tsui. You will need to do this if you’re out late (ferry service ends at around 11pm each night), but don’t fret — distances in HK are short, and fares are reasonable; in moderate traffic, a Central-TST journey will take about 10 minutes and cost about $10USD. In bad traffic, however, and it’s a different story — attempting a motorized crossing during the daytime is pure folly.
By far the easiest, cheapest, and most enjoyable way to cross the harbour is by the Star Ferry service.
Just walk to through one of the two ferry terminals if you are in Hong Kong (one pier is in Wanchai to the east — technically the Wanchai Ferry, and the other is in Central on the west, right in front of the ifc); or if you are in Kowloon, to the one terminal at the tip of TST near the Cultural Center. Just follow the signs — they will prompt you either to the top or the bottom deck of the ferry (personally, I think the upper deck is a bit nicer). Cost difference is negligible, in any case; lower deck is $0.25US, upper is $0.28. Madness. (I don’t think you can buy a loosie for that little in NYC).
Below is a shot of the, uh, interface for the token machine. Don’t get too bent out of shape about the design, though — just look at that sweet, sweet price. Drop your pittance in the coin slot below, collect your plastic token from the tray at the bottom, and you’re good to ride.
November 30, 2008 at 2:47 pm · Filed under Flying, Knowing
Compared to paying the exorbitant expense of cab fare only to get stuck in traffic on the BQE, or the pain of hauling your crap from one transfer point to another and squeezing yourself and your luggage into a packed A train at rush hour, getting from Chek Lap Kok Airport on Lantau Island to Kowloon or Central Hong Kong — or back — is a veritable breeze. The how is detailed below; the pithy nature of this post should speak volumes.
Arrival.
Once you clear customs, directly across the hall you’ll see these signs:
Nearby there are several of your typical airport currency exchanges and ATM machines. Exchange, or better yet, take out about $1000HKD (about $130USD; the current exchange rate is roughly $7.80HKD to the US dollar — check here for the latest), which should last you a good few days in HK.
Just in front of the trains you’ll see these ticket machines. Depending on the location of your hotel, buy the appropriate single or roundtrip ticket. Fares below:
- Kowloon: $90HKD/$11.50USD Single-trip / $160HKD/$20.50USD Round-trip
- Hong Kong: $100HKD/$13USD Single-trip / $180HKD/$23USD Round-trip
More information about the MTR can be found here.
The trains are fast, no-frills, and they show up every 12 minutes. They only make three stops; Tsing-Yi, Kowloon, and Hong Kong. Onboard, you’ll find this handy progress meter:
The Kowloon stop is actually in the relatively new development of West Kowloon, rather than where your hotel probably is, which is Tsim Sha Tsui further to the south and east, about a 5-10 minute cab ride away. If you’re staying in HK, the HK stop on the MTR is below the ifc (International Finance Centre) in Central (for fans of the latest Batman movie, this is the building in Hong Kong that Batman goes batgliding off of). Here’s the MTR map.
Whether you’re arriving at the Kowloon or Hong Kong stops, you’ll see taxi stands near the exits. Now, this part is important, important, important. Many, if not most taxi drivers in post-colonial HK don’t speak much English, so be sure you have your hotel name, in both English and Chinese, and perhaps a map or a photo printed out on something that the cabbie can read. It sounds absurd, but it’s happened too many times to us to count, and it really totally sucks, coming upon hour-18 or -20 into your trip only to faceplant with the finish line in sight!
Taxis are stupid cheap in HK, so don’t worry too much about dough. For the short ride to your hotel should be maybe 3-5 clams US. Total elapsed time from boarding the train: 35-45 mins.
Departure.
In short, you do the reverse of the above, with one particularly awesome twist: Free In-Town Check-In Service.
So say the scenario is this: you’re getting kicked out of your hotel and you’re dragging all your bags around, your flight doesn’t leave til the evening but you still have a few things to check out in the city — what to do? In-town check-in, that’s what.
After heading down to the trains in either Kowloon or Hong Kong, you’ll see something like the following; an airport check-in area:
One which works much like its counterpart at the actual airport. To gain access to the desks, use your round-trip MTR card (or purchase another single-trip ticket if you didn’t get one when you arrived).
