
Hong Kong
This densely populated island off the coast of mainland China has a population of more than seven million and is one of mist populated regions on earth.
Under British rule for 150 years it established itself as a major free trade zone with access to the Chinese mainland and global financial markets.
Hong Kong is centred around two major urban areas, mainland Kowloon and Hong Kong Island . Surrounding the city are the lush mountains of the New Territories and over 200 small rural islands.
Since the establishment of the Star ferry line and since 1898, people have been moving back and forth between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon . Even though there are now 5 tunnels, 2 subways, 3 road tunnels, 100,000 people still travel on the ferries each day.
Hong Kong island is very hilly. After crossing the harbour you can explore the historical heartland of Hong Kong before taking a tram up to the breathtaking views of the island’s famous peak.
The famous peak tram has been running almost continuously for almost 150 years and it is still the best way to get to the top for some incredible views of Hong Kong.
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It was built in 1888 when the only form of transport to the Peak was on Sudan chairs carried by porters. The two trams are attached to the same cable, one going up as the other comes down. At times, the incline is 27 degrees above the horizontal and that’s very steep. At the top are a plethora of shops and restaurants and of course the stunning view. Hong Kong has arguably the worlds greatest skyline- the North shore of this bustling island is crammed full of skyscrapers and its home to some of the most cutting edge buildings ever constructed. But this is Hong Kong and behind its modernity is thousands of years of superstitions; The Chinese people believe that there are different kinds of natural forces, or energies around our living or working environment. This theory is called Feng Shui and fundamentally it is believed that a building should have its back to a mountain and its front facing water. Hong Kong was established as a colony of the British Empire after the Qing dynastyceded Hong Kong Island in 1841–1842 as a consequence of losing the First Opium War. The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and was further extended when the United Kingdom obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. The territory was handed over from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of one country, two systems. Many Hong Kongers who supported pro democracy parties after the territory was handed back to China have now left the island after protests were suppressed and demonstrators arrested. It is estimated that half a million left between 2021 and 2024 with most accepting widened residency pathways or asylum in the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia.