Chinese New Year In Hong Kong: How To Get The Vibe

This year’s Chinese New Year falls on Monday 26 January 2009.  Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is quiet, very quiet - which is what happens when hundreds of people leave for holidays all at once, and most of those who remain spend much of their time in their own and relatives’ homes.

Many shops and even restaurants close, so if you’ve ever spent Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, you might scoff at the Hong Kong Tourism Board describing this as “the most glorious and colourful Chinese festival on the lunar calendar.”

With local friends retreating to different vacation spots, it’s all too easy to feel that you’re missing out on something.

Hong Kong’s Michelin Stars

The much buzzed about Michelin Guide is officially arriving in Hong Kong on December 5. The question is - will it actually affect where you eat?

Christmas In Hong Kong: Giving Green

Here in Hong Kong, the name of the game is consumption. We all know that shopping is more a way of life than a mere activity, but it might be time to consider how our spending habits can actually help others, and also the environment.

Christmas In Hong Kong: What To Do

When the temperature drops to the 20s in Hong Kong, the boots, scarves, and gloves come out almost instantaneously. If you hail from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, you might scratch your head in confusion. But when the locals bundle up

Shopping For Christmas Decorations

The city of Hong Kong lights up during Christmastime.  Blinking bulbs illuminate the skyscrapers, while festive streamers adorn both street stalls and shop windows.  Join in on the holiday spirit by decorating your own home.

Shopping For Thanksgiving

You may have noticed that Hong Kong’s selection of cuisines and culinary delights are nothing short of amazing.But come Thanksgiving or Christmas Day, you may also find yourself craving the taste of a familiar bird…and it’s definitely not duck.

Dragon Boat Races

Tourists crossing the bridge over Tai O creek on Lantau Island are intrigued by a carved dragon’s head sitting unattended in a rowing boat below. A couple stop to fish out a camera. Suddenly, to the quick beat of a drum, the attention of all is diverted in the opposite direction. A long, narrow boat cuts under the bridge at incredible speed, paddlers beating the water furiously.

It’s early June and dragonboat crews are engaged in frantic practice, in their final push before the big races. And it’s not just local crews – many expats in Hong Kong join teams and train hard for the big day. In fact, some of these teams are the most successful of all.

Places of Worship in Hong Kong

Religious freedom is one of the fundamental rights enjoyed by Hong Kong residents, and it is protected by the Basic Law. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is home to a number of practising religious groups, all of which have a considerable number of followers and places of worship.

Most of these also have established schools, organize social activities and provide social welfare facilities.

Hong Kong - A Short History

Before British merchants and forces arrived during the 19th century, there was no geographical unit known as Hong Kong.

The land and islands that are now within the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) had been important for pearl farming, and for guarding the approaches to one of the world’s great trading cities, Guangzhou (or Canton as it was long known in the west); there were farmers, fishermen and pirates among a populace that sometimes sided with rebellious forces, leading to gross mistreatment by the newly ascendant Qing dynasty in 1662.

Hong Kong Holidays

Chinese festivals; Hong Kong seems to have so many of them, and yet you’ve never really understood what everyone’s actually celebrating and why.

Apart from giving you those precious extra days off work for you to sleep in, there are actually some very interesting backgrounds and unusual customs that make up Hong Kong’s festivals.