words yvonne teh

Entering its teenage years, bc celebrates Hong Kong.

So we are 13. And although that number may not be considered lucky by some superstitious souls, we’re counting our blessings and celebrating this magazine’s birthday by listing one good thing about Hong Kong for each of our years. Some of our choices may be obvious but are all the more noteworthy for that – so often do we take these things for granted…

1) A world-class economy – As Bill Clinton famously reminded his fellow Americans during his successful 1992 presidential election campaign, “It’s the economy, stupid.” So it’s with no small amount of pride that the HKSAR government trumpets on its website that physically tiny Hong Kong is a fiscal giant that has the world’s seventh overall and second highest per capita holding of foreign exchange reserves. This in addition to the Wall Street Journal among others naming HK’s as the freest economy on earth. But perhaps more to the point, in Hong Kong the majority of people identify themselves as middle-class and are apt to admire, rather than resent, wealthy individuals like Li Ka-Shing; in no small part because, for all of the income disparities between those on the top and bottom rungs of the socio-economic ladder, people can dream that some day, they or one of their scions or other relatives will come by such riches too.

2) High number of public holidays – With a total of 17 general public holidays (12 of them statutory), Hong Kong can safely be said to have more than most other territories (including Mainland China with a mere 11). To be sure, a few – like Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas and Boxing Day – were introduced by the British, but continue to be celebrated in the HKSAR 10 years after the Handover with some gusto all the same. Also, just try to find a representative of this community with its notoriously long working hours who doesn’t think this number of holidays isn’t justified: we may be famously hardworking but we love to play hard too!

3) Low crime rates – You may find it difficult to believe from the local film industry’s violence-strewn crime dramas and martial arts fests but the Fragrant Harbour truly is one of the safest places in the world. A 2005/2006 survey (conducted by HK University’s Centre for Criminology and Social Sciences Research Centre and two other organizations) of over 30 of the world’s territories revealed that only 0.4% of Hong Kong residents were burgled in 2005 and 1.2% suffered personal assaults (compared to 6.1% in England and 6.4% in Australia). Other equally impressive crime statistics from that year point to Asia’s World City having a murder rate one-tenth of New York’s and an overall crime rate less than one-tenth of London’s. Small wonder then that in another survey, this one conducted earlier this year, 80% of local respondents showed a “very positive” or “quite positive” confidence in the 27,500-strong police force widely regarded as being among the least corrupt and most professional in the world.

4) Great public transportation – It is hard to argue with the HK Tourism Board’s website claim that “Hong Kong is geographically compact and boasts one of the world’s most efficient, safe, affordable and frequent public transport systems.” Be it the still-expanding MTR, KCR, taxis, mini-buses, ferries, sampans, Peak and North Hong Kong island trams, light rail or that elongated people-moving marvel commonly known as the Mid-levels Travelator, each plays its part in ensuring millions of people arrive daily at their chosen destinations to work, play, party and rest – and also that Hong Kong is the world’s number one in terms of the percentage of the population using public transport.

5) The Octopus card – This ubiquitous smart card that’s been with us for 10 years now has long stopped having only a single tentacle dedicated to transportation payments. It has now become a super-easy and ultra-convenient way to pay at establishments as varied as apparel stores, bakeries, cinemas, convenience stores, fast food chains, pharmacies, photo finishing stores, supermarkets and many more. Even out-of-towners have cottoned on to how wonderful these rechargeable stored-value Octopuses are; a New Yorker laments on www.streetsblog.com that “Hong Kong also improves on our Metro Cards with‑its Octopus Cards that do not even need to be swiped, but can just be briefly held over the turnstile.” Why were we not surprised at parent company Octopus Cards Limited finding that, at the beginning of 2005, over 12 million of the cards were already in circulation?

6) Historical, architectural and cultural heritage – Some days it can seem like heritage conservationists are fighting a losing battle to ensure prime examples from Hong Kong’s past will be preserved for future generations. Yet Hong Kong still protects some pieces of its architectural and cultural heritage, including a smattering that dates back further than the era of British colonial rule. A good instance is the Eastern Han Dynasty (CE 25-220) tomb unearthed in 1955 when workmen levelled a hill slope to make way for the Lei Cheng Uk Estate in Sham Shui Po. Even older, by more than 1,000 years, are the ancient rock carvings on Cheung Chau. And still in use, the over 700-year-old Tin Hau Temple in Sai Kung is the largest of its kind in Hong Kong. And although it was only completed in 2000, the Tang Dynasty-style Chi Lin Nunnery complex is an architectural jewel that must rank among the HKSAR’s more aesthetically inspired instances of cultural heritage.

7) Greenery and more greenery – For all of Hong Kong’s population density of 6,420 people per sq km, it is committed to keeping much of the territory undeveloped. Precisely 415.82 of the HKSAR’s 1,104 sq km are gazetted country parks and nature reserves – at around 40% of the total territory, that makes for one of the highest rates of protected reserves on the planet. Forming an invaluable ‘green belt’ beloved by hikers and nature lovers – who have scores of trails ranging from easy to very challenging to choose from – the 23 country parks and 15 attendant ‘special areas’ include swaths of rugged hills, forest plantations, woodlands and wetlands, waterfalls in secluded valleys, reservoirs and whole islands that are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna like camphor laurels, barking deer, Great Barbets and over 240 species of butterflies.