Et voilà — you are baggage-free once again!
Once you are ready to head back to the airport, just descend one more level to the trains …
September 2, 2008 at 1:25 am · Filed under Eating, Knowing, Seeing
I began to write this post in earnest, but as a nod to Labor Day, in which we honor this nation’s Protestant work ethic by veging and lamenting the passing of summer, I ended up just basically cutting n’ pasting the following directly from this helpful link from Frommer’s.
Added editorial commentary where appropriate below.
Hong Kong Island
Central District
This is where the story of Hong Kong all began, when a small port and community were established on the north end of the island by the British in the 1840s. Named “Victoria” in honor of the British queen, the community quickly grew into one of Asia’s most important financial and business districts, with godowns (waterfront warehouses) lining the harbor. Today the area known as the Central District but usually referred to simply as “Central” remains Hong Kong’s nerve center for banking, business, and administration. If there is a heart of Hong Kong, it surely lies here, but there are few traces remaining of its colonial past.
The Central District boasts glass and steel high-rises representing some of Hong Kong’s most innovative architecture, some of the city’s most posh hotels, expensive shopping centers filled with designer shops, office buildings, and restaurants and bars catering to Hong Kong’s white-collar workers, primarily in the nightlife districts known as Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo. Although hotel choices in Central are limited to upper-range hotels, staying here makes you feel like a resident yourself, as you rub elbows with the well-dressed professional crowds who work in Central’s office buildings. Banks are so important to the Central District that their impact is highly visible — the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, designed by British architect Norman Foster, and the Bank of China Tower, designed by I. M. Pei, are just two examples of modern architecture that dramatically transformed the Central District’s skyline in the 1980s. Hong Kong’s tallest building is the 88-story International Finance Centre, which towers above Hong Kong Station and the ifc mall shopping complex near the Central Ferry Piers.
Yet Central is also packed with traditional Chinese restaurants, outdoor markets, and the neon signs of family-run businesses. Trams — certainly one of Hong Kong’s most endearing sights — chug their way straight through Central. There are also oases of greenery at Chater Garden — popular with office workers for a lunchtime break — the Botanical Gardens, and Hong Kong Park with its museum of teaware, housed in Hong Kong’s oldest colonial-age building.
[Note: Central is where all the celebrity skyscrapers — like IM Pei's Bank of China Tower and Sir Norman Foster's HSBC Main Building — sit]
Lan Kwai Fong
Named after an L-shaped street in Central, this is Hong Kong’s premier nightlife and entertainment district, occupying not only Lan Kwai Fong but also neighboring streets like D’Aguilar, Wyndham, and other hillside streets. Filled with restaurants and bars in all price categories but popular mostly with people in their 20s and 30s, it’s a fun place to spend an evening.
[Note: LKF is the expat playground for all the British and American banker-types in HK, full of alfresco bars and pubs. OK, you have been warned!]
Victoria Peak
Hong Kong’s most famous mountaintop, Victoria Peak has long been Hong Kong’s most exclusive address. Cooler than the steamy streets of Central below, Victoria Peak, often called simply The Peak, was the exclusive domain of the British and other Europeans — even nannies had to have the governor’s permission to go there, and the only way up was by sedan carried by coolies or by hiking. Today, Victoria Peak is much more easily reached by the Peak Tram and affords Hong Kong’s best views of Central, Victoria Harbour, and Kowloon. In fact, the view is nothing short of stunning. Also on The Peak are shops, restaurants, and multimillion-dollar mansions, glimpses of which can be had on a circular 1-hour walk around The Peak.
[Note: To be enjoyed solely for the view of Victoria Harbour on one side, and the South China Sea on the other — otherwise, it is a tourist trap with dodgy food options]
Mid-Levels
Located above Central on the slope of Victoria Peak, the Mid-Levels has long been a popular residential area for Hong Kong’s yuppies and expatriate community. Though not as posh as the villas on The Peak, its swank apartment buildings, grand sweeping views, lush vegetation, and slightly cooler temperatures make it a much-sought-after address. To serve the army of white-collar workers who commute down to Central every day, the world’s longest escalator links the Mid-Levels with Central, an ambitious project with 20-some escalators and moving sidewalks (all free) stretching a half-mile (you can board and exit as you wish).
