Hong Kong Car Hire Discounts

Hong Kong Attractions and Things to See

Hong Kong sits on a piece of land on the south coast of China, encompassed by the South China Sea and the Pearl River Delta, famous for its huge skyline and deep natural harbor, with a land mass of 426 square miles and a population of 7 million, one of the most densely populated cities on this earth. It had become a British Empire colony after the First Opium War, and the colony had been confined to the Hong Kong island, but would be expanded into the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories in 1898, and occupied by the Japanese during the Pacific War, only to be returned to the British until 1997, when it would gain its sovereignty. It has had archaeological studies done that state a human presence lived here from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago, in the Chek Lap Kok area and from the Sai Kung Peninsula from only 6,000 years ago. Therefore, it has one of the longest histories and heritages in the world, with the Three Fathoms Cove and Wong Tei Tung sites being the earliest signs of human habitation in the Paleolithic period, with many Neolithic relics from the Longshan culture in northern China and eight petroglyphs found on surrounding islands that date to the Shang dynasty in China.
It is said that East meets West here, showcasing the city's cultural mix, although it has found a way to balance the modern ways with the traditional practices of China. They still believe in feng shui, causing all new construction to hire expert consultants to explore the area to be built upon, so as to not disturb or disrupt any ancient qi or energy. It is a world financial center and global center for trade, calling itself a center for entertainment, with a magnificent martial arts film genre that has acquired a high level of popularity, beginning in the late 1960s, and furthered by such legends as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Jet Li, with some great performances by Brandon Lee.
Its architecture is spectacular, with 7650 skyscrapers, with more buildings about 35 m than any other city. But because of the lack of space and constant need for higher and more spaces, the city has very few older buildings that remain, and thus has become more famous for its modern architecture than its antiquities. It has a very advanced and modern transportation network, with more than 11 million people traveling along its public transport system each day.
As for the city's cuisine, it has become an eclectic mix of Cantonese cuisine, Southeast Asia, the Western part of the world, Japan and non-Cantonese speaking areas of China, because it had been a colony of Great Britain, and an international city. The variety and diversity is excellent, which is one of the numerous reasons the city has been called the "gourmet paradise" or the "world's food fairgrounds". There are roadside stalls to outstanding upscale restaurants, with a unique fusion of international gourmet delights that has created the city's huge service based economy. Since the majority of residents are Chinese (98%), Chinese cuisine is served at their homes, with Cantonese influences and traditions cooked into every meal, with rice being the main staple for most families. The city's houses and therefore, its kitchen's are smaller than the average because the city has such a significant rate of density, so that most families shop for food each day, thus putting more fresh ingredients on their plates or bowls, with dining out and take out food more popular than most areas in the world because the average work week here is 47 hours.
The main course of each meal is accompanied by a good helping of rice or other carbohydrates, including noodles or mein. Here, the citizens eat about five meals a day, with their dinners usually including desserts, with snacks taken anytime between the main meals. Quite a bit of the food has been influenced by Canton, with many of the city's favorite dishes coming from that area, like shark's fin, mooncakes, wife cake, abalone, poached chicken, herbal tea, roast duck and dim sum. More westernized dishes, like Hong Kong-style milk teas and egg tarts are becoming favorites as well.