8) A real water world – Many people unfamiliar with Hong Kong think it comprises a single island. While that’s far from the actuality, it’s true enough that large sections of the territory are bordered by water. Additionally, amidst the talk – much of it justified – about the Fragrant Harbour squatting in polluted waters, it is often forgotten that apart from its terrestrial parks, the HKSAR also has 24.3 sq km of protected marine areas. Perhaps the best known and most visited of the territory’s four marine parks and single marine reserve are the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau marine parks established in 1996 that are habitats of the rare and endangered Pink Dolphin.

9) Movie mecca for film viewers – Scores of local movies, old and new, feature scenes of characters watching a movie, talking about going to the cinema or just plain talking about movies. Take it as reel life imitating real life, for Hong Kong is a city of film-goers, some of whom are very serious indeed about what goes into their cinematic diet. Fortunately, if the multiplexes do not provide them with what they want, they can turn for much of the year to such havens as the Broadway Cinematheque in Yau Ma Tei, the HK Arts Centre’s Agnès b. CINEMA! and the HK Film Archive. Also, around Easter each year, there’s the venerable HK International Film Festival (HKIFF) which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year after coming into being in an era during which – as Roger Garcia, wrote in its 2006 catalogue – “there were no international film festivals in Asia, and few Asian films were shown in festivals” anywhere in the world to look forward to.

10) Movie mecca for filmmakers – At its prolific peak in the latter part of the previous century, the local film industry of a territory only about the size of Rhode Island, the US’s smallest state, was the third largest in the world. Although, as far as number of films produced per year go, the ‘Eastern Hollywood’ has now slipped out of the top five, as long as filmmakers like Johnnie To, Derek Yee, Sylvia Chang, Ann Hui, Fruit Chan and Wilson Yip continue to call Hong Kong home, we at the House of the Annual Golden Durians Awards will stubbornly insist that reports about the local cinema’s death are most premature.

11) A city that never sleeps – Before I came to Hong Kong, I already knew about 24-hour convenience stores, supermarkets and eateries. But walking about in Mongkok one evening, I spied something I had truly never seen in any other of the four continents I had resided in: a 24-hour video store! Something else that has struck me during my time in the Fragrant Harbour is that I’ve never heard anyone complain about not having anything to do, especially after night falls over this exhilarating city. Both Western and Eastern-style cultural performances, clubbing opportunities, pub crawls and bar-hops, fine dining and general feasting, karaoke hot spots, whole streets where you can shop till you drop, places for chilling and others for a little peace and quiet: you name it, Hong Kong has it, and 24-7 to boot!

11) A city that never sleeps – Before I came to Hong Kong, I already knew about 24-hour convenience stores, supermarkets and eateries. But walking about in Mongkok one evening, I spied something I had truly never seen in any other of the four continents I had resided in: a 24-hour video store! Something else that has struck me during my time in the Fragrant Harbour is that I’ve never heard anyone complain about not having anything to do, especially after night falls over this exhilarating city. Both Western and Eastern-style cultural performances, clubbing opportunities, pub crawls and bar-hops, fine dining and general feasting, karaoke hot spots, whole streets where you can shop till you drop, places for chilling and others for a little peace and quiet: you name it, Hong Kong has it, and 24-7 to boot!

12) Great value museums – With so much to do in Hong Kong, a visit to a museum often slips people’s minds. Which is a shame, especially on rainy days – the best times for visiting these institutions which, barring notable exceptions like the HK Railway Museum in Tai Po, comprise sheltered indoor spaces. You can be out and about without getting wet for the most part and, in the process, come by interesting information about a whole range of subjects ranging from the scientific to the artistic and historical all the way through to the futuristic. Also, it is hard to beat the economical entrance fees of many of the HKSAR’s museums, including the larger ones like the HK Heritage Museum and HK Museum of History which are free to all on Wednesdays and only $10 on the days they charge admission. And should you get bitten by the museum bug, for just $100 you can get a pass from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department that allows you unlimited entry for a full year to the HK Museums of Science, Space, Art, History, Coastal Defence and the Heritage Museum.

13) Dining heaven – With the number of restaurants in the territory estimated at over 10,000, it’d be no exaggeration to say diners here are spoilt for choice. But what makes Hong Kong a real dining heaven is that the culinary choices are international and wide for both those on a budget and others with plenty to spend. Asia’s World City has eateries offering up cuisines that are native to territories as diverse as Argentina, Australia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, South Korea and Thailand along with various regions of India, Italy, Japan and China. And for those inclined to bemoan the expense of dining out; hand on heart, the cheapest meal I’ve had this year cost me a beggarly $6 – and what a tasty ‘only in Hong Kong’ food-cart combination of curried fish balls, pork skin, cubes of solidified pig’s blood and boiled radish it was!