[Note: The Mid-Levels is indeed where the bougie upper-middle class of HK live. The winding set of escalators that take you up from Central are worth exploring if you have some time (be aware that they are directed downhill during the morning rush hour, and flip uphill midway thru the day), but note that there's not a whole to do once you get all the way to the top except to walk back down]
SoHo
This relatively new dining and nightlife district, flanking the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator that connects Central with the Mid-Levels, is popular with area residents and those seeking a quieter, saner alternative to the crowds of Lan Kwai Fong. Dubbed SoHo for the region “south of Hollywood Road,” it has since blossomed into an ever-growing neighborhood of cafe-bars and intimate restaurants specializing in ethnic and innovative cuisine, making SoHo one of the most exciting destinations in Hong Kong’s culinary and nightlife map. Most establishments center on Elgin, Shelley, and Staunton streets.
[Note: An expat hideaway like Lan Kwai Fong, but less boozy and a little more sophisticated, esp. in terms of food]
Western District
Located west of the bustling Central District, the Western District is a fascinating neighborhood of Chinese shops and enterprises and is one of the oldest, most traditional areas on Hong Kong Island. Since it’s one of my personal favorites, I’ve spent days wandering its narrow streets and inspecting shops selling traditional herbs, ginseng, medicines, dried fish, antiques, and other Chinese products. The Western District is also famous for Hollywood Road, long popular for its many antiques and curio shops, and for Man Mo Temple, one of Hong Kong’s oldest temples. Unfortunately, modernization has taken its toll, and more of the old Western District seems to have vanished every time I visit, replaced by new high-rises and other projects.
[Note: Also known as Sheung Wan; it's filled with curio and antique shops selling ivory sculptures and imperial furniture and housewares, this is the place to score some serious Chinese tchotchke]
Admiralty
Actually part of the Central District, Admiralty is located just below Hong Kong Park, centered around an MTR subway station of the same name. It consists primarily of tall office buildings and Pacific Place, a classy shopping complex flanked by three deluxe hotels.
[Note: Kinda boring]
Wan Chai
Located east of Central, few places in Hong Kong have changed as dramatically or noticeably as Wan Chai. It became notorious after World War II for its sleazy bars, easy women, tattoo parlors, and sailors on shore leave looking for a good time. Richard Mason’s 1957 novel The World of Suzie Wong describes this bygone era of Wan Chai; during the Vietnam War, it also served as a popular destination for American servicemen on R & R. Although a somewhat raunchy nightlife remains along Lockhart, Jaffe, and Luard roads, most of Wan Chai has slowly become respectable (and almost unrecognizable) the past few decades with the addition of mostly business-style hotels, more high-rises, the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the Academy for Performing Arts, and the huge Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a familiar sight on the Wan Chai waterfront with its curved roof and glass facade. Near the convention center is Star Ferry service to Tsim Sha Tsui.
[Note: Many of Wong Kar Wai's films romanticize the narrow stairsteps, smokey alleyways and red-light doorways of Wan Chai district, now sadly mostly extinct. More likely you'll be passing through increasingly generic Wan Chai, perhaps grabbing a Starbucks espresso, on your way to Causeway Bay, located just to the east beyond the Canal Road Flyover]
Causeway Bay
Just east of Wan Chai, Causeway Bay is popular as a shopping destination, since shops stay open late and several department stores have branches here. The whole area was once a bay until land reclamation turned the water into soil several decades ago. Now it’s a busy area of Japanese department stores; clothing, shoe, and accessory boutiques; street markets; the Times Square shopping complex; and restaurants. On its eastern perimeter is the large Victoria Park.
[Note: Fashionistas and shopaholics — this dense, pedestrian-friendly area is where the best threads, kicks and accessories are to be found in HK. More in a later post about where to find some of our favorite chains, boutiques and emporiums]
Happy Valley
Once a swampland, Happy Valley’s main claim to fame is its racetrack, built in 1846 — the oldest racetrack in Asia outside of China.
Aberdeen
On the south side of Hong Kong Island, Aberdeen was once a fishing village but is now studded with high-rises and housing projects. However, it is still known for its hundreds of sampans, junks, boat people, and huge floating restaurant. Just to the east, in Deep Water Bay, is Ocean Park, with its impressive aquarium and amusement rides.
[Note: Aberdeen is to HK as Long Island is the NYC, though considerably easier to get to — through a series of mountain tunnels, it's a mere 15 minute cab ride from Causeway Bay. The pace here is much slower, and there's an overall maritime feel. Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant, the multilevel, multicuisine megastructure anchored in the harbour, can be seen in all its decadent glory in the Stephen Chow classic 'The God of Cookery']
Stanley
Once a fishing village, Stanley is now a lively center for discount markets selling everything from silk suits to name-brand shoes, casual wear, and souvenirs. It’s located on the quiet south side of Hong Kong Island and boasts a popular public beach, a residential area popular with Chinese and foreigners alike, and, most recently, a growing number of trendy restaurants strung along a waterfront promenade.
[Note: Pretty!]
Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon
North of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour, is the Kowloon Peninsula. Kowloon gets its name from Gau Lung, which means “nine dragons.” Legend has it that about 800 years ago, a boy emperor named Ping counted eight hills here and remarked that there must be eight resident dragons, since dragons were known to inhabit hills. (The ninth “dragon” was the emperor himself.)
Today the hills of Kowloon provide a dramatic backdrop for one of the world’s most stunning cityscapes. Kowloon Peninsula is generally considered the area south of these hills, which means it also encompasses a very small part of the New Territories. However, “Kowloon” is most often used to describe its southernmost tip, the 12 sq. km (4 2/3 sq. miles) that were ceded to Britain “in perpetuity” in 1860. Its northern border is Boundary Street, which separates it from the New Territories; included in this area are the districts Tsim Sha Tsui, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Yau Ma Tei, and Mong Kok. Once open countryside, Kowloon has practically disappeared under the dense spread of hotels, shops, restaurants, and housing and industrial projects. It has also grown due to relentless land reclamation.
Tsim Sha Tsui
At the southern tip of Kowloon Peninsula is Tsim Sha Tsui (also spelled “Tsimshatsui”), which, after Central, rates as Hong Kong’s most important area. This is where most tourists stay and spend their money, since it has the greatest concentration of hotels, restaurants, and shops in Hong Kong. In fact, some of my acquaintances living in Hong Kong avoid Tsim Sha Tsui like the plague, calling it the “tourist ghetto.” On the other hand, Tsim Sha Tsui does boast the a cultural center for the performing arts, a great art museum, Kowloon Park, one of the world’s largest shopping malls, a nice selection of international restaurants, a jumping nightlife, and Nathan Road, appropriately nicknamed the “golden mile of shopping.” Although you’d be foolish to spend all your time in Tsim Sha Tsui, you’d also be foolish to miss it.
[Note: TST is the most open, uncongested and luxurious part of gritty Kowloon. The Avenue of Stars (sort of Hong Kong movie industry's version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame) along the reclaimed waterfront promenade is an intoxicating way to take in HK's skyline. From a choice vantage point here, at 8pm every night, you can enjoy/be appalled by the daily laser light show — aka the Symphony of Lights — that unfolds over the city across the harbour. For other strolling/shopping needs in TST, walk up and down Nathan Road, which forms the major north-south spine of Kowloon]
Tsim Sha Tsui East
Not surprisingly, this neighborhood is east of Tsim Sha Tsui. Built entirely on reclaimed land, the area has become increasingly important, home to a rash of expensive hotels, shopping and restaurant complexes, science and history museums, and the KCR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, providing direct train service to mainland China and connected to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station via underground pedestrian passageway. A hover-ferry service also connects Tsim Sha Tsui East with Central.
Yau Ma Tei
If you get on the subway in Tsim Sha Tsui and ride two stations to the north (or walk for about 25 min. straight up Nathan Rd.), you’ll reach the Yau Ma Tei district (also spelled “Yaumatei”), located on Kowloon Peninsula just north of Tsim Sha Tsui. Like the Western District, Yau Ma Tei is very Chinese, with an interesting produce market, a jade market, and the fascinating Temple Street Night Market. There are also several modestly priced hotels here, making this a good alternative to tourist-oriented Tsim Sha Tsui.
[Note: While less expansive and lively than their analogues in Taiwan, the Temple Street Night Market here is a worthwhile experience in kitschy, nocturnal abundance not found much in the West]
Mong Kok
On Kowloon Peninsula north of Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok is a residential and industrial area, home of the Bird Market, the Ladies’ Market on Tung Choi Street, and countless shops catering to Chinese. Its northern border, Boundary Street, marks the beginning of the New Territories.
[Note: Several stops north of TST in Kowloon, on the edge of the New Territories beyond, Mong Kok was a mostly seedy area that's since become gentrified with the HK staples of high-rise condos and high-end retail. For the hedz, check out the CTMA Centre, though; it's a shopping center devoted to vinyl toys and collectibles, and is home to the famous Superman Toys]
June 28, 2008 at 6:05 am · Filed under Knowing
For architecture and urbanism junkies out there, there was a succinct little article in the latest Dwell, in which the mag interviews the HK-based architect Rocco Yim.
Snip and clip below:
Is Hong Kong friendly to contemporary architecture?
If there is some truth to the saying that architecture is a reflection of a city, then the pragmatic, practical nature of Hong Kong influences most of the architecture. We are very efficient at putting up buildings, very good at making the maximum use of whatever space is available. We are ingenious in the way we adapt buildings to difficult sites. But at the end of the day, the first priority is functionality. The general public does not have great aspirations for creativity.
Are architecture and urban design driven by money or by government?
By money. Of course, the government establishes planning and zoning guidelines, but it is traditionally driven by financial considerations.
Has this produced good results?
Sometimes, when commercial interests and urban considerations coincide. The best example is how the city’s infrastructure merges with buildings. Mass-transit stations integrate with shopping centers. Pedestrian movement systems merge with architecture. There is no rigid demarcation between what is private and public and no strong psychological demarcation between one piece of architecture and the next. As a result, we have some very dynamic public spaces.
Where haven’t public and private interests merged well?
On large residential projects. The efficiency the developer is trying to achieve is so great that the resulting architecture ignores the basic requirements of good living units. Like that they should be facing south, or that there should be adequate cross ventilation, or that they should not be overlooking other units. Usually such environmental considerations are given up in order to have as much usable area as possible squeezed out of limited available land. At the same time, it gives the city a good compactness.
What are the positives and negatives of Hong Kong’s density?
It is a user-friendly, pedestrian-friendly city, something that cities like Beijing or Los Angeles really should learn. This compactness produces a very vibrant mix. You have living zones very close to commercial zones. You have a market, sometimes literally, downstairs. You are within walking distance of shops, bars, and restaurants.
On the other hand, in order to achieve this, some very basic concerns are neglected. You have to be able to stand the noise. Privacy is a problem—–you can’t be the sort of person who likes living in Vancouver. And sometimes this density creates a “wall” effect, blocking the winds from the sea and worsening pollution.
Is the government confronting these problems?
They have started to down-zone most development to reduce the density of new sites. In two recent incidents, they almost halved the amount of development that was permitted before.
How did the land-reclamation projects, which have been going on for 150 years and have reshaped Hong Kong’s topography, get started?
We are short of land. And yet the government throughout history has relied on profits from land sales to finance the city. It is one reason why we have such low income taxes. And the only way we could get new land to sell is through reclamations, time and again.
Twenty years ago, it took 15 minutes to cross the harbor by ferry. Now, because of the increased amount of landfill, it takes about eight. Has it gone too far?
It’s a very politically sensitive issue. Two or three years ago, when people saw the last reclamation, they were alarmed that the harbor was becoming more like a river. Now there is a law that prohibits further damage.
Also, people have been complaining for many years that Hong Kong’s shoreline is a mess—–not a single restaurant or promenade. And one reason is that the government is always engaging in further reclamations, so there’s no point in designing anything. Now that the last one has begun, they are finally going forward with consultations on how to best design the waterfront.
Has historic preservation become a priority?
It has. It used to be that there wasn’t a strong will to do so because if you knocked down an old building and sold the land, you could get more income. Over the last two years, however, the government has been actively trying to preserve historic structures like Central Police Station, but there is always difficulty getting a consensus. There are organizations that say you cannot touch a single brick. On the other hand, there are people—–including myself, and most architects—–who say you have to be creative by adding or transforming elements to make it work, as with the Tate Modern.
What are the big challenges for the future?
What we need is a couple of good-quality public buildings that we can be proud of. The government does not go for design competitions. They’re afraid of budgeting, of controversies.
The second challenge is to find an intelligent balance between sustainability concerns and issues of density and compactness. Government is responding to environmental groups and downscaling development sites. But there is a danger that the pendulum is swinging too much the other way too fast. That by drastically reducing the density of our city, we might lose our original strength, that we are walkable and connectable.
Has the city changed much since the handover?
It changed quite a bit over the last two years. The public is more concerned with the environment, preservation, and reclamation. That is very different from the British era. It’s an outgrowth of a new form of government. We have more independent legislators, so people’s voices are increasingly heard.
If a visitor only has a few days, what are Hong Kong’s must-dos?
You must take the Peak Tram and take a look from above. And the ride is interesting—–there’s one stretch where it’s so steep, it’s almost vertical.
Then I would suggest you take the escalators up to the mid-levels [of Central]. There you can see the different strata of development. From the latest, to old Central, to the messy residential neighborhoods on the upper mid-levels, to the more high-class, quieter residential levels.
Any museums?
Unfortunately, our museums are all bad [laughs].
[Note: It is sad but true; the museums in Hong Kong suck big time. Go shopping instead! More on this point in a later post.]
April 2, 2008 at 1:11 am · Filed under Knowing, Seeing
Hong Kong is a surprisingly simple city to get your head around, despite being an ‘Asian City’ (with all the craziness that such a label implies).
For one thing, unlike other Chinese cities whose histories extend back hundreds if not thousands of years, Hong Kong’s entry upon the world stage really only took place when the English sought to establish a trading presence in east Asia well into the 19th century, and settled on a balmy, typhoon-protected island off the coast of southerly Guangdong province (Macau, located across on the western side of the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong, had been settled two hundred years earlier in the 1600s by Portuguese missionaries).
Hong Kong (a derangement of ‘Sheung Gung,’ which means ‘fragrant port,’ a name given because of the sandalwood tree plantations in the area) grew from a backwater into a major shipping port (exporting silk, tea and curios to the west, and importing, er, opium to the Chinese) in a few short decades. The urban expansion was tempered, at least on Hong Kong island, by the geography – building was certainly possible atop the flat, coast plains, but those conditions gave way abruptly to impenetrable, jungly hills that rose steeply to almost a kilometer at their highest points.
If you look at the satellite image of Hong Kong above, you can see the impossibly narrow sliver of civilization clinging to the northern coast of the island (for more detail, click here); compare that to the images of San Francisco and New York to get an idea of the scale and you’ll see what I mean about how tiiiiiny – and dense – Hong Kong really is.
In fact, the pattern of Hong Kong’s growth can be described by three basic maneuvers: up, out, and north. Up as defined by the ceaseless building of vertical residential and commerical superstructures that push floor-to-area ratios to their absurd limits (check out the photographic work of Michael Wolf, namely his Architecture of Density collection; one such image is above). Out in the land reclamation projects that repeatedly step the coastline of Hong Kong and Kowloon further out into Victoria Harbour (walking around, you can easily notice the ghosts of former coastlines as they sat on either side – perhaps someday the waterway will be no wider than the Seine and the two neighborhoods will be linked up by a footbridge). And north in the delirious expansion of the New Territories (the large urban swath immediately north of Kowloon, where the majority of HK residents live) upwards into China along the Pearl River, forming a vague, sprawling megalopolis together with the Chinese Special Economic Zone (SEZ) cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
All of this craziness leaves Hong Kong itself a relatively peaceable kingdom!
In a later post we’ll provide a breakdown of some notable neighborhoods themselves, as well as the (very easy) ways of getting around and between them. For now – bedtime